TL/DR –
US stock futures are pulling back amid fears of a US government shutdown from Wednesday, with the Dow Jones futures slipping 0.1% and S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures falling 0.2%. The Senate has struck down both a Democratic and Republican bill to keep the government funded, leading to contingency plans for a shutdown and the possibility of numerous workers being sent home. Among the agencies set to be affected is the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which releases key economic data, and which will cease operations and go from a workforce of 2,055 to just one full-time employee in the event of a shutdown.
US Stock Futures Decline as Government Shutdown Looms
As the US government heads towards a shutdown beginning Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. ET, US stock futures see a decrease. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) [Link](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/YM%3DF/) slipped 0.1%. Similarly, futures attached to the S&P 500 (ES=F) [Link](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/ES%3DF/) and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) [Link](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/NQ%3DF/) fell by 0.2%.
Tuesday evening, the Senate rejected [Link](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/09/30/congress/senate-rejects-democratic-cr-00589041) both a Democratic and a Republican bill to keep the government funded, making a government shutdown almost certain. The first in nearly seven years, the anticipated shutdown could result in federal agencies implementing contingency plans and potential layoffs, amid threats from President Trump [Link](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/i-think-were-headed-to-a-shutdown-what-a-government-stoppage-could-look-like-214653429.html).
The impending shutdown could freeze operations at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which releases crucial economic data for Federal Reserve policy decisions. Notably, the expected September jobs report may be delayed as the BLS plans to scale down operations significantly during the shutdown.
Despite Washington’s gridlock, stocks managed to close their best third quarter since 2020. Investors balanced fresh tariffs [Link](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/live/trump-tariffs-live-updates-trump-unveils-tariffs-on-timber-lumber-furniture-pfizer-set-for-reprieve-175804808.html) from the Trump administration and upbeat earnings [Link](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nike-earnings-sales-top-wall-street-forecasts-as-company-expects-a-15-billion-tariff-headwind-165504392.html) from Nike (NKE) [Link](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/NKE).
With a government funding lapse looming, investors’ focus is likely to shift from data on ADP private payrolls and earnings from Levi Strauss (LEVI) [Link](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/LEVI) due to be released on Wednesday.
Stay tuned for our stock market coverage for Wednesday, October 1, 2025.
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