While the world is currently discussing the unjustified, and anti-multilateral trade rules tariffs imposed by the US President, one important topic that remains largely undiscussed is the US government shutdown that has been ongoing since October 1, 2025 and on 4th November, this shutdown has created a new record beating the last 35 days shutdown of 2018, during last Trump administration. Since October 1, US government functioning has been virtually paralyzed, with nearly 900,000 federal employees having been furloughed, and 2 million others are made to work without pay. Only exceptions are essential services such as healthcare, health assistance, and the Transportation Security Administration. This is the 11th shutdown in US history that has resulted in a halt to government services. In the past longest shutdown occurred in 2018-19, lasting 35 days, during last Trump's tenure, though it was not a complete government shutdown. Imagine, had this happened in India, with all government establishments shut down and government employees forced to go on leave. A multitude of articles would have been written around the world, especially in the United States, criticizing the Indian Constitution and system. Yet, even such a significant incident in America is being reported in a very minimal way.

The US has two major parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. It's worth noting that President Donald Trump belongs to the Republican Party. While the Republican-run House immediately initiated a funding bill, it failed to receive support in the Senate. The Democratic Party claims that health insurance subsidies (specifically those related to the Affordable Care Act) are not covered by the budget. Furthermore, Congress has complained that the presidential administration is encroaching upon Congress's powers in the budget process. Congress fears that unconditional budget approval would infringe on Congress's powers. The shutdown has not only paralyzed government operations, but also threatened the loss of food assistance, particularly the Supplemental Nutritional Aid Program (SNAP), for over 40 million people. Some departments have even secured funding from the private sector to ensure that military personnel are paid. It's worth noting that large-scale elections are scheduled in the United States on November 3, 2026. These midterm elections will see all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate up for election, determining the 120th United States Congress. Twenty-nine state and territorial gubernatorial elections, as well as numerous state and local elections, will also be contested. The upcoming midterm elections in the U.S. are indeed posing a barrier to a quick or lasting resolution to the government shutdown. Political calculations are becoming more important than consensus on national interest. Instead of long-term budget proposals, politicians are prioritizing short-term extensions or continuing resolutions to avoid making tough financial decisions before the elections. In conclusion, given the deep partisan divisions and the political calculus driven by the upcoming midterm elections, it is unlikely that the US government shutdown will end anytime soon.

We must understand that continued shutdown in the United States is a symptom of deeper structural and ideological weaknesses in the American economic and political system, rather than merely an administrative failure. Such a prolonged shutdown reflects the inability of the U.S. political system to reconcile competing interests, especially between fiscal prudence and political populism. The failure to approve budgets or raise the debt ceiling (as we saw at earlier occasions) shows a fractured democracy held hostage by vested interests, where short-term political gains override long-term national priorities. Over the years we don't see any reprieve from unsustainable dependence of Western economies on debt and deficit financing. The shutdown, has exposed how the U.S. economic model has become addicted to continuous borrowing, with political leaders unwilling to face the consequences of fiscal indiscipline. Double standards of the US policy makers is fully exposed, because U.S. preaches fiscal responsibility to developing nations through institutions like the IMF and World Bank, it miserably fails to practice it domestically.

We notice that global economic imbalances are in a way linked to the hegemony of the U.S. dollar. We understand that the shutdown and repeated debt ceiling crises undermine global confidence in the U.S. financial system. This, is furthering the process of de-dollarization in the world, and strengthening of the belief in India, to build self-reliant financial mechanisms rather than depending on volatile Western economies. One can easily understand that shutdown is a byproduct of an individualistic and consumption-driven economic order that prioritizes markets over people. The suffering of ordinary U.S. citizens-government workers without pay, delayed services, and social insecurity-would be highlighted as a failure of the neoliberal state to serve its. Though western media in general and US in particular try to paint Indian institutions to be weak, shutdown demolishes that narrative, as we clearly see fragility of western economic system, and much better institutional stability in India. Despite political differences, India has never faced a similar shutdown because budget approval is treated as a matter of national responsibility, not political bargaining. In fact, U.S. shutdown is a moment of opportunity for emerging economies, particularly India, to assert a new global economic leadership based on self-reliance (Atmanirbharta), balanced trade, and cooperative federalism. When the West falters under the weight of its contradictions, India must move forward guided by its own values, not their borrowed models.