Three numbers, one story: the US government shutdown

October 01, 2025

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Eileen Zhang

The US government has officially shut down for the first time since 2019, after bitter partisan gridlock left Washington unable to pass a funding deal. Hundreds of thousands of “non-essential” federal workers now face the usual furloughs, but an added twist this time is that President Donald Trump has threatened to use the shutdown as an excuse to permanently fire many federal employees. Here is a look at how many workers of the 2 million civilian federal workers are in jeopardy until the government reopens.

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Supporters of Jose Antonio Kast, presidential candidate of the far-right Republican Party, wave Chilean flags as they attend one of Kast's last closing campaign rallies, ahead of the November 16 presidential election, in Santiago, Chile, on November 11, 2025.

REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido

This Sunday, close to 16 million Chilean voters will head to the polls in a starkly polarized presidential election shaped by rising fears of crime and immigration.

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Three numbers, one story: the US government shutdown

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Three numbers, one story: the US government shutdown

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Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

More from GZERO Media

Ian breaks down the history of economic bubbles–from tulips to tech–and asks whether AI is the next one to pop.

Think you know what's going on around the world? Here's your chance to prove it.

This Sunday, close to 16 million Chilean voters will head to the polls in a starkly polarized presidential election shaped by rising fears of crime and immigration.

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

Argentina’s president Javier Milei inherited inflation that was over 200%, but after 18 consecutive months of it falling, it now stands at just 31%.

Imagine sitting down at a restaurant, speaking your order into your menu, and immediately watching a robot arrive with your food. Imagine the food being made quickly, precisely — and without a human involved, because the entire restaurant is fully roboticized.