The US federal government shut down on Wednesday after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to reach an agreement on a spending bill. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers will be sent home without pay, and many government offices may close temporarily or even for good, making this the first shutdown since 2019. Six years ago, in a similar move, parts of the government were closed for 35 days over a standoff between Congress and Trump regarding funding for a wall on the southern border. However, this time it is more critical, as the dispute centres on Democrats’ demands to extend expiring healthcare subsidies and reverse Medicaid cuts included in Trump’s tax and domestic policy law. With Democrats and Republicans pointing fingers at each other over the crisis, it has

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