Washington d.c.: The Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group were held from October 13 to October 18 at the offices of the Bretton Woods institutions on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C., U.S. The meetings attracted stakeholders from around the globe, including government fiscal and monetary managers, industry leaders, civil service organizations, and the media.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, there were significant disruptions for stakeholders and passengers arriving in the U.S. due to a government shutdown, which led to large crowds waiting to be cleared at Washington Dulles Airport. The shutdown, resulting from a budgetary impasse between the ruling Republican Party and the opposition Democratic Party over the 2026 budget, caused a reduction in government services but did not notably affect the annual meetings.
A government shutdown occurs when the U.S. Congress fails to pass funding legislation for federal agencies before the fiscal year ends on September 30. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer mentioned that he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had reached out to President Donald Trump for negotiations to resolve the health care crisis. However, meetings with Trump at the White House prior to the shutdown did not yield an agreement. The Republicans assert that Trump will negotiate only after Democrats agree to reopen the government, while House Speaker Mike Johnson stated Trump is willing to meet with top Democrats after the government reopens.
The shutdown began on October 1 due to disagreements over major policy programs such as health insurance subsidies. Democrats demand an extension of the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, set to expire at the end of 2025, while Republicans argue this extension should be debated separately.
Brent Gardner, Chief Government Affairs Officer at Americans for Prosperity, criticized Democrats for choosing partisanship over governance, while Isabelle Morales from Americans for Tax Reform blamed Democrats for the shutdown, calling it political cowardice. American citizens Samantha Worrell and Julia Hamilton criticized Republicans and President Trump, respectively, for their roles in the shutdown. Meanwhile, Nigerian-American Monsurat Adeniyi condemned the Republican Party’s policies as insensitive to ordinary Americans.
Margret Spelling, President of the Bipartisan Policy Center, emphasized the negative impacts of the shutdown on Americans, urging lawmakers and the executive branch to end the shutdown and prevent future occurrences. Romina Boccia from the GATO Institute advised Americans to focus on post-shutdown implications, noting that shutdowns do not result in taxpayer savings but rather disrupt government operations.
The situation highlights the challenges in the American political system and serves as a lesson for countries like Nigeria to ensure the independence of all arms of government.