For the third time, much of the US administration has come to a standstill under President Donald Trump. At midnight (US local time), funding ran out for several key ministries, with Congress unable to agree on a new budget. The authorities concerned must now stop their operations. The reason for the "shutdown" is Trump's uncompromising demand for a wall to Mexico, which the Democrats reject.
This shuts down large sections of the civil service. Which institutions and authorities are now particularly affected - the overview.
ministries
Nine ministries are lame - including foreign, domestic, justice, finance, trade and homeland security ministry. Around 800,000 civil servants are now either on unpaid leave or have to go to work - also unpaid. Your salaries should, however, be repaid after the "shutdown".
judiciary
Federal police agencies such as the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Office for Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are also affected. However, thousands of employees of these authorities will have to continue working without being paid.
housing authorities
The processing and approval of real estate loans will be significantly delayed because of the "shutdown", the US housing authorities said.
NASA
About 96 percent of all NASA space agency employees are being forced to leave.
National parks
If the "shutdown" goes on until the Christmas holidays, the tourists are also suffering: the national parks, for example, remain open but unguarded. During the last shutdown in January 2018, about a third of the country's national parks were closed.
All in all, these delays and leave could cost the American taxpayer a lot of money. Experts suggest that the "shutdown" in 2013 caused two billion dollars of economic damage under the Obama administration. But in this case, the damage will probably be lower. Five ministries continue to operate, including the Department of Defense, Education, Health and Labor, as they had already adopted a longer-term budget in September.