The lockdown has finally ended. The shutdown in the American Government began on October 1. Republicans and Democrats could not agree on the 'spending bill' or budget allocation. As a result, the Trump administration came to a halt indefinitely. Finally, on Wednesday, a new spending bill was passed in the US Congress's lower house, the House of Representatives. It was sent to US President Donald Trump. After he signed it, America's longest shutdown in history came to an end.
The House of Representatives session was suspended from mid-September. The session reconvened on Wednesday. There, 222 votes were cast in favour of lifting the shutdown. Six Democratic representatives moved away from their party's position to support the bill. 209 Congress members voted against it. However, three Republican Party members opposed it. President Trump signed the bill at 9:45 PM. The 42-day shutdown was lifted immediately after.
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Every fiscal year, the US Congress allocates funds for various government departments to operate. The fiscal year in America begins on October 1. By this time, Senate members must make final decisions on budget allocation. Otherwise, departmental operations shut down. That is called a shutdown. During this time, most departments remain closed. Only emergency services continue to operate. Employees do not receive salaries either. When the shutdown ends, all departments reopen. Employees are then paid their salaries.
The shutdown caused losses of 1 lakh 32 thousand crore rupees. However, experts are still not certain about how much impact this could have on the larger economy. But they unanimously agree that it will have a significant impact on next year's budget and health policy. America also faced a shutdown in 2019. However, all departments did not remain closed for such a long period that time.
