ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The US federal government entered a partial shutdown on Wednesday after Congress failed to pass a new budget, forcing hundreds of thousands of federal workers to go without pay and disrupting public services across the country.
Among the closures was the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace Museum in New York City. A woman and her daughter had traveled from out of state to see the museum but found the doors shut.
“I am very disappointed… I was hoping to visit Theodore where he grew up and check it out with my daughter Blake,” she told Rudaw.
The shutdown, the 15th since 1981, came after Republicans and Democrats were unable to reach consensus on spending plans for the new fiscal year. Under the US system, both branches of government must agree on a budget before it becomes law.
Roughly two million federal workers have had their pay suspended, with about 750,000 ordered to stay home without pay and the rest – including military personnel and border patrol agents – required to work without compensation. Many face financial strain if the standoff is not resolved before October 15, when the next paychecks are due.
The budget impasse has frozen about $1.7 trillion in funds for federal agencies, equivalent to one-quarter of annual spending. Programs like Social Security will continue to send payments, but scientific research, economic data reporting, and museum operations have been suspended.
“The government shutdown is sad no matter what, and it has a lot to do with taking away people’s healthcare and a lot of other issues,” said a New York resident.
The Senate is not scheduled to reconvene to address the standoff until Friday, prolonging uncertainty.
Namo Abdulla contributed to this report.
