Around 900,000 employees in the US public sector have been on forced leave since October 1 after Congress failed to reach an agreement on a new budget. Another 700,000 civil servants have been working without pay for more than a month. The financial situation of many of them is catastrophic.
The longest shutdown in the US
This is the longest shutdown in US history, according to the German public broadcaster ARD. The previous longest blockade (35 days) was during Donald Trump's first term. America has now been in a shutdown for 37 days.
The blame for this lies mainly with the Republicans, polls show from the first day of the blockade. Meanwhile, Donald Trump himself admitted it for the first time, who after the Democrats' victory in the gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, as well as in the mayoral elections in New York, did not fail to blame the shutdown on the "radical Democrats in the Senate", ARD recalls.
The Democrats are inclined to approve the new budget only if the planned cuts in health programs for low-income people are canceled. But the Trump administration believes that the health system cannot be financed without these cuts. The result is a complete impasse, and the victims are mainly low-income people. Because food assistance under the SNAP program is also being paid out more and more slowly. In Kentucky alone, about 600,000 families rely on this program, ARD quotes state Governor Andy Beshear.
"Nobody benefits from this"
Among those currently working without pay are about 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration employees. Many have taken sick leave so they can earn money in other ways - such as as Uber drivers. The result: staff shortages and canceled or delayed flights.
If an agreement is not reached by this Friday, air traffic at 40 airports will be reduced by 10%. This could affect up to 1,800 flights, the US Secretary of Transportation warns. On average, 45,000 flights are operated in the United States per day.
"Nobody is benefiting from this shutdown," Republican Senator Mike Rounds told CNBC. According to him, the United States is losing $15 billion in economic power per week. But he believes that after the Democrats' election victory, a compromise will finally be reached to pass the budget and end the shutdown. It is high time, believe many government officials, who are extremely frustrated with the political games being played on their backs.