The attempt by the U.S. Senate to approve a bill that would allow the government shutdown to end has once again ended in failure. 54 senators voted for the document, while 46 voted against it. A minimum of 60 votes was required for the bill to pass successfully. Disagreements between Republicans and Democrats over key budget items, including healthcare issues, have caused the ongoing shutdown, which has been in effect since the beginning of October.
This shutdown has already become the second longest in history, second only to the 35-day funding gap that occurred at the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019 during Donald Trump's first presidential term.
According to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the government is losing up to $15 billion every day due to the suspension of its operations. He also noted that the shutdown has negatively impacted the manufacturing sector and investments.
Kevin Hassett, director of the U.S. National Economic Council, previously warned of possible mass layoffs of government employees in the event of an extended shutdown. According to Politico, if the shutdown lasts a month, it could lead to the loss of 43,000 jobs, not counting the 1.9 million federal employees who are either on unpaid leave or working without pay.
A shutdown is a situation in which funding for government agencies in the U.S. is temporarily halted due to an unacceptable budget by Congress.
