Overview

• A federal shutdown began after Congress failed to pass a stopgap funding bill by the Sept. 30 deadline.
• OMB Director Russ Vought paused $18 billion in New York infrastructure projects and froze $8 billion in clean-energy funding across 16 mostly Democratic-led states.
• On a private House GOP call, Vought said federal layoffs could begin within days, prompting unions to sue over the threats.
• Republican senators, including Susan Collins and Kevin Cramer, criticized the approach as politically risky, while Sen. Mike Lee claimed the strategy is deliberate.
• The administration says national parks and core benefits like Social Security, VA, Medicare and Medicaid will continue, and New York officials are expected to pursue litigation over halted projects.