Published 09/30/2025 14:50 | Edited 30/09/2025 15:46
The United States is a few hours from a federal government stoppage (shutdown), scheduled for the dawn of Wednesday (1st), amid the impasse in Congress and the threats of President Donald Trump, who signaled the possibility of mass layoffs of servers and has resisted to meet democratic demands for more resources in health.
If there is no additional resources by midnight on Tuesday (30), public services will be interrupted, crucial economic data will no longer be disclosed and millions of the elderly may lose access to telemedicine.
The dispute revolves around health policy. Republicans want to approve a short -term resolution that only extends current levels of spending by November 21, without including additional changes.
Democrats, in turn, claim that they will not accept the text without guarantee that subsidies created in the Biden government will be maintained to reduce the costs of plans in the Obamacare market, which expire at the end of the year, and without the reversal of cuts in Medicaid approved by the tax and republican spending law in July.
The Senate needs 60 votes to approve the measure, which requires adherence from seven to eight Democrats.
Republican Rand Paul has already anticipated the opposite vote, and only Democrat John Fetterman declared support. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said that “he is in the hands of the president to decide whether or not we avoid the shutdown. He needs to convince Republican leaders. ”
Republican leader John Thune replied that “we will not argue and negotiate while keeping the federal government hostage. Release the hostage, and we will have the conversation.”
Trump intensified tensions by threatening to dismiss servers in case of stoppage, blaming the democrats for the crisis.
“We can do a lot. And this is just because of the democrats,” he said.
He also falsely stated that opponents want to grant full health benefits to undocumented immigrants and published on their network Truth Social A manipulated video of Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries.
“The next time I have something to say about me, don’t hide behind a racist and fake video. When I’m back in the oval hall, say it in my face,” the democratic leader reacted in a press conference.
An eventual stoppage will have a direct impact on the operation of the federal machine.
Museums, monuments and national parks will be closed, and servers will enter unpaid license (furloughin English), as military, federal agents and air traffic controllers will remain at work without payment.
Congress will continue to open, but with a reduced team. Federal Courts must operate with reservations by 3 October and, after that, restrict activities only to constitutional functions.
In the economic field, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will suspend all operations, which includes the monthly job report scheduled for Friday (3). Other indicators, such as inflation and GDP data, can also be affected.
Although September reports have already been collected, a prolonged stoppage may compromise the quality of statistics.
“We are currently seeing an economy that may or may not be at a turn point, particularly for the job market,” said Martha Gimbel of Budget Lab in Yale.
The consequences also extend to the health sector. Millions of older people may lose access to virtual consultations with doctors and home hospital programs, which need specific legislative extension to continue working.
In 2024, 6.7 million beneficiaries used teleconsultures; By 2020, during the pandemic, the number reached 14.8 million.
“Losing these benefits will exacerbate all kinds of problems in our health care system. It will reduce capacity at a time when we don’t have enough,” Kyle Zebley, director of Ata Action told Washington Post.
Meaghan Arnold, therapist at Texas Rural, explained to the newspaper that many of his patients with Parkinson, dementia or multiple sclerosis depend on telemedicine. “
They even come because there is no care near them. If you don’t have to get in the car, face traffic or follow a map… Telemedicine is a fantastic way to eliminate multiple stressors in one day, ”said Arnold.
Meanwhile, government agencies try to reassure their employees. White House Budget Office warned that layoffs could occur, but departments such as state and FDA (Food and Drug Administration of the United States) have ensured that there will be no permanent cuts.
“I managed to ensure an exception because we worked with public safety,” said Marty Makary, FDA commissioner.
In the Senate, Democrat Gary Peters maintained the tone of caution: “We still have time. As you know, in this place never ends until it is over.”
Source: vermelho.org.br
