US Faces Another Shutdown Drama. Trump And Musk Fire Up Opposition On Spending Deal

Here we go again—another US government shutdown is looming, and Congress seems more chaotic than ever. The drama took a sharp turn when President-elect Donald Trump urged Republican lawmakers to ditch a bipartisan funding deal and come up with something leaner. Tech billionaire Elon Musk added fuel to the fire by slamming the deal as well, making this shutdown showdown even spicier.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise didn’t mince words, saying the bill was as good as dead after Trump trashed it. And that’s bad news because if Congress doesn’t get its act together by the end of the week, many federal offices could start closing shop as early as Saturday.

The root of the problem?

Congress failed to pass a budget for the 2025 fiscal year, which kicked off on October 1. Now, they’re relying on a short-term funding bill—a “continuing resolution”—to keep the lights on. But without action, everything from National Parks to Border Patrol operations could grind to a halt.

Trump didn’t hold back on his platform, Truth Social, where he threatened to go after any Republican “stupid enough” to back the current bill. “If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF,” he declared.

Trump, along with incoming VP JD Vance, is pushing for a deal that focuses solely on temporary spending and disaster relief. Oh, and they also want Congress to raise the debt ceiling.

The 1,500-page bill on the chopping block isn’t just about keeping the government running. It includes over $110 billion for disaster relief, $30 billion for farmers, healthcare reforms, a pay raise for lawmakers (the first since 2009), and even funds to rebuild a collapsed bridge in Baltimore.

There’s also a crackdown on deceptive advertising in hotels and event venues.

White House Slams GOP, Musk Declares Victory

Even as the shutdown circus continues, with the White House and Republicans trading blows over the doomed funding bill. After President-elect Donald Trump called on Republicans to scrap the bipartisan deal, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre didn’t hold back.

“Republicans need to stop playing politics with this bipartisan agreement or they will hurt hardworking Americans and create instability across the country,” she said. Jean-Pierre warned that triggering a government shutdown would harm families and insisted, “A deal is a deal. Republicans should keep their word.”

But it seems the deal is already toast. When pressed Congressman Steve Scalise about whether the agreement was officially dead, he confirmed: “Yes.” He added, “There is no new agreement right now,” hinting that negotiations are far from over.
Meanwhile, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has kept his cards close to his chest, leaving everyone guessing how he plans to move forward.

Adding to the chaos, Elon Musk—who Trump has tapped to spearhead government spending cuts in his upcoming administration—celebrated the bill’s demise. Musk took to X (formerly Twitter), proclaiming, “Your elected representatives have heard you and now the terrible bill is dead. The voice of the people has triumphed.”

Why Does the US Keep Stumbling Into Shutdowns?

The US government shutdown isn’t just a modern political mess—it’s rooted in how the country’s system of governance is structured.
America’s federal system lets different branches of government be controlled by different parties. While the founding fathers designed this setup to encourage compromise and debate, in today’s hyper-partisan climate, it often does the opposite.

The real game-changer, though, came in 1980. That’s when President Jimmy Carter’s Attorney General issued a stricter interpretation of the 1884 Anti-Deficiency Act, a law from the 19th century that barred government spending without congressional approval. Before this, the government would keep essential operations running during budget gaps. But the new take on the law meant “no budget, no spending.” And just like that, the era of US government shutdowns began.

The first one hit in 1981 when President Ronald Reagan vetoed a funding bill, shutting things down for a few days. Since then, the US has seen at least ten shutdowns that disrupted services, with durations ranging from hours to over a month.
The longest one stretched from December 2018 to January 2019, during Trump’s first term, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers unpaid. The White House estimated it shaved 0.1% off GDP growth for every week the shutdown dragged on.

How Other Countries Avoid the Shutdown Circus

Shutdowns like this are nearly unheard of outside the US. Most European democracies use parliamentary systems where the executive and legislature are controlled by the same party or coalition.

If a budget fails to pass, it’s not a national crisis—it’s a political reset. For example, Canada’s government didn’t grind to a halt in 2011 when opposition parties rejected then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s budget. Instead, Parliament triggered an election, and government services kept humming along.

Even in non-parliamentary democracies like Brazil, a strong executive branch can sidestep budget impasses to keep essential services running.

In the US, however, the “no budget, no spending” rule leaves everything from national parks to tax refunds in limbo during a shutdown. It’s a uniquely American problem—one that seems destined to repeat itself as long as gridlock remains the norm in Washington.

Shutdowns Aren’t Just an American Problem—But They Are Unique

Even in Belgium, which went without an elected government for a record 589 days between 2010 and 2011, life carried on—trains kept running, people went to work. Similarly, Ireland managed to keep things moving from 2016 to 2020 with a minority government supported by a confidence-and-supply agreement, where parties outside the ruling coalition agreed to back spending bills and confidence votes.

Yet in the US, this kind of cooperation seems almost impossible these days. The country’s political parties are more likely to use government shutdowns as a bargaining chip, holding the day-to-day running of the government hostage in exchange for political demands.

The most recent near-shutdown, for instance, was triggered by a faction of hardline conservative Republicans demanding deep cuts that many centrists in their own party, and most Democrats, weren’t willing to accept.

In the end, a deal was struck on September 30—but with a big condition: no extra funding for the Ukraine war. Now, with just days left before the current stop-gap funding runs out, it’s unclear whether a new deal can be struck, or if another shutdown is inevitable.

What Exactly Is a Shutdown?

In the US, a shutdown happens when Congress fails to approve the annual funding for federal agencies. Each year, agencies submit their budget requests, and Congress must pass the necessary legislation to fund them. The president then has to sign the budget into law.
The deadline for this year’s funding is Friday night, just as Congress hopes to adjourn for the holidays. If a deal isn’t reached, the government will have no choice but to furlough thousands of federal workers and cut services.

What Happens to Federal Workers During a Shutdown?

Despite the name, a shutdown doesn’t mean everything stops. Federal agencies categorize workers as either “essential” or “nonessential.” Essential workers continue working but might not get paid right away, while nonessential workers are furloughed—meaning they’re sent home without pay until the government reopens.

During the longest US shutdown in history (2018-2019), about 800,000 federal employees went without pay for 35 days. It’s a mess that affects not just the workers, but the functioning of the government as a whole. And with each shutdown, it feels like the country gets closer to making it a regular feature of American politics.

The Last Bit

If you’re wondering why the US seems to love playing chicken with its own government, you’re not alone. Over the past 50 years, there have been 21 government shutdowns, including the infamous 35-day closure during Trump’s first term.

In the US, though, shutdowns have become almost routine. The most recent narrowly avoided one came in September, when Congress passed a stop-gap funding bill to keep the lights on for another 45 days. That temporary fix only delayed the inevitable—now the clock is ticking again.

For most of the world, a government shutdown signals disaster—revolution, invasion, or economic collapse. But in the US, it’s a political tool, often wielded during budget battles. The result? Suspended public services, economic slowdown, and plenty of public frustration.

As negotiations drag on, but with Trump and Musk throwing punches, and Congress scrambling, the clock is ticking. Will they pull off a last-minute save, or is the US heading for yet another shutdown? Stay tuned.