US Prez, Congress fail to strike agreement to keep govt programmes, services running

Plunged into a government shutdown, the US is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep government programmes and services running by Wednesday's deadline.

Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, some potentially fired by Trump's Republican administration. Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as Trump vows to "do things that are irreversible, that are bad" as retribution. His deportation agenda is expected to run full speed ahead, while education, environmental and other services sputter. The economic fallout is expected to ripple nationwide.

"We don't want it to shut down," Trump said at the White House before the midnight deadline.

But the president, who met privately with congressional leadership this week, appeared unable to negotiate any deal between Democrats and Republicans to prevent that outcome.

This is the third time Trump has presided over a federal funding lapse, the first since his return to the White House this year.

Plenty of blame being thrown around

The Democrats picked this fight, which was unusual for the party that prefers to keep government running, but their voters are eager to challenge the president's second-term agenda. Democrats are demanding funding for health care subsidies that are expiring for millions of people under the Affordable Care Act, spiking the costs of insurance premiums nationwide.

After the White House meeting, the president posted a cartoonish fake video mocking the Democratic leadership that was widely viewed as unserious and racist.

Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday said Republicans want to resolve the health care issues that concern Democrats but will not negotiate until the government reopens. 

What is closed? 

Not all of government will shut down

Border protection, law enforcement, in-hospital medical care and air-traffic control workers are expected to continue to operate as usual.

While social security and Medicare cheques will still be sent out, benefit verification and card issuance may stop.

Govt employees deemed non-essential are put on unpaid leave. In the past, these workers have then been paid retrospectively.

Agencies like Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH) may furlough many workers

National parks and forests were open in last shutdown, but with few or no staff. This led to vandalism

There could be travel delays. Flight systems might slow down, reducing efficiency. Passport agencies warned it could take longer to process travel documents.