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The United States government shutdown has entered its third week, with Congress remaining at a standstill over spending priorities and no clear end in sight, as thousands of federal workers continue to lose their jobs.
Hundreds of thousands of public employees are still on forced leave, while President Donald Trump has begun implementing workforce cuts to pressure Democrats into accepting Republican budget proposals.
Trump has pledged to ensure military personnel are paid despite the shutdown, as many service members have already turned to food banks. He also warned that if Democrats continue to block the House-passed bill to fund the government until late November, further job cuts would follow, particularly among workers aligned with the opposition.
Vice President JD Vance told Fox News at the weekend that Democrats would face more consequences if they refused to compromise. “The longer this continues, the harsher the cuts will be — and some of them will hurt,” he said.
Documents filed by the Department of Justice revealed that over 4,000 federal employees were dismissed on Friday, affecting the Treasury, Health, Education, and Housing departments the most.
The staff reductions are part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to intensify pressure on Democrats to support Republican moves to reopen the government.
However, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries dismissed the threats, predicting that the job cuts would eventually be reversed through court action.
Around 1.3 million active-duty military personnel are expected to miss their first paycheque on Wednesday. The Stronghold Food Pantry, which supports military families, told Time magazine it had seen an “unprecedented rise in demand since the shutdown began.”
On Saturday, Trump directed Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to use “all available funds” to pay troops by Wednesday. Pentagon officials are reportedly diverting $8 billion from research and development budgets, though it remains unclear whether the move is lawful.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has resisted pressure to reconvene lawmakers to vote on a standalone bill guaranteeing military pay, saying the House had already passed such legislation weeks ago. “The ball is now in the Senate Democrats’ court,” he said.
The deadlock stems from Republican opposition to Democratic proposals to extend expiring health insurance subsidies for 24 million Americans within the funding bill.
As Congress observed a federal holiday on Monday, the shutdown reached its 14th day. While Trump’s move to secure military pay eased some concerns, it also reduced the urgency for either side to strike a deal.
The Senate is due to reconvene on Tuesday for an eighth attempt to pass a funding bill, though expectations for progress remain low.
Meanwhile, the shutdown’s impact continues to grow: airports are facing longer delays as Transportation Security Administration staff call in sick, and the Smithsonian Institution has closed its museums and the National Zoo due to lack of funds.
