The US government shutdown has now entered its sixth week, leaving millions of federal employees across the country working without pay or being furloughed. Due to the shutdown, flights are being canceled at airports. Food aid programs are affected. Common people are being affected due to the stoppage of government services. According to experts, this has become the longest government shutdown in American history, raising questions not only about the administrative structure but also the credibility of the democratic process.

For the first time, Senate lawmakers are trying to break this deadlock, but there are no signs of any progress in bipartisan talks. Democrats want the government to first pass the federal budget and then discuss policy issues, while the Trump administration is adamant on combining health policy and border security talks. This impasse is slowly starting to affect the American economy. Government loans to small businesses are closed, national parks and museums are locked, and many government contractors are on the verge of bankruptcy.

Trump’s adamant stance – ‘No compromise’

President Donald Trump made it clear on social media on Saturday (November 8, 2025) that he is not ready to compromise with the Democrats. He attacked the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and said that it is the worst health care system in the world. Trump wants Congress to give money directly to citizens so they can buy insurance themselves. This is an idea that can bring fundamental changes in the American health system. However, Trump’s proposal has been rejected outright by the Democratic Party, saying it will give unfair advantage to insurance companies and the private health sector and will make healthcare more expensive for the poor.

Trump attacks filibuster, demands change in Senate procedure

Amid the shutdown crisis, Trump has made another controversial suggestion. He asked Republican lawmakers to eliminate the filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes in the Senate to pass any legislation. If this rule is abolished, Republicans can pass legislation with a simple majority, thereby completely bypassing the Democrats.

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The country’s longest government shutdown going on in America is impacting air travel. From Friday, flights will be reduced at about 40 major airports including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. This decision has been taken due to shortage of air traffic control staff and to maintain safety.

FAA decides to cut flights by 10%
The FAA said it would reduce air traffic by up to 10% at 40 “high-volume” airports. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that flight capacity at 40 major airports across the country could be reduced by 10% in the coming days. The shutdown has now entered its 37th day and has become America’s longest government shutdown to date.

Political deadlock causes shutdown
This time the main cause of controversy is the expansion of the tax credit scheme related to health insurance. The Democratic Party wants this tax credit to continue beyond 2025, so that millions of Americans can get affordable health insurance. At the same time, the Republican Party, whose leader is Donald Trump, is opposing this expansion. Due to this, the government budget could not be passed and America went into a shutdown situation from October 1.

Lack of air traffic controllers and flights affected
Due to the shutdown, there is a huge shortage of air traffic controllers. There have already been restrictions on flights at New York’s JFK, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia airports due to staff shortage. FAA chief Brian Bedford said many air traffic controllers were falling sick due to stress and fatigue, and had not been paid for a month. Due to this, flights will be reduced in the coming days.

Federal employee status and cutback plans
Approximately 1.4 million federal employees are working without pay or are on forced leave. Many employees are forced to take other jobs or struggle with stress.
The flight reduction plan will be implemented in this way-

• 4% reduction in domestic flights on Friday
• 5% reduction on Saturday
• 6% decrease on Sunday
• Increase by 10% next week

According to CBS News, this reduction will apply to America’s busiest airports – Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Chicago O’Hare and Los Angeles International.

The US government has said it will fight lawsuits aimed at blocking the US$100,000 fee imposed on new H-1B visa applications. He said the system has been filled with fraud for too long and should be overhauled to prioritize American workers. White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt made this comment on Thursday (October 23, 2025).

A lawsuit was filed last week by the US Chamber of Commerce against the fee of US $ 100,000 on H-1B visa applications. The lawsuit filed described the US government’s tariff move as a ‘misleading policy’ and ‘clearly illegal’ action, which could undermine American innovation and competition.

US government’s clarification regarding H-1B visa system

Various employee organizations, employers and religious organizations have filed suit in a federal court in California against the Trump administration’s decision to impose excessive fees on new H-1B applications. “The administration will fight these lawsuits in court,” Levitt told reporters. He said that the main priority of President Donald Trump has always been to give priority to American workers and strengthen the visa system.

Levitt said, ‘For too long, the H-1B visa system has been rife with fraud and has driven down wages for Americans. Therefore, the President wants to improve this system and that is why he has implemented these new policies.

Adverse impact on Indian citizens

On September 19, Trump had decided to increase the fee for the new H-1B visa to one lakh US dollars (about Rs 88 lakh). This step may adversely affect Indian professionals living in America on visa. According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), about 71 percent of all H-1B applications approved in recent years are from Indians.

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