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Shutdowns have become a recurring element of US politics – however this one feels particularly intractable due to political dynamics along with bad blood among the two parties.

Certain federal operations are temporarily suspended, and about 750,000 employees likely to be placed on unpaid leave as Republicans and Democrats can't agree regarding budget legislation.

Votes aimed at ending the deadlock continue to fall short, and it is hard to see a clear resolution path this time because both parties – including the President – can see some merit in maintaining their positions.

Here are several key factors in which things feel different in 2025.

1. For Democrats, the focus is on Trump – not just healthcare

Democratic supporters have insisted over recent periods that their party adopt stronger opposition against the current presidency. Currently the party leadership have an opportunity to demonstrate their responsiveness.

In March, Senate leader faced strong criticism after supporting GOP budget legislation and averting a government closure in the spring. This time he's digging in.

This is a chance for the Democratic party to show their ability to reclaim some control from an administration that has moved aggressively with determined action.

Opposing the GOP budget proposal carries electoral dangers as citizens generally will grow frustrated as the dispute drags on and impacts accumulate.

Democratic representatives are leveraging the budget standoff to highlight concerns about expiring health insurance subsidies together with Republican-approved federal health program reductions affecting low-income populations, both facing public opposition.

Additionally, they're attempting to restrict the President's use of presidential authority to rescind or withhold money authorized legislatively, a practice demonstrated with foreign aid and other programmes.

2. For Republicans, it's an opportunity

The President and one of his key officials have openly indicated their perspective that they smell a chance to advance further reductions to the federal workforce implemented during in the Republican's second presidency so far.

The President himself stated recently that the government closure provided him with a "unique chance", and that he would look to cut "Democrat agencies".

Administration officials said it would be left with a "challenging responsibility" involving significant workforce reductions to keep essential government services operating if the shutdown continued. The Press Secretary described this as "budgetary responsibility".

The extent of possible job cuts is still uncertain, though administration officials has been in discussions with the Office of Management and Budget, or OMB, which is headed by the administration's budget director.

The administration's financial chief has already announced the halting of government financial support for regions governed by the opposition party, such as NYC and Illinois' largest city.

3. There's little trust between both parties

Whereas past government closures have been characterised by extended negotiations among political opponents aimed at restoring government services running again, currently there seems little of the same spirit of collaboration this time.

Conversely, animosity prevails. Political tensions continued over the weekend, as both sides blaming each other for causing the impasse.

House Speaker a Republican, charged opposition members of not being serious about negotiating, and holding out over a deal "to get political cover".

Meanwhile, the opposition's chief made similar charges at the other side, stating how a Republican promise regarding health funding talks once the government reopens can not be taken seriously.

The President himself has escalated tensions by posting a controversial AI-generated image featuring the opposition leader and the top Democrat in the House, where the legislator appears wearing a large Mexican-style sombrero and a moustache.

The affected legislator and other Democrats denounced this as discriminatory, a characterization rejected by the administration's second-in-command.

Fourth, The American Economy is fragile

Experts project approximately two-fifths of the federal workforce – more than 800,000 people – to be put on unpaid leave due to the government closure.

That will depress spending – with broader economic consequences, including halted environmental approvals, delayed intellectual property processing, payments to contractors along with various forms of federal operations connected to commercial interests cease functioning.

A shutdown also injects new uncertainty into an economy already being roiled by changes ranging from trade measures, previous budget reductions, enforcement actions and artificial intelligence.

Analysts estimate potential reduction of 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 after a shutdown ends, similar to recovery patterns after major environmental events.

This might explain partially why financial markets have shown limited reaction to the ongoing impasse.

Conversely, experts indicate that if administration officials implement his threat of mass firings, the damage could be extended in duration.