By Tim Hume
- A United States federal government shutdown started at midnight local time on Wednesday (04:00 GMT).
- The shutdown will temporarily halt some US government services and put the salaries of hundreds of thousands of government employees on hold.
NASA closed with 83% of staff to be furloughed
The space agency says it has closed because of the government shutdown.
“NASA is currently CLOSED due to a lapse in government funding,” said a statement on its website.
The site contains a link to a continuity plan sent to the Office of Management and Budget by NASA’s acting chief financial officer, Steve Shinn, on Monday, which outlines plans to furlough 15,094 of the agency’s 18,218 workers, nearly 83 percent.
The Artemis 4 capsule, scheduled for launch in 2028, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida [File: John Raoux/AP]
Gold hits record as US government shuts down
Wall Street futures and the dollar stumbled on Wednesday, while gold struck a record high as the US government shut down much of its operations.
Gold prices climbed to $3,895 an ounce – hitting a record high for a third straight session.
With no clear path out of the impasse over a funding deal, agencies warned the government shutdown would halt the release of a closely watched September employment report, and lead to the furlough of 750,000 federal workers at a daily cost of $400m.
“The general idea is that these things have a short-term impact, not a long-term one, and markets know it,” said George Lagarias, chief economist at Forvis Mazars.
“The lack of data will mean we assume the trend we have will continue. If there is no evidence of a strong economic rebound, then the chances are that the Fed will continue on its present course.”
![Gold bars are stored at the U.S. Depository in Ft. Knox, Kentucky, US. [File: Barry Thumma/AP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/AP25051575430979-1740166635.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C459&quality=80)
Gold bars stored at the US depository in Fort Knox, Kentucky [File: Barry Thumma/AP]Why is the US government shutting down and what will it mean?
The government shut down on Wednesday after Democrats and Republicans in Congress failed to reach an agreement on a vital funding bill.
While it has been normal practice to place staff on “furlough” during previous government shutdowns – meaning they are reinstated and receive back pay once the government is up and running again – this time the Trump administration is threatening to fire people permanently.
The disagreement is over a short-term spending bill introduced by the Republicans that lays out the funding of government operations until November 21. Without it, the government cannot function.
