A government shutdown isn’t a crash; it’s a slow suffocation. The lights stay on but the gears grind to a halt. Emails bounce back, offices empty and authority evaporates. Each small failure becomes a confession that the government of the United States can no longer guarantee its own continuity. Even when the shutdown ends or merely pauses, the harm has already been done. Confidence is the first casualty, competence the next and credibility the last.

When agencies stop functioning, the effects ripple outward with exacting precision. Court dockets shrink, research stalls and years of data collection freeze midstream. Safety inspections lapse, loan guarantees are suspended and procurement contracts stall.

Contractors wait for payments, and federal workers’ families tighten their budgets ov

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