First Day of U.S. Government 'Shutdown': Senate Again Rejects Temporary Funding Bill

The U.S. Senate on the 1st rejected a temporary funding bill proposed by the Republicans, dashing hopes of quickly ending the federal government "shutdown."

In the vote held that morning, only three Democratic senators supported the Republican proposal, which would have extended federal government funding until the end of November. The bill received a total of 55 votes in favor but fell short of the 60 votes needed to pass.

On September 30, the Senate failed to pass a new temporary funding bill before federal government funds ran out. As of 12:00 a.m. on October 1 Eastern Time, the U.S. federal government experienced another "shutdown" for the first time in nearly seven years.

This means that, apart from government employees providing "essential services," an estimated 750,000 federal employees will be "furloughed," some public services may be suspended or delayed, and the release of economic data will also be affected.

Vance Warns of Possible Layoffs

U.S. Vice President Vance warned on the 1st that if the federal government "shutdown" lasts for a long time, it could trigger layoffs. White House spokesperson Leavitt also stated that federal government layoffs are "very likely" to occur and will happen "soon."

At a White House press conference that day, Vance said that if this stalemate drags on for a few more days—or even weeks—the federal government may have no choice but to lay off employees. As for the reason for layoffs, Vance said the federal government would have to save expenses in certain areas to ensure essential services are not disrupted during the "shutdown."

Leavitt, at the same press conference, pointed out that President Trump had already instructed his cabinet, and the White House Office of Management and Budget is working with various government departments and agencies to determine where spending can be cut.

She said: "We believe that layoffs are imminent."

Trump and White House officials have previously stated several times that layoffs will occur once the federal government "shuts down."

In the past, when the U.S. federal government "shut down," only government employees providing essential services, such as air traffic controllers and law enforcement officers, continued to work without pay. As many as hundreds of thousands of employees were "furloughed" and waited to receive back pay after the government resumed operations. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that about 750,000 federal employees will be "furloughed" this time, with a daily salary cost of approximately $400 million (about 1.682 billion ringgit).