Copyright greaterbelize
US Hits 35 Days of Government Shutdown The US government shutdown has now stretched to 35 days. This length of time now ties the record for the longest in American history. The last government shutdown that went on this long was during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2018. This time around, the standoff between President Trump and congressional Democrats over healthcare and funding priorities has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers unpaid and critical public services stalled. Airports are facing delays due to staff shortages, food banks are overwhelmed, and an estimated 42 million Americans relying on federal food benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as “food stamps”, are becoming desperate for their monthly allowance. The shutdown is showing no signs of an agreement. Since day one, the deadlock has fuelled concerns for many US-funded projects. Belize benefits from these US-funded initiatives through agencies like USAID, the State Department, and the Peace Corps. These programmes support areas such as climate resilience, education, and governance, as well as security partnerships under the US Embassy’s INL bureau. The social media platforms for these agencies have gone silent since October 1, with most of them having their last post as “Due to the U.S. Government’s lapse in appropriations, this Facebook account will remain inactive until full operations resume.” Although essential diplomatic and consular functions remain open, non-urgent activities such as visa processing, exchange programmes, and grant disbursements are being dealt with “as the situation permits”.
