【By Observer Net, Zhang Jingjuan】At 0:00 local time on October 1, the U.S. federal government fell into a shutdown stalemate for the first time in seven years. This political crisis, triggered by the breakdown of budget negotiations between the two parties in Congress, has forced hundreds of thousands of federal employees to take unpaid leave. However, during this "shutdown storm," the Trump administration has drawn a "exemption line."

According to the "Politico" website, most personnel from DOGE and the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will continue to work.

According to an emergency plan released on October 2, one-third of the White House staff will be sent home. The plan dated September 30 shows that among the 1733 staff members in the President's Executive Office, 554 will be furloughed and 1179 will continue working.

The report states that the retained White House staff are considered an "exception group," because they perform emergency functions, are appointed by the president, confirmed by the Senate, or are exempt from furloughs under federal law.

The document shows that 119 people have been included in the "exception group," unaffected by the shutdown, including all 45 members of DOGE and 49 OMB staff. The White House's reason for exemption is that "their salaries come from other channels outside annual appropriations."

On October 1, 2025, local time, the U.S. federal government shut down due to exhausted funding. This was the first government shutdown since 2019. Affected by the government shutdown, many tourist attractions in Washington closed. This photo shows a sign outside the Capitol Visitor Center reading "Closed Due to Lack of Funding." IC photo

The report said that the detailed data on furloughs further highlights the disparity in treatment among different agencies.

Under the leadership of Russ Vought, the main architect of the "Project 2025," the OMB will retain 437 out of its 530 employees. Vought played a significant role in the current administration's response to the shutdown.

The Executive Office, which oversees most internal operations of the White House, will retain 177 employees and furlough 91. The Office of the United States Trade Representative will retain more than 200 staff members, reflecting trade negotiations as a priority for President Trump.

DOGE, which has attracted attention due to the large-scale reduction of federal staff, is one of the few departments not affected by the government shutdown. In contrast, some smaller offices, such as the White House National Drug Policy Office, will have 48 out of its 56 employees take unpaid leave.

The White House emphasized in the plan that Trump and Vice President Vance will continue to receive support to fulfill presidential core functions, including national security and foreign policy. Designated essential personnel will also support cybersecurity operations, pandemic monitoring, and the allocation of statutory expenditures under laws such as the Inflation Reduction Act.

Looking back at the history of U.S. government shutdowns, this crisis is not accidental. Since the 1970s, similar shutdowns have occurred multiple times.

The most recent and longest government shutdown in U.S. history occurred at the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019 during Trump's first term, resulting in a 35-day government closure. According to estimates by the Congressional Budget Office, this "shutdown" cost the U.S. economy about $3 billion in GDP.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7556868656295150123/

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