US Shutdown Enters 36th Day, Straining Services and the Economy

Post by : Raina Nasser

The United States has entered its 36th day of a federal government shutdown, the longest in recent history, as negotiators remain stalled over healthcare funding and broader budget priorities. The stalemate is placing growing pressure on federal operations, staff and economic activity.

About 600,000 federal employees continue to work without pay and roughly 650,000 have been placed on furlough. The Education Department's Office of Federal Student Aid has furloughed some 85% of its personnel, creating potential bottlenecks in FAFSA processing during a key college-application period. Routine functions such as tax refunds, regulatory approvals and other services are also facing delays.

Air travel is being disrupted as the Federal Aviation Administration contends with reduced staffing. Air traffic controllers working without compensation have taken unscheduled leave, triggering flight delays and cancellations at major airports just weeks before the Thanksgiving travel surge.

Public health monitoring has been impeded: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has suspended its FluView dashboard, leaving holes in weekly influenza, COVID-19 and RSV tracking, and the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report has been paused, limiting critical epidemiological data.

Economists warn of longer-term damage. The Congressional Budget Office projects that if the shutdown persists for eight weeks, U.S. GDP growth in the fourth quarter could be trimmed by as much as 2 percentage points, representing billions in lost output.

Food assistance programs are also affected. Only half of November's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are expected to be issued to roughly 42 million recipients because contingency funds are limited, and officials say recalculations could take weeks or months.

The political impasse endures despite recent Democratic wins in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has stressed the party's unified demand for a full reopening, while House Speaker Mike Johnson says Republicans have repeatedly moved to fund the government and accuses Democrats of blocking measures.

Analysts say a resolution may require intense public pressure, procedural action in Congress or an uncommon bipartisan compromise. President Donald Trump has urged Senate Republicans to adopt the "nuclear option" to eliminate the filibuster and pass funding, but Senate leaders say the necessary support is lacking.

As the shutdown continues, households and institutions face mounting uncertainty over essential services, financial stability and public safety, with ripple effects likely to persist for months.