Wednesday marked the first day of the federal government shut down due to an impasse regarding continuing funding for health care. Trump’s July spending bill stripped health care from 17 million Americans and extended tax cuts to the wealthiest 1% increasing the deficit by 3 trillion dollars.
Democratic legislators are in Washington right now while Speaker Mike Johnson sent Republican members home early to avoid negotiation. Democrats want healthcare funding restored while the Republicans are falsely asserting Democrats are trying to get illegal immigrants added as recipients. Americans are facing a surge in health care costs with premiums going up by as much as 300% and rural hospitals closing.
According to the 2024 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, more than 153,000 federal workers lived in Illinois last year. It is expected most will be furloughed.
Parks such as the historical museums in Springfield are closed. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are remaining on the job.
Americans who collect Social Security will still receive their payments, but some customer service functions will stop. In a contingency plan posted Sept. 24, the agency said 45,000 employees would remain working, while 6,200 workers would be furloughed until a deal is reached.
Today Governor JB Pritzker said, “The president of the United States decided to shut down the government because he’s unwilling to sit down with Democrats to discuss things.”
President Trump stated that he sees this is an opportunity to fire additional employees.