What happens if the US government shuts down?

The United States is approaching another government shutdown after the lower house of Congress failed to pass a spending bill to keep federal agencies open.

The funding will expire at midnight Friday unless Republicans and Democrats reach an agreement on the path forward.

Here’s a breakdown of how we got here and what this means for Americans and Donald Trump.

Many federal government agencies depend on annual funds approved by Congress.

Each year, these agencies submit their requests, which Congress must approve, and the president must sign budget legislation for the next fiscal year.

If no agreement is reached, then all non-essential discretionary functions of the US government will cease.

In September, both parties agreed on a bill to maintain government funding until December 20.

This week, three days before lawmakers took a vacation, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson released a bill to extend the funding through March.

It was agreed upon with the Democratic leadership but included some measures such as a salary increase for legislators that made some Republicans unhappy.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, a Trump ally, voiced his opposition, and the president-elect later signaled that he wanted his party to take him down, which is what happened.

A second, smaller bill reached the House floor Thursday night but failed to get enough votes to pass.

If a deal is not reached by midnight, the United States will suffer its first shutdown since early 2019.

Essential workers continue as normal, some without pay, while government employees deemed non-essential are temporarily placed on unpaid leave.

Border protection, hospital medical care, law enforcement and air traffic control will continue to operate.

But services like the food assistance program, federally funded preschool education, student loan granting and food inspections, and national parks will be scaled back or closed.

While Social Security and Medicare checks are being sent, benefit verification and card issuance stops.

There could also be travel delays if the standoff drags on.

“A prolonged closure could mean longer wait times at airports,” said Transportation Security Administration spokesman Carter Langston.

The Tesla boss has been tasked with identifying spending cuts by co-leading the proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

It is not an official government department, but it has promised to save $2 trillion.

On Wednesday, he made dozens of posts on X, the platform he owns, to express his displeasure with Mike Johnson’s bill.

Expanding on some false statements about the content of the bill, he called it criminal and outrageous.

After Musk generated opposition, Trump and JD Vance, the incoming vice president, dealt the final blow to Johnson’s deal that night.

They said in a joint statement that they wanted streamlined legislation without the Democratic-backed provisions that Johnson had included.

They also called on Congress to raise or eliminate the debt ceiling, which determines how much the government can borrow to pay its bills.

Johnson has promised to find a solution on Friday, so there will be plenty of discussion on Capitol Hill as time progresses.

But to get the necessary support in the House, he will need Democratic votes.

Democrats say they will only support the original bill that Trump and Musk opposed.

If no deal is reached, US federal agencies will close at midnight.

Pretty common. President Ronald Reagan oversaw eight closures during his term, although all were relatively brief.

And there were three when Donald Trump was president, including the longest in history, 36 days, which ended in January 2019.

That occurred due to disagreements over financing a wall on the border with Mexico.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that it reduced economic production at around $11 billion, including $3 billion it never recovered.

Budget shutdowns are almost unique to American politics.

Under the US system, different branches of government have to agree on spending plans before they can become law.

In most countries, votes on the budget become votes of confidence in the government itself. But since the United States has equal and often divided powers of government, that is not the case.

Also known as the debt limit, it is a law that restricts the total amount of money the government can borrow to pay its bills.

This includes pay for federal employees, the military, Social Security and Medicare, as well as interest on the national debt and tax refunds.

From time to time, the U.S. Congress votes to increase or suspend the ceiling so that more debt can be incurred.

Trump’s addition of this condition to the deal was an unexpected demand that has made it difficult for right-wing Republicans, who often criticize increased government spending, to support the bill.

The debt ceiling was going to have to be raised in the coming months regardless of the efficiency boost that was promised.

But by demanding this happen now, some analysts believe Trump is signaling that the cost of his proposed tax cuts and tighter border restrictions will test the ceilings. And he prefers that the fight for the increase occur before taking office.

Democrats are usually in favor of raising the debt ceiling without conditions, but now they are in no mood to help Republicans.

The risk for Trump is that the mini-rebellion destroys the mantle of invincibility he has worn since the election.

And it raises questions about the ease with which his party will be able to fulfill its campaign promises that require legislation.