Frontier Correspondent
“Closed due to federal government shutdown” sign outside the National Gallery of Arts in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
The U.S. federal government shutdown reached its 35th day on Tuesday, officially becoming the longest in the nation’s history and surpassing the 34-day record set during President Donald Trump’s administration in 2018–2019.
The ongoing funding impasse over the fiscal year 2026 budget has left about 800,000 federal employees furloughed or working without pay, shuttered national parks, and stalled services from passport processing to food-safety inspections.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill signaled cautious optimism Wednesday as bipartisan negotiations gained traction in the Senate. “We’re finally at the table with real numbers,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) after a closed-door meeting. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) echoed that sentiment, describing “productive conversations” between both chambers.
At the center of the talks is a proposed continuing resolution that would fund the government through March 2026 and establish a bipartisan commission to tackle contentious issues such as border security and disaster-relief spending—two sticking points that derailed earlier negotiations.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that each additional week of the shutdown shaves roughly $1.75 billion from annualized GDP. After 35 days, the total economic toll has climbed to at least $7 billion, hitting hardest in the Washington region, tourism sector, and federal contracting industries.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that President Biden is “prepared to sign any clean funding bill that reaches his desk” but will reject measures that “undermine border enforcement or climate resilience.”
Financial markets reacted mildly, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing up 0.3% amid optimism for a deal. But hardship is deepening among federal workers: absenteeism at major airports reached 12%, and hardship-withdrawal requests from federal retirement accounts jumped 40%, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
No vote has yet been scheduled, but aides say a framework could emerge as early as Thursday, paving the way for possible floor action before the weekend. Until then, the record-breaking shutdown—and its mounting costs—remains the defining crisis of the 119th Congress.
A government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to approve funding bills or the president refuses to sign them, halting most federal operations. Essential services such as national security and emergency response continue, but hundreds of thousands of civil servants are sent home or work temporarily without pay until a budget deal is reached—causing widespread disruption across the country.