Parts of the federal government went dark at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday.

The shutdown comes as lawmakers missed the deadline to pass a funding bill, giving rise to a new wave of uncertainty across the nation.

Pennsylvania is home to over 66,000 federal civilian workers, according to a 2024 report, some of which could be forced to work without pay, as others are furloughed.

And the blame game is on: Democrats and Republicans are pointing fingers at each other over the fallout from the shutdown, with healthcare being a touch point of the debate, as Democrats are fighting to prevent cost spikes — which Pennsylvania Affordable Care Act enrollees could see go up 82%.

The chaos is raising questions about the expected impacts for everyday Americans.

Here’s everything you need to know.

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