The Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) /World Bank Group held between Oct. 13 and Oct. 18 at the offices of the Bretton, Woods institutions on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C, U.S.
The meetings witnessed the influx of stakeholders from across the world, including government fiscal and monetary managers, industry leaders, Civil Service Organisations, and the media.
Nonetheless, there were obvious disruptions in the transition of the stakeholders and passengers from the point of arrival in the U.S.
The first sign of trouble was the huge crowds of passengers waiting to be cleared at arrival hall of Washington Dulles Airport (IAD), a major international airport serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
As it turned out, the slow pace of work at the airport was informed by a shutdown of America’s government operations, which means a dramatic reduction in government services.
The shutdown has prevented release of funds to meet government obligations to its workers; it, however, did not have any noticeable effect on the annual meetings.
Findings revealed that the shutdown was informed by disagreement between lawmakers in the ruling Republican party and the major opposition Democratic Party on the 2026 budget.
A government shutdown occurs when the U.S. Congress fails to pass legislation to fund the operations of federal agencies before the existing funding expires (usually on Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year).
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, speaking to the American media after a closed-door caucus meeting, said that he and House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, reached out to President Donald Trump.
Schumer said that they and urged him to sit down for a negotiation to resolve the health care crisis.
He said that they earlier met with Trump at the White House a day before the shutdown started but emerged without an agreement.
The Republicans, on the other hand, believe that Trump is ready to talk only after Democrats agree to reopen the government.
House Speaker, Mike Johnson, said that Trump was only willing to meet with top congressional Democrats after the government reopens,
Under the Antideficiency Act, federal agencies are legally prohibited from spending or obligating money without an appropriation law from Congress.
When funding lapses, agencies will cease all non-essential functions.
The present U.S. Federal Government shutdown that began on Oct. 1 as a result of a partisan impasse in Congress over budget legislation for the 2026 fiscal year.
It is driven by deep political disagreements over major policy programmes, like health Insurance Subsidies.
Democrats are demanding an extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits.
These credits, which help millions of Americans afford health insurance, are set to expire at the end of 2025.
Democrats insist that any short-term funding bill must include this extension.
The current Republican leadership generally opposes including this long-term policy measure in a temporary funding bill.
They argue that the extension of these subsidies should be debated as a separate issue later in the year.
Brent Gardner, Chief Government Affairs Officer at Americans for Prosperity, an NGO, said the shutdown was entirely avoidable.
‘Republicans put forward a reasonable plan to fund the government and protect taxpayers; Democrats chose partisanship over practical governance.
‘Americans deserve better than this kind of dysfunction,’ he said.
Isabelle Morales, Federal Affairs Manager at ‘Americans for Tax Reform’, said that the Republicans in Congress had already done their job by voting for a clean Continuing Resolution (CR) resolution.
‘This unserious laundry list of progressive demands proves that democrats are responsible for this government shutdown.
‘This is not a negotiation over policy; it is an act of political cowardice,’ she said.
Samantha Worrell, an American citizen, said that the Republicans were to blame.
According to Worrell, they have control of the House, the Senate, and the presidency, and they know the Democrats are not going to vote for something that will hurt people, especially health care-wise.
Another American, Julia Hamilton, put the blame on President Donald Trump.
‘He is all talk, and he does not really know what he is doing, and he has not done a lot of helpful things for us,’ she said.
Monsurat Adeniyi, a Nigerian based in America, said that the policies of Trump and his Republican party were insensitive to ordinary Americans.
Adeniyi said that such insensitivity led to the present shutdown in the country, adding that the position of the Democrats in the Congress was in the interest of the American citizens.
Margret Spelling, President of the Bipartisan Policy Center, said that the shutdown had taken priority over governing responsibly, leaving millions of Americans to bear the consequences.
‘This shutdown is a failure by those elected to serve hardworking families, taxpayers, and businesses.
‘As long as this shutdown continues, lawmakers and their constituents alike will feel the impacts of lost wages and economic opportunity in their communities.
‘The Small Business Administration will stop approving new small business loans; food safety efforts will deteriorate, and pregnant mothers will go hungrier.’
She urged members of Congress from both parties and the executive branch to come together immediately to end the shutdown.
Spelling advised the government to provide transparency into all agency contingency planning, and commit to reforms that stop this cycle from repeating.
‘The stakes are too high for political brinksmanship; Americans deserve stability, accountability, and bipartisan leadership focused on the nation’s long-term fiscal and economic health,’ she said.
According to Romina Boccia, Director of Budget and Entitlement Policy at GATO Institute, an American think tank, Americans should disregard the shutdown and be more focused on what happens when it is over.
‘The shutdown fight may grab media attention, but the real crisis is what is happening when the government is open for business.
‘Let us be clear; a shutdown does not mean the government disappears, Social Security checks still go out, troops stay on duty; it is mostly parks and federal offices that close.
‘Once a shutdown ends, federal employees receive back pay.
‘In other words, there are no taxpayer savings, just a costly pause in orderly government operations,’ she said.
In addition, Adeniyi said that the logjam in the American Congress was a far departure from what was obtainable in a country like Nigeria, where every decision from the executive was almost always endorsed by the legislature without question.
As the Americans look up to their lawmakers to resolve the shutdown, stakeholders are calling on countries in Africa, especially Nigeria, to take a cue from the American congress and effect independence of all arms of government.(NANFeatures)