On October 15, the U.S. federal government "stop" entered its fifteenth day, which is when the country again fell into the government "stop" situation after seven years. U.S. Columbia Broadcasting Company and the "American Today" media worried that Congress on the resumption of government consultations still no substantial progress, with the "stop" into the third week, its impact on people's livelihoods and economics levels is continuing to spread. U.S. Federal House Chairman Mike Johnson said that this "stop" may be the longest-lasting time in U.S. history.

Eight Senate votes failed

The federal government's "stop" began on October 1, directly due to the Senate's failure to pass a new provisional allocation bill before the federal government's funds were exhausted.According to U.S. law, if Congress fails to pass the budget, the government will shut down non-core institutions, suspend "unnecessary services", and related employees will suspend salaries to cut spending, so-called government "stop".

In the context of increasing political polarization in the United States, the opposition between the two parties has been increasingly intense and multi-dimensional. Democrats and Republicans have made no concessions on core issues such as health insurance expenses, and the prospects for compromises are blurred. After the Senate re-session on October 14, the House of Representatives re-voted the allocation bill, resulting in 49 votes for, 45 votes against, and 6 senators did not participate in the vote. This is the eighth time the Senate has vetoed the bill, which has been voted seven times before and has not reached the required threshold of 60 votes. Though the Republicans have a weak advantage in controlling the House of Representatives, it still requires five Democrats in the Senate to support the bill and the Democratic

The public opinion war between the two parties accusing each other is escalating. Mike Johnson accused the Democratic Party of "playing costly political tricks" on October 13th, while hakeem jeffries, the leader of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives, hit back, "The Republican Party goes its own way, and the Democratic Party is willing to negotiate at any time". What's even more dramatic is that there is a line hanging at the top of the official website homepage of the White House, which "times" the "time for Democrats to shut down the government" accurately to seconds, and concretizes the political game into a tool for public opinion attack.

Historically, the U.S. federal government's "stop" has become a common result of two-party budget games. According to the U.S. Congressional Budget and Stop Control Act, passed in 1974, the new fiscal year (from October 1 every year) the former Congress did not pass the budget or temporary allocation bill, the government had to start the "stop" procedure, which was to restrict government spending, but now gradually became a party struggle tool. So far, the U.S. federal government's "stop" has occurred more than 20 times. Among them, from December 2018 to January 2019, due to border wall fund disputes, the U.S. federal government "stop" lasted 35 days, making the longest record. The current political impasse in the United States has caused dissatisfaction among many people. The latest poll conducted by

Many public services are stagnant.

As the "shutdown" of the federal government continues, its impact on American society has spread from the government system to people's daily life. Many public services have come to a standstill, vulnerable groups bear the brunt, and international tourists and other groups have also been affected.

In the field of transportation, the shortage of air traffic controllers has caused large-scale flight delays. According to the Washington Post, in the past week, thousands of flights were delayed due to insufficient air traffic controllers at Denver International Airport in Colorado, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., among which there was a six-hour vacancy of air traffic controllers at Burbank Airport in Hollywood, California. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy revealed that the "shutdown" caused air traffic controllers to be forced to work unpaid. They had to worry about bill payment while ensuring flight safety, and even consider working part-time to support their families.

A large number of federal government employees were forced to take unpaid vacation, and the White House announced on the 10th that government layoffs had started one after another. Seven federal agencies, including the Department of Treasury, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Education, have issued layoff notices to more than 4,000 employees, and the layoffs will take effect in 60 days. According to data from the Congressional Budget Office, about 750,000 federal employees have been forced to take vacations, and hundreds of thousands more have to work unpaid. As the federal government's "shutdown" enters its fifteenth day, the White House Office of Management and Budget said on social media that it is preparing for more layoffs.

The U.S. public service and social assistance system also encountered different degrees of difficulties. Museums, research centers and U.S. National Zoo under the Smithsonian Society have been announced closure. Canadian tourists Jeff Walshborn plans to go to the U.S. National Museum of Natural History, but only faced with the closure announcement, he disappointed to say ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the government to close like this¡±. In addition, the U.S. Tax Board¡¯s taxpayer consultation hotline was shut down, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Ministry of Transportation approval stalled, and the federal funded ¡°Food Bank¡± was also in trouble. According to the Washington Post, food banks all over the U.S. are accumulating funds. Philadelphia¡¯s ¡°share food

Kate Harten, executive director of Home Defense Network, Colorado, said that military and veteran consultations have surged, ¡°Most people are both concerned about food shortages and fear of not being able to pay for home loans.¡± Senate majority leader John Thun said, ¡°Most families across the U.S. have been affected by the ¡®stop¡¯ and more people will be unpaid.¡±

Economic decision-making in the ¡°data blind zone¡±

The negative impact of the federal government¡¯s ¡°stop-down¡± on the U.S. economy is gradually emerging, from short-term output losses to long-term expectation disturbances, with many sectors under pressure. According to JPMorgan Group analysis, every week of the federal government¡¯s ¡°stop-down¡± the U.S. annual GDP growth rate will decrease by about 0.1%; if the duration exceeds expectations, there will also be additional shocks through market sentiment. Data from the U.S. Congressional Budget Office show that the 35-day stagnation from December 2018 to January 2019 led to a decrease in economic output of $11 billion.

William Hogland, senior vice president of the Center for Bipartisan Policy Research at the U.S. think tank, said: ¡°When wages start to break down, people¡¯s spending on shopping, raising children, buying basic livelihoods will be affected, and the impact of the ¡°stop¡± will go beyond the government staff, affecting more people.¡±

With the federal government¡¯s ¡°stop-down¡±, U.S. economic decision-making emerged as a ¡°data-blind zone¡±. Federal agencies including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics suspended operations, employment reports, consumer price indices, and other key data were delayed. JPMorgan pointed out that this plagued the U.S. Federal Reserve, which is considering the October rate cuts, and its chief economist Michael Ferroli said it would pose a huge challenge to economic decision-making. The group¡¯s Global Rate Strategy Director, Jay Berry, warned that ¡°stop-ups¡± could extend market expectations for subsequent rate cuts and increase volatility.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Bescent said on October 13th that the situation is getting worse and worse, and the government's "shutdown" has begun to affect the real economy and people's lives, which not only leads to the stagnation of farmers' aid, but also makes it difficult for enterprises to plan due to lack of data.

(Washington, October 15th, this newspaper)