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Shutdowns are a repeat element of US politics – but the current situation appears especially difficult to resolve due to political dynamics along with deep-seated animosity between both major parties.

Some government services are temporarily suspended, with approximately 750,000 employees likely to be placed on furlough without pay as Republicans and Democrats remain unable to reach consensus regarding budget legislation.

Votes aimed at ending the deadlock continue to fall short, with little visibility on an off-ramp this time as each side – as well as the nation's leader – perceive advantages in digging in.

These are the four ways that make things feel different in 2025.

First, For Democrats, it's about Trump – beyond healthcare issues

Democratic supporters have insisted for months for their representatives adopt stronger opposition against the Trump administration. Well now the party leadership have an opportunity to demonstrate their responsiveness.

Earlier this year, Senate leader was fiercely criticised after supporting GOP budget legislation thus preventing a shutdown early this year. Now he's holding firm.

This is a chance for the Democratic party to show they can take back certain authority from a presidency that has moved aggressively on its agenda.

Refusing to back the GOP budget proposal carries electoral dangers as citizens generally may become impatient as the dispute drags on and consequences begin to mount.

The Democrats are leveraging the shutdown fight to highlight concerns about ending healthcare financial support together with GOP-backed government healthcare cuts for the poor, which are both unpopular.

They are also trying to restrict executive utilization of presidential authority to cancel or delay funding authorized legislatively, a practice demonstrated with foreign aid and various federal programs.

2. For Republicans, it's an opportunity

The administration leader along with a senior aide have openly indicated their perspective that they perceive an opening to advance further reductions in government employment implemented during the current presidential term so far.

The nation's leader personally stated recently that the government closure provided him with an "unprecedented opportunity", adding he intended to cut "opposition-supported departments".

The White House stated they would face the "unenviable task" of mass lay-offs to maintain critical federal operations if the shutdown continued. The Press Secretary said this was just "fiscal sanity".

The scope of the potential lay-offs is still uncertain, though administration officials have been consulting with the Office of Management and Budget, the budgeting office, which is headed by the administration's budget director.

The budget director has previously declared the suspension of federal funding for Democratic-run parts the opposition party, including New York City and Chicago.

3. There's little trust on either side

Whereas past government closures have been characterised by late-night talks among political opponents in an effort to get government services running again, currently there seems minimal cooperative willingness for compromise presently.

Instead, there is rancour. Political tensions continued over the weekend, with Republicans and Democrats blaming each other for causing the impasse.

The legislative leader from the majority party, accused Democrats with insufficient commitment about negotiating, and maintaining positions during discussions "to get political cover".

Simultaneously, the opposition's chief levelled the same accusation against their counterparts, stating how a Republican promise regarding health funding talks after operations resume cannot be trusted.

The administration leader personally has inflamed the situation by posting a computer-created controversial depiction of the Senate leader along with another senior in the House, in which the legislator is depicted with a large Mexican-style sombrero and facial hair.

The affected legislator 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 government employees – more than 800,000 people – to be put on unpaid leave as a result of the government closure.

This will reduce consumer expenditure – and also have wider ramifications, as environmental permitting, patent approvals, interrupted vendor payments and other kinds of federal operations connected to commercial interests cease functioning.

The closure additionally introduces fresh instability into an economy already being roiled from multiple factors including trade measures, previous budget reductions, enforcement actions and technological advancements.

Economic forecasters project that it could shave as much as 0.2 percentage points off US economic growth for each week it lasts.

However, economic activity generally rebounds most of that lost activity following resolution, as it would after disruption caused by a natural disaster.

That could be one reason why the stock market have shown limited reaction by the current stand-off.

Conversely, experts indicate should the President carries out his threat of mass firings, the damage could be extended in duration.