All funding towards the government has been cut off as of September 30, 2025. The shutdown has been caused by Congress’s failure to agree on and pass a funding bill. The Republican and Democratic politicians are blaming each other for the government shutdown. Each side is arguing with the other over who they believe is at fault for this government shutdown.
Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins has continued to bash the Democrats during this shutdown, saying, “Democrats in Congress have accused the Trump Administration of destroying the Department of Veterans Affairs, cutting benefits and services, and hurting veterans along the way. There is no truth to their claims, of course,” when he was interviewed for The Hill.
Due to the shutdown, travel will be affected heavily as well. Air travel will continue to operate the same as before, but employees of airlines have started to be heavily impacted by the shutdown. The Transportation Security Agency noted that wait times may be slowed down and take longer if there is an extended shutdown. Travellers will be updated on the status of the wait times before they make it to the airport for their flights. Train travel is said to run through the US and Canada as normal through this shutdown. Train travel will not be impacted much by this shutdown. Passports and visas will remain operational, as stated by the Department of State.
Places tourists plan to visit most may be affected as well by this shutdown. Some national parks will remain open, but there will be fewer services, such as visitor centers, and no maintenance on trails. More than half of the parks’ staff are furloughed at this moment, which means they are on a shortage of work due to today’s situation with the shutdown. The National Parks Conservation Association’s President and CEO, Theresa Pierno, stated, “We know what happened last time park staff were forced to leave parks open and unprotected, and the impacts were disastrous.” She advised tourists to stay away from national parks until the shutdown is over. Museums were open until October 6th, 2025, with a notice on the websites for the museums under the Smithsonian Institute. Since the museums and the National Zoo use 62% of the federal government funding to run with free admission to the museums, all the museums and the National Zoo will be closed to the public.
Hospitals and medical centers, along with the Veterans Affairs medical centers, will be unaffected by this shutdown. While the US national parks may have fewer staff and closed visitor spaces, the emergency personnel will remain open to the public in case of emergencies.
There are four different ways this shutdown could end. The Democrats quickly break ranks; some Democrats are not going to run for re-election in 2026 and will not be up for the ballot, which leaves them with more and more ranks breaking down. The Democrats back down from this shutdown because they may start being blamed by the public if this shutdown lasts any longer, and they will be forced to back down under pressure. Republicans make concessions; due to the Republicans being the cause of many government shutdowns in the past, the public may start putting the blame back on them, while the Republicans feel they have the power currently. The shutdown continues, and both parties end up losing; the public may become tired and blame both sides, which ends up with both of them suffering at the ballot in 2026.
