Image Credit: AFP via Getty Images After midnight on October 1, 2025, the federal government officially shut down because lawmakers failed to come together on a new spending plan for the fiscal year. The halt leaves hundreds of thousands of federal workers in limbo and raises new questions about how long agencies can continue daily services. With Republicans pointing fingers at Democrats over demands for health care subsidies, and Democrats pushing back that those must be part of any deal, the standoff has already begun to interfere with everything from economic reporting to food aid programs.