How US Government Shutdowns Became Routine: QuickTake

Government shutdowns have become a recurring feature of US politics, the product of partisan standoffs over spending that force federal agencies to halt a wide range of services. The latest shutdown — the third under President Donald Trump across his two terms — began at midnight on Oct. 1, when Congress failed to pass a stopgap funding measure, triggering the nation’s first government closure in almost seven years.

Democrats are demanding that a stopgap bill include an extension of Affordable Care Act premium subsidies and a reversal of Medicaid funding cuts — conditions Republicans have rejected, leaving the two sides ...