First Time in Nearly 7 Years: US Federal Government Officially "Shuts Down"

　　Due to the US Senate's rejection of both Republican and Democratic funding bills on September 30, the US federal government entered a shutdown at 00:01 local time on October 1, marking the first such occurrence in nearly seven years. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees faced furloughs or layoffs, and services across numerous federal departments came to a halt.

　　On the evening of the 30th local time, White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Vought issued a memorandum directing government agencies to begin executing their plans for an "orderly shutdown." Departments not affected include the military, law enforcement agencies such as the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Postal Service.

　　Senate Republicans to Vote Again on Temporary Funding Bill on October 1

　　Senate Republicans have decided to hold another procedural vote on October 1 regarding the Republican temporary funding bill and the Democratic proposal. According to the scheduled voting calendar, the Senate session can last until October 3 or 4 (with a recess on October 2); the House of Representatives will not hold sessions this week.

　　Senate Republican Leader Thune hopes to gain support from five more Democratic senators for the Republican proposal on October 1 but has ruled out modifying the bill's content to secure more Democratic votes.

　　The US federal government's operational funding should come from annual budget appropriations. Congress, through its two parties, typically should pass new annual appropriation bills before October 1, the start of the new fiscal year. However, due to intense partisan conflicts in recent years, agreements often cannot be reached in time, leading Congress to attempt to temporarily maintain federal government operations through temporary funding bills. Over the past year, the US federal government has faced multiple shutdown crises. In December 2024 and March 2025, Congress passed short-term spending bills only hours before federal government funds were exhausted.