On October 1st, the U.S. was shut down because Republicans and Democrats failed to settle a budget dispute. The two parties have been fighting over how to finance the government. Democrats wanted to negotiate health care tax credits to be included in this funding but Republicans refused. Democrats and Republicans are blaming each other for the shutdown and President Trump has specifically targeted funding in states with Democratic leaders. Every year, on October 1st, congress has to meet a deadline that will approve government funding by the beginning of the new economic year. The bills that ratify the spending must develop in the House, pass the Senate, and then they must be signed by the President or government agencies and departments can’t use the funds. But what actually happens when there’s a government shutdown? Well, many government employees are placed on unpaid leave, meaning that for as long as the government is shut down, they don’t have a job. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that this government shutdown will lead to around 750,000 federal workers being placed on unpaid leave.  However, the federal employees that are deemed essential, like border patrol agents and air traffic controllers, will work without pay until the funding bill is passed. All federal employees will be paid after the shutdown is over, but nobody knows how long this shutdown will last. Depending on how long it lasts, national parks and museums will be closed or operating with very limited services. Certain government services like small business loans, federal grants and benefit processing will be delayed or suspended entirely. The last government shutdown also occurred under Trump and was the longest shutdown, lasting 34 days. This shutdown cost the economy an estimated 11 billion dollars with some of that loss being permanent. Government shutdowns are relatively recent phenomenons, with the first occurring in 1976. It became more of a problem due to the interpretation of the Antideficiency Act in 1980, which bans agencies from spending or obligating funds without allotments. In order to end this shutdown, so no more federal employees go without pay, both parties must come to an agreement.