What Makes This US Shutdown Distinct (as well as More Intractable)?

Government closures are a repeat feature of US politics – however the current situation appears especially difficult to resolve due to shifting political forces along with bad blood among both major parties.

Certain federal operations are temporarily suspended, and about 750,000 employees likely to be placed on furlough without pay since Republicans and Democrats can't agree regarding budget legislation.

Votes aimed at ending the deadlock continue to fall short, with little visibility on a clear resolution path this time as both parties – as well as the nation's leader – can see some merit in maintaining their positions.

Here are the four ways in which this shutdown distinct currently.

1. For Democrats, the focus is on Trump – beyond healthcare issues

Democratic supporters have insisted over recent periods that their party adopt stronger opposition against the current presidency. Well now the party leadership has a chance to demonstrate their responsiveness.

In March, Senate leader was fiercely criticised after supporting GOP budget legislation thus preventing a government closure in the spring. This time he's digging in.

This presents an opportunity for Democrats to show their ability to reclaim certain authority from a presidency that has moved aggressively on its agenda.

Refusing to back the Republican spending plan carries electoral dangers that the wider public will grow frustrated as the dispute drags on and impacts accumulate.

The Democrats are leveraging the shutdown fight to put a spotlight on expiring health insurance subsidies together with GOP-backed government healthcare cuts for the poor, both facing public opposition.

They are also trying to restrict the President's use of his executive powers to cancel or delay funding authorized legislatively, a practice demonstrated in international assistance and other programmes.

Second, For Republicans, it's an opportunity

The administration leader along with a senior aide have openly indicated of the fact 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 shutdown provided him with an "unprecedented opportunity", and that he would look to cut "Democrat agencies".

The White House said it would be left with the "unenviable task" involving significant workforce reductions to keep essential government services operating should the impasse persist. An administration spokesperson said this was just "fiscal sanity".

The scope of the potential lay-offs is still uncertain, though administration officials have been consulting with the Office of Management and Budget, or OMB, which is headed by the administration's budget director.

The administration's financial chief has already announced the halting of government financial support for regions governed by the opposition party, such as NYC and Illinois' largest city.

3. There's little trust on either side

While previous shutdowns typically involved late-night talks between the two parties in an effort to get federal operations, there appears to be minimal cooperative willingness for compromise presently.

Conversely, animosity prevails. Political tensions continued over the weekend, with Republicans and Democrats exchanging accusations for causing the impasse.

House Speaker from the majority party, charged opposition members of not being serious toward resolution, and holding out over a deal "for electoral protection".

Meanwhile, the Senate leader levelled the same accusation at the other side, stating how a Republican promise regarding health funding talks once the government reopens can not be taken seriously.

The President himself has inflamed the situation through sharing a computer-created controversial depiction featuring the opposition leader and the top Democrat opposition figure, in which the legislator is depicted with a large Mexican-style sombrero and a moustache.

The affected legislator with party colleagues denounced this as discriminatory, a characterization rejected by the Vice-President.

Fourth, The American Economy faces vulnerability

Experts project about 40% of government employees – over 800,000 workers – to be put on unpaid leave due to the government closure.

That will depress spending – with broader economic consequences, including halted environmental approvals, patent approvals, interrupted vendor payments and other kinds of federal operations tied to business comes to a halt.

A shutdown also injects fresh instability into an economy currently experiencing disruption 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 weekly during the closure.

However, economic activity generally rebounds the majority of interrupted operations after a shutdown ends, similar to recovery patterns caused by a natural disaster.

This might explain partially why the stock market has appeared largely unfazed by the current stand-off.

Conversely, analysts say that if administration officials implement proposed significant workforce reductions, economic harm might become extended in duration.