For the third time under a mandate by President Donald Trump, the American federal state is paralyzed by the lack of vote of the budget law. Since October 1, public institutions, especially cultural, have been forced to close their doors until the end of the “Shutdown”. The majority of monuments, libraries and federal museums are closed; Only private institutions remain open. No recovery date has yet been announced.
This blockage comes when the congress cannot adopt the finance law on time for the start of its annual financial year, on October 1. Federal agencies are then found without budget or credits, resulting in the suspension of services deemed not essential, including culture. These judgments result in forced leave and temporary closures of public sites. The longest shutdown had lasted 35 days between 2018 and 2019, due to a disagreement concerning the funding of the wall on the Mexican border. This year, discussions relate to several key aspects of the finance law (October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026).
In the cultural field, many institutions are affected: the National Park Service (NPS), the National Gallery of Art (NGA), the Smithsonian, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Almost two thirds of the employees are stopped; Only security personnel remain in office. Already in 2013, the 368 national museums and parks had been closed, including American military cemeteries located in France.
The National Park Service maintains access to certain outdoor spaces, but closes buildings, parking lots and sanitary facilities requiring staff. Several major sites such as the Gateway Arch, the Liberty Bell Center, the Independence Hall and the Benjamin Franklin Museum are closed within the National Historical Park Independence, while the White Sands National Park is completely inaccessible.
The National Gallery of Art suspended its activities on October 5, 2025. The Smithsonian can however maintain the opening of its 19 museums until October 11 thanks to budgetary reserves from the previous year. The National Archives (NARA) and their associated services are closed, with the exception of certain presidential libraries, such as those of George HW Bush and Lyndon B. Johnson.
The repercussions are important for employees as well as for the public. At the Imls, only one employee out of thirty continues to work, voluntarily. According to the 2018-2019 Shutdown figures, the losses are significant: the Smithsonian had recorded a million less visitors over 35 days, although it remained open up to ten days after the start of blocking. The National Gallery of Art had lost 300,000 visitors. These closures had been translated by losses estimated at three million euros for the Smithsonian and one million for the NGA. In 2013, the National Park Service had the loss of income linked to fifteen days of closure at 425 million euros.
Current paralysis also creates a domino effect on institutions dependent on federal subsidies, such as libraries and municipal museums, as well as on projects supported by NEA.
