Overview

• The shutdown began at midnight after the White House budget office ordered an "orderly" halt to non‑essential operations across federal agencies.
• Hundreds of thousands of federal employees face furloughs or unpaid work while many services pause, with essential functions like defense and air traffic control continuing without pay.
• Key economic data releases are expected to be delayed, including Bureau of Labor Statistics reports used by businesses and the Federal Reserve to guide decisions.
• Procedural votes in the Senate failed on competing stopgap bills, the parties traded blame, and President Trump escalated pressure with threats of mass firings and a provocative AI‑generated post targeting Democratic leaders.
• Markets signaled caution as gold hit record levels and European stocks opened mixed, while economists warned of a measurable GDP drag that grows with the shutdown’s length.