The US government began shutting down Wednesday after lawmakers and President Donald Trump failed to break a budget impasse during acrimonious talks that hinged on Democratic demands for health care funding. And they're Democrats, they're going to be Democrats," Trump told reporters, adding a "lot of good can come down from shutdowns." Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X after the shutdown began to ask "How long will Chuck Schumer let this pain go on -- for his own selfish reasons?" Veterans lose health care and suicide prevention programs. The federal government has shuttered 21 times since 1976, when Congress enacted the modern-day budget process.