The longest federal government paralysis in U.S. history is ending. The six-week shutdown cost the US economy approximately $11 billion, and its effects were felt not only by officials but also by travelers.
The deadlock has been broken
The partial shutdown of the US government occurred on October 1 as a result of a political dispute in the Senate over health insurance subsidies that were expiring this year. The Democratic Party wanted to extend them, but the Republican Party, which had a majority in both houses of Congress, opposed it.
The impasse was broken on Monday, November 10, when seven Democratic Party senators and one independent supported, together with Republicans, ending the shutdown.
The Senate agreement was to pass a bill that included provisions aimed at protecting federal workers laid off by the Trump administration during the shutdown and preventing the White House from cutting jobs in the future.
However, the bill does not contain provisions on extending subsidies to health insurance premiums, which Democrats wanted so much. The Republicans only pledged that the bill on contributions would be debated by the Senate in mid-December. As Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson admitted on CNN on Monday, the Senate voted “exactly on” what Republicans had promised Democrats “a few weeks ago.”
Once approved by the Senate, the provisional bill will go to the House of Representatives and then to the president's desk. The Speaker of the House of Representatives urged members to return to Washington to take part in a vote to end the shutdown. It will most likely take place on Wednesday.
According to the conservative Fox News station, this is a formalityhowever, for example, The Hill portal pointed out that in order to win the vote, Republicans will have to win over to their side – just like in the Senate – a few “centrist” Democrats.
As American media commentators admit, shutdowns – there have been 22 of them since 1976 – are largely “political theater” in which only citizens lose.
“Political theater where citizens lose”
This year's government shutdown resulted in at least 750,000 being furloughed without pay. federal employees (approximately 0.5% of all employees in the US economy), including, among others: air traffic controllers, coast guards and national parks staff. The Trump administration provided pay to soldiers, federal law enforcement officers and immigration officers during the government shutdown.
The shutdown particularly affected travelers. As of Friday, November 7, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began to limit the number of landings and take-offs at airports with the highest traffic intensity due to the absence of some air traffic controllers, including: in Chicago, Atlanta, New York and Washington.
According to the FAA, the reduction in the number of flights in the US may increase to 8%. on Thursday, November 13, and on Friday up to 10% if Congress does not finally reach an agreement on the shutdown.
From October 1 to October 29, only 11 flights were canceled due to staffing problems, but as the shutdown extended from October 30 to November 9, the number of cancellations increased to 4,162.
As Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy admitted during a press conference at O'Hare Airport in Chicago, if nothing changes, there could be major disruptions to air transport before Thanksgiving on November 27. Duffy warned that even if the government reopens later this week, it could “take a while” for the U.S. aviation system to return to normal.
According to Flightaware, on Tuesday, November 11, over 1,200 flights were canceled in the US. flights, and 2 thousand were delayed. As CBS News pointed out, some of them could also have been caused by the deteriorating weather.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which assessed the effects of the shutdown at the request of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, estimates that although its negative impact will “largely be offset,” permanent losses to the economy may amount to $11 billion, or 0.03%, after six weeks. American GDP, this year estimated at USD 29.6-30.5 trillion.
If the shutdown were to last another two weeks, until November 26, according to CBO, losses would increase to $14 billion.
According to CBO, the government shutdown will reduce the level of real GDP (gross domestic product adjusted for the impact of inflation) due to “fewer services provided by federal workers, a temporary reduction in federal spending on goods and services, and a temporary decline in aggregate demand, which will reduce private sector production.”
During Trump's first presidency, a 35-day shutdown caused by the lack of agreement between the presidential administration and Congress regarding the financing of the wall on the US-Mexico border, the losses of the American economy amounted to USD 3 billion (0.02% of US GDP), according to BBO data.
American voters blame both sides of the political dispute for the government shutdown. According to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, about 60 percent respondents believe that Trump and Republicans bear a “large” or “fair amount” of responsibility for the shutdown, while 54 percent he feels the same way about Democrats.
According to the liberal Washington Post, the Senate vote caused a “split” in the Democratic Party. Some politicians from this party even demand the resignation of the leader of the Democratic minority in the Senate, Chuck Schumer. Nevertheless, according to, among others, The Hill, Democrats do not regret their tactics because they “showed where the Republicans stand on health care,” which could weaken conservatives' position in the 2026 congressional midterm elections.
In turn, as Richard Lowry, a commentator of National Review, a website associated with the Republican Party, argued, the longest shutdown in history – “a national nightmare”, “stupid and unnecessary” – did not bring any political gains to the Democrats and was only an expression of “the hatred of the progressive part of the Democratic Party towards President Trump.”
Government shutdowns have occurred during both Democratic and Republican presidencies. Under Democrat Jimmy Carter, shutdowns occurred five times and lasted a maximum of 17 days.
When Republican Ronald Reagan was in office, government shutdowns occurred eight times during his two terms and lasted no more than three days.
There were two government shutdowns under Democrat Billy Clinton, one of which lasted 21 days. The shutdown under Barack Obama, also a Democrat, occurred once and lasted 17 days.
Anna Gwozdowska (PAP)
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