U.S. government shutdown enters third week amid budget disputes

The U.S. Senate failed for the eighth time to pass a temporary federal funding bill to end the government shutdown, now in its third week, due to disputes between Republicans and Democrats over budget provisions.

The federal government entered a shutdown at the start of this month after the Senate failed to pass a short-term spending bill.

The shutdown stems from the Democrats and Republicans’ inability to reach an agreement to approve a bill that would fund government services during October and beyond.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the federal government shutdown would lead to the furloughing of many employees.

Congress’s failure to pass the Republican-backed government funding bill places public-sector workers in non-essential services on temporary leave, while members of the U.S. military, intelligence agencies, public hospitals, airports and prisons continue to operate.

Those employees classified as essential generally cannot receive their pay during shutdowns until Congress approves a new budget.

It is worth noting that the last “government shutdown” occurred in 2018, during President Donald Trump’s first term.