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Shutdowns have become a recurring element of US politics – but this one feels particularly intractable because of shifting political forces and bad blood between both major parties.

Certain federal operations are temporarily suspended, and about 750,000 people are expected to be put on unpaid leave since Republicans and Democrats remain unable to reach consensus regarding budget legislation.

Legislative attempts to resolve the deadlock have repeatedly failed, with little visibility on an off-ramp this time because both parties – as well as the President – perceive advantages in digging in.

Here are the four ways in which this shutdown distinct in 2025.

1. For Democrats, it's about Trump – not just healthcare

The Democratic base has been demanding for months for their representatives more forcefully fights the current presidency. Well now Democratic leaders have an opportunity to demonstrate they have listened.

In March, Senate leader was fiercely criticised for helping pass GOP budget legislation and averting a government closure in the spring. This time he's holding firm.

This is a chance for Democrats to demonstrate they can take back certain authority from an administration pursuing its agenda assertively with determined action.

Opposing the Republican spending plan comes with political risk as citizens generally will grow frustrated with prolonged negotiations and consequences begin to mount.

Democratic representatives are leveraging the shutdown fight to put a spotlight on ending healthcare financial support and Republican-approved federal health program reductions for the poor, which are both unpopular.

Additionally, they're attempting to restrict the President's use of his executive powers to cancel or delay funding authorized legislatively, a practice demonstrated in international assistance and other programmes.

2. For Republicans, they see potential

The administration leader and one of his key officials have made little secret of the fact that they perceive an opening to advance further the cutbacks to the federal workforce that have featured the current presidential term to date.

The President himself stated recently that the shutdown provided him with a "unique chance", adding he intended to cut "Democrat agencies".

The White House said it would be left with a "challenging responsibility" of mass lay-offs to maintain critical federal operations if the shutdown continued. The Press Secretary described this as "fiscal sanity".

The extent of possible job cuts is still uncertain, but the White House has been in discussions with the Office of Management and Budget, or OMB, which is headed by the administration's budget director.

The administration's financial chief has previously declared the suspension of federal funding for regions governed by the opposition party, such as NYC and Illinois' largest city.

3. There's little trust between both parties

Whereas past government closures typically involved late-night talks among political opponents aimed at restoring federal operations, currently there seems minimal cooperative willingness for compromise presently.

Conversely, there is rancour. The bad blood continued over the weekend, as both sides exchanging accusations for causing the impasse.

House Speaker from the majority party, accused Democrats of not being serious toward resolution, and holding out over a deal "for electoral protection".

Meanwhile, the opposition's chief made similar charges at the other side, stating how a majority party commitment regarding health funding talks once the government reopens cannot be trusted.

The President himself has escalated tensions through sharing a controversial AI-generated image of the Senate leader and the top Democrat opposition figure, where the legislator is depicted with a large Mexican-style sombrero and a moustache.

The representative with party colleagues called this racist, a characterization rejected by the administration's second-in-command.

4. The US economy is fragile

Analysts expect approximately two-fifths of the federal workforce – more than 800,000 people – to be put on unpaid leave as a result of the shutdown.

This will reduce consumer expenditure – with broader economic consequences, including halted environmental approvals, patent approvals, payments to contractors along with various forms of government activity tied to business comes to a halt.

A shutdown also injects fresh instability into an economy currently experiencing disruption from multiple factors including trade measures, previous budget reductions, immigration raids and technological advancements.

Analysts estimate potential reduction of approximately 0.2% from national economic expansion for each week it lasts.

But the economy typically recoups the majority of interrupted operations following resolution, similar to recovery patterns caused by a natural disaster.

That could be one reason why financial markets have shown limited reaction to the ongoing impasse.

Conversely, experts indicate that if administration officials implement proposed significant workforce reductions, the damage could be more long-lasting.