What Makes This American Government Shutdown Distinct (as well as Harder to Resolve)?

Shutdowns are a repeat feature of US politics – but this one feels especially difficult to resolve due to political dynamics along with bad blood between the two parties.

Certain federal operations face a temporary halt, and about 750,000 people are expected to be put on unpaid leave as Republicans and Democrats remain unable to reach consensus on a spending bill.

Votes aimed at ending the deadlock have repeatedly failed, with little visibility on an off-ramp in this instance as each side – as well as the nation's leader – can see some merit in digging in.

These are the four ways that make this shutdown distinct currently.

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

The Democratic base have insisted over recent periods that their party more forcefully fights the current presidency. Currently Democratic leaders has a chance to show they have listened.

In March, Senate leader was fiercely criticised after supporting GOP budget legislation and averting a government closure in the spring. Now he's digging in.

This presents an opportunity for Democrats to demonstrate they can take back some control from an administration that has moved aggressively on its agenda.

Refusing to back the Republican spending plan comes with political risk as citizens generally may become impatient as the dispute drags on and consequences begin to mount.

The Democrats are leveraging the budget standoff to put a spotlight on expiring health insurance subsidies and Republican-approved federal health program reductions for the poor, both facing public opposition.

They are also trying to curtail executive utilization of presidential authority to rescind or withhold money authorized legislatively, which he has done in international assistance and other programmes.

2. For Republicans, they see potential

The President and one of his key officials have openly indicated their perspective that they smell a chance to advance further the cutbacks in government employment implemented during in the Republican's second presidency to date.

The nation's leader personally said last week that the government closure provided him with a "unique chance", adding he intended to cut "Democrat agencies".

Administration officials stated they would face a "challenging responsibility" involving significant workforce reductions to maintain critical federal operations should the impasse persist. The Press Secretary described this as "budgetary responsibility".

The extent of possible job cuts is still uncertain, but the White House have been consulting with federal budget authorities, the budgeting office, under the leadership of the administration's budget director.

The administration's financial chief has already announced the halting of government financial support for Democratic-run parts of the country, including New York City and Illinois' largest city.

3. There's little trust between both parties

Whereas past government closures typically involved late-night talks among political opponents in an effort to get federal operations, there appears to be minimal cooperative willingness for compromise presently.

Conversely, there is rancour. The bad blood continued over the weekend, as both sides blaming each other for causing the impasse.

House Speaker a Republican, charged opposition members of not being serious toward resolution, and maintaining positions over a deal "for electoral protection".

Meanwhile, the opposition's chief made similar charges against their counterparts, stating how a Republican promise to discuss healthcare subsidies after operations resume cannot be trusted.

The President himself has inflamed the situation by posting a computer-created controversial depiction featuring the opposition leader and the top Democrat in the House, in which the representative is depicted with traditional headwear 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 faces vulnerability

Experts project approximately two-fifths of the federal workforce – over 800,000 workers – to face furlough as a result of the shutdown.

That will depress spending – and also have wider ramifications, as environmental permitting, patent approvals, payments to contractors along with various forms of government activity tied to business comes to a halt.

The closure additionally introduces new uncertainty into an economy already being roiled by changes ranging from trade measures, previous budget reductions, immigration raids and technological advancements.

Analysts estimate potential reduction of as much as 0.2 percentage points off US economic growth for each week it lasts.

But the economy typically recoups most of that lost activity after a shutdown ends, similar to recovery patterns after major environmental events.

This might explain partially why the stock market 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.