Ripple effects continue to spread as U.S. government shutdown lasts for half a month

Cartoon by Ma Hongliang

The U.S. federal government has entered a shutdown starting Oct. 1 local time as partisan divisions prevented Congress from passing a funding bill, which marks the first government shutdown in nearly seven years.

The shutdown has lasted for half a month and its ripple effects have continued to spread. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been placed on unpaid leave or laid off, and many government services have come to a standstill. In Washington, D.C., landmarks such as the Washington Monument and the Capitol are closed to the public, and even the Statue of Liberty torch may soon go dark.

The ongoing shutdown reflects the intensifying partisan battles and deepening political polarization in the U.S. As long as U.S. politicians place their own interests above those of the public, it is ordinary Americans who will continue to pay the price for partisan gridlock.