US Faces Shutdown as Trump’s Funding Bill Falls 5 Votes Short in Senate

US President Donald Trump has failed to get the funding bill passed in the Senate. Voting on the bill took place late Tuesday night. The bill received 55 votes in favor and 45 against.

Passage required 60 votes, which required Trump’s Republican Party to secure the support of opposition Democrats. However, Democrats voted against the bill.

The 100-member Senate has 53 Republicans, 47 Democrats, and two independents. 60 votes are required to pass a funding bill.

Due to the bill’s failure, a shutdown has been implemented in the US starting at 9:30 am Indian time today. This has hampered government operations. This is the first government shutdown since 2019.

A lawmaker from Trump’s party voted against the bill

One lawmaker from Trump’s Republican Party voted against the funding bill, while two Democratic lawmakers voted in support.

Before the Republican Party’s funding bill, the Democratic Party had introduced its own funding bill with health care provisions. However, this bill also failed to pass. The bill received 47 votes in favor and 53 against.

All Democrats voted in favor and all Republicans voted against. Trump has blamed the Democrats for the shutdown. They have already threatened to fire government employees.

The threat of 900,000 employees being forced to leave has increased.

Agreement on the Health Care Program Failed

The two major parties in the US, the Democrats and Republicans, were at odds over the Obama Health Care Subsidy Program. Democrats wanted to increase the health care subsidy.

Republicans feared that increasing the subsidy would require more money for government spending, which would impact other government functions.

President Trump and Democratic leaders met at the White House on Monday to avert a shutdown, but the meeting yielded no results.

The US fiscal year, or spending year, begins on October 1st. It’s essentially the government’s financial year, during which it plans its spending and budget.

During this period, the government decides where to invest, such as in the military, health, or education. If a new budget isn’t passed by this date, government operations cease.

How will the shutdown affect the US?

After a government shutdown in the US, the government will no longer have funds for expenditures. This will halt salaries for government employees and other expenses.

The shutdown will force the US government to cut its spending. However, emergency services such as medical services, border security, and air services will continue.

In the past 50 years, the US has experienced 20 shutdowns due to funding bill delays. Trump’s previous term alone saw three government shutdowns.

The 2019 shutdown lasted the longest, at 35 days, and cost the US economy Rs 25,000 crore.