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Government closures have become a recurring element in American political life – but this one feels particularly intractable because of political dynamics along with deep-seated animosity among the two parties.

Some government services are temporarily suspended, with approximately 750,000 employees are expected to be put on furlough without pay since Republicans and Democrats can't agree on a spending bill.

Legislative attempts to resolve the deadlock continue to fall short, with little visibility on an off-ramp this time as both parties – including the nation's leader – perceive advantages in maintaining their positions.

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

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

The Democratic base has been demanding for months that their party more forcefully fights the current presidency. Well now the party leadership have an opportunity to show they have listened.

Earlier this year, Senate leader was fiercely criticised after supporting GOP budget legislation and averting a shutdown in the spring. Now he's digging in.

This presents an opportunity for the Democratic party to demonstrate their ability to reclaim certain authority from a presidency that has moved aggressively with determined action.

Opposing the Republican spending plan comes with political risk that the wider public will grow frustrated as the dispute drags on and impacts accumulate.

Democratic representatives are leveraging the shutdown fight to highlight concerns about expiring health insurance subsidies together with GOP-backed federal health program reductions for the poor, which are both unpopular.

They are also trying to curtail executive utilization of presidential authority to rescind or withhold money approved by Congress, which he has done with foreign aid and various federal programs.

2. For Republicans, they see potential

The administration leader along with a senior aide have made little secret their perspective that they smell a chance to make more of reductions to the federal workforce that have featured the current presidential term so far.

The President himself stated recently that the government closure provided him with a "unique chance", adding he intended to reduce funding for "Democrat agencies".

Administration officials said it would be left with a "challenging responsibility" of mass lay-offs to maintain critical federal operations should the impasse persist. An administration spokesperson said this was just "budgetary responsibility".

The extent of possible job cuts remains unclear, though administration officials have been consulting with the Office of Management and Budget, or OMB, which is headed by the key official.

The budget director has already announced the suspension of federal funding for Democratic-run parts of the country, including New York City and Chicago.

3. There's little trust between both parties

While previous shutdowns typically involved late-night talks among political opponents aimed at restoring federal operations, currently there seems little of the same spirit of collaboration this time.

Conversely, animosity prevails. Political tensions continued over the weekend, as both sides exchanging accusations for causing the impasse.

House Speaker a Republican, charged opposition members with insufficient commitment about negotiating, and holding out over a deal "to get political cover".

Simultaneously, the Senate leader made similar charges at the other side, saying that a majority party commitment regarding health funding talks once the government reopens cannot be trusted.

The President himself has escalated tensions by posting a computer-created controversial depiction of the Senate leader along with another senior opposition figure, where the representative appears wearing a large Mexican-style sombrero and facial hair.

The affected legislator with party colleagues called this racist, which was denied 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 face furlough due to the shutdown.

That will depress spending – with broader economic consequences, as environmental permitting, patent approvals, payments to contractors and other kinds of federal operations tied to business comes to a halt.

A shutdown also injects new uncertainty within economic systems already being roiled by changes ranging from tariffs, earlier cuts to government spending, immigration raids and artificial intelligence.

Analysts estimate that it could shave approximately 0.2% off US economic growth for each week it lasts.

However, economic activity generally rebounds the majority of interrupted operations following resolution, as it would after disruption after major environmental events.

This might explain partially why financial markets has appeared largely unfazed by the current stand-off.

Conversely, experts indicate should administration officials implement his threat of mass firings, the damage could be more long-lasting.