Government Shutdown Furloughs 750,000 Federal Workers Amid Pay Debate

The U.S. federal government entered a shutdown in early October 2025 after Congress failed to agree on a continuing funding resolution, with key disagreements centering on health care funding. As a result, up to 750,000 federal employees may face furloughs or delays in pay, including nearly 29,000 federal workers in New Jersey, where large agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of the Army are affected. President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats have traded blame for the impasse, with Trump warning of potential mass layoffs of federal workers. Amid the shutdown, some members of Congress, including Representative Eli Crane, have voluntarily requested that their paychecks be withheld, arguing it is inappropriate to accept salaries while federal employees go unpaid. Congressman Ralph Norman has introduced legislation to constitutionally prohibit lawmakers from receiving pay during government shutdowns to hold them accountable, reflecting widespread public support for such reforms. Advocacy groups like Americans for Prosperity are pushing for bills that would require Congress to stay in session and automatically extend funding during negotiations to prevent future shutdowns.