Recording on telephone comment line says Democrats are prioritising immigration over ‘funding for our troops’

Members of the public phoning the White House during the US government shutdown are being played a recorded message blaming congressional Democrats for the fact that their call cannot be taken.

People calling the White House telephone comment line 202-456-1111 received the following recorded message:

Thank you for calling the White House. Unfortunately, we cannot answer your call today, because congressional Democrats are holding government funding, including funding for our troops and other national security priorities, hostage to an unrelated immigration debate. Due to this obstruction, the government is shut down. In the meantime, you can leave a comment for the president at www.whitehouse.gov/contact. We look forward to taking your calls as soon as the government reopens.

A US government shutdown is triggered when Congress fails to pass funding for government operations and agencies, but the effects exclude those that are deemed “essential”. Defence workers, the work of the Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI are usually included in that “essential” category, making the message’s reference to troops and national security even more controversial.

Quick guide All you need to know about a US government shutdown Show Hide What is a government shutdown? When the US Congress fails to pass appropriate funding for government operations and agencies, a shutdown is triggered. Most government services are frozen, barring those that are deemed “essential”, such as the work of the Department of Homeland Security and FBI. During this shutdown, around 25% of the government workforce is placed on unpaid furlough and told not to work. Workers deemed essential, such as active duty military personnel, are not furloughed. Why might the government shut down? The president and members of Congress are at an impasse over what should be included in a spending bill to keep the government open. How common is a shutdown? There have been more than a dozen government shutdowns in the US since 1981, although ranging in duration. The longest occurred under Bill Clinton, lasting a total of 21 days from December 1995 to January 1996, when the then House speaker, Newt Gingrich, demanded sharp cuts to government programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and welfare.

This shutdown is on course to be the longest in US history. What would be the cost of a shutdown? A government shutdown would cost the US roughly $6.5bn a week, according to a report by S&P Global analysts. “A disruption in government spending means no government paychecks to spend; lost business and revenue to private contractors; lost sales at retail shops, particularly those that circle now-closed national parks; and less tax revenue for Uncle Sam,” the report stated. “That means less economic activity and fewer jobs.” Hundreds of thousands of people are not receiving regular paychecks in this shutdown. In previous shutdowns, furloughed employees have been paid retrospectively – but those payments have often been delayed. Sabrina Siddiqui Photograph: Win McNamee/Getty Images North America

The line normally offers callers the choice of a few automated options, about visiting the White House on a tour or finding out the postal address, before giving the option to leave a message for the president. It is usually staffed by volunteers who can relay messages to the president, and was briefly closed towards the end of the Obama administration, but reopened in February 2017 after the Trump administration came to power.