'It's just so ridiculous': Donald Trump a week into US govt shutdown

As a rare US government shutdown neared the end of its first week, American President Donald Trump said in a telephonic interview to a TV channel that "they should've never shut it down". His remarks came as the shutdown vote failed for the fifth consecutive time, leading to a continued shutdown since October 1.

"We have the best economy in the world right now... Nobody's even close, and they shouldn't have done it... They're controlled by the Radical Left people, and it's just so ridiculous," Trump was quoted as saying, according to foreign media.

What White House says on US government shutdown

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The White House press secretary said that if Democrats "do not vote to open the government tonight, federal workers will not receive their next full paycheck, the special nutrition program for women and infants will run out of money, and service members will miss their next paycheck". The shutdown persists with the US Congress failing to pass the required funding legislation for the financial year, leaving a range of public services inactive and throwing thousands of federal government staff

A US government shutdown in October 2025 refers to the suspension of many federal operations after Congress fails to pass required funding legislation for the fiscal year. This means many public services halt, and thousands of federal employees are furloughed or forced to work without pay until a budget resolution is achieved.

How can the US government shutdown end?

In order to end the shutdown, both the US House of Representatives and the Senate must pass appropriations bills that fund government agencies.

After this, these bills will be signed by the president.

Republicans control both chambers but require at least 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a blockage. In other words, they need support from Democratic senators for the budget bill to clear.

Trump speaks on Gaza peace plan update: 'We're very, very close to...'

Speaking on the Gaza peace plan, the 47th American president said: "I think we're very, very close to having a deal."

"I think there's a lot of goodwill being shown now. It's pretty amazing actually," he said.