The US government shutdown entered its 13th day on Monday, with House Speaker Mike Johnson warning that it could become the longest in American history as he refused to negotiate with Democrats until they agree to reopen federal operations.

"We're barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history," said Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, speaking from the Capitol. He reiterated that talks would only resume once Democrats "hit pause on their health care demands and reopen" the government.

Showdown over healthcare policy

At the core of the stalemate is a fight over Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, federal payments that help millions of Americans afford health insurance on the Obamacare exchanges.

Democrats want an immediate extension of those subsidies before they expire at the end of the year, warning that failure to act could double premiums for low- and middle-income families. Republicans, led by Johnson, say the issue can be addressed later, accusing Democrats of "holding the government hostage" to push through a partisan health care agenda.

The disagreement has paralyzed Washington and triggered the broadest government shutdown since 2019, closing national parks, Smithsonian museums, and cultural landmarks, delaying small-business loans, and forcing hundreds of thousands of federal employees into furlough.

Trump administration takes a hard line

President Donald Trump has embraced a confrontational approach during the closure, authorizing mass layoffs of federal workers, an unprecedented step that critics and labor unions say is a political maneuver to shrink government under the cover of fiscal dispute.

Vice President JD Vance has defended the actions, warning of "painful" but necessary reductions. Employee unions have filed lawsuits in federal court, arguing that the mass dismissals violate worker protection statutes and amount to politically motivated retribution.

Johnson, who said he was not fully briefed on the specifics of the firings, thanked Trump for ensuring military personnel and Coast Guard members would still be paid. According to a senior administration official, the Pentagon has been authorized to draw from $8 billion in unused research and development funds to sustain paychecks, while other agencies are relying on leftover mandatory funding under the 2025 reconciliation act to keep essential operations running.

Government functions crippled

The shutdown's impact has rippled across key departments:

• The Education Department faces deep furloughs, disrupting special education, after-school, and civil rights programs.
• The Transportation Department is short-staffed, leading to flight delays and safety inspection backlogs at major airports.
• The CDC and parts of the Health and Human Services have cut back on disease surveillance and vaccine outreach.
• Museums, national parks, and the National Zoo have shut their doors, with only essential staff maintaining animal care and preservation.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) noted that only agencies with specific mandatory funding,  including Defense, Treasury, and Homeland Security, can continue limited activities, cushioning some critical functions but leaving most civilian workers unpaid.

Political blame game intensifies

Both parties are trading blame for the crisis.

Republicans argue that Democrats provoked the shutdown by insisting on immediate healthcare funding and accuse them of being driven by what they call the "radical left". The term has appeared in official GOP statements, agency talking points, and pro-Trump media, marking a coordinated rhetorical push to paint Democrats as ideologically extreme.

However, political analysts note that the Democratic position centers on renewing market-based ACA subsidies, not the kind of government-run health system associated with radical-left politics. 

Democrats, meanwhile, are framing the standoff as a deliberate act of economic sabotage by the Trump administration. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Republicans have essentially shut down the chamber now for a fourth week, adding that GOP leaders are nowhere to be found.

Healthcare clock ticking

The timing adds urgency: open enrollment for ACA coverage begins Nov. 1, and the Kaiser Family Foundation warns that insurance premiums could double for millions of Americans if Congress fails to renew the subsidies before December 31.

For Johnson, the health care battle is a reminder of past defeats. "Can we completely repeal and replace Obamacare? Many of us are skeptical about that now because the roots are so deep," he admitted, referencing Republicans' failed repeal efforts in 2017. He insisted, however, that Democrats have to agree to reopen the government before any deal can move forward.

Historical parallels, economic risks

The impasse recalls the 2013 shutdown under President Obama, when Republicans tried to defund Obamacare, and the record 35-day shutdown in 2019, sparked by Trump's demand for border wall funding. Analysts warn this one could last longer, particularly as Johnson refuses to recall the House into session.

Economists estimate that each week of closure costs billions in lost productivity and delays in federal contracts, while consumer confidence has dipped amid uncertainty about government pay and services.

With no negotiations underway and the rhetoric hardening, Washington is once again caught in a familiar cycle of partisan brinkmanship, one that could soon make history for all the wrong reasons.

Read more: Shutdown chaos: Trump cuts jobs, targets Blue-State workers