On December 21, 2018, the United States government began a partial shutdown, now the longest one in US history at 32 days. President Donald Trump’s desire for the construction of the $5 billion wall along the United States-Mexico border led him to block congressional spending bills, which then shut down unfunded government agencies, including the Department of Commerce, the Department of Labor, and the Food and Drug Administration The largest impact has been the effect on federal government workers, who have been sent home without pay during the entirety of the shutdown, although essential workers are still expected to do their jobs (unpaid).

A bill passed by Congress and approved by President Trump would reimburse workers when they return, although no one knows when that might be. Other parties, such as contractors, are not being reimbursed for their work. For now, the parties’ attempts to come to a compromise have been unsuccessful, but efforts are being made to help the government function again. A continued shutdown would have a much more severe impact on government services.