Preface:
On October 1, the federal government began to shut down as a result of a failure to agree on a budget to fund the government beyond that date. To understand this shutdown, one must recognize the context surrounding the complicated situation that led to the shutdown and its fallout.
This government shutdown comes after Democrats and Republicans failed to find a compromise on Medicaid tax credits that have dramatically lowered costs for consumers. Republicans ended these tax credits on July 4, 2025, when President Trump signed the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act.’ Since the OBBBA was made law, Democrats, with no success to date, have been fighting to extend the cut Medicaid tax credits. This shutdown is not the result of Democrats fighting for free healthcare for illegal immigrants, a popular yet totally erroneous claim made by Republicans and right-wing media; it is the byproduct of Democratic congressional leadership pushing back against the Trump administration, something of which their party’s base has demanded for nine months, and Democrats wielding their rare and limited power to push back.
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