Taipei: The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) announced on Wednesday that it would temporarily halt updates to its Facebook page due to a funding lapse caused by the ongoing U.S. government shutdown.
According to Focus Taiwan, AIT stated on its Facebook page that, due to the appropriations lapse, its account would not receive regular updates until full operations resumed, except for urgent safety or security information. Despite the shutdown, scheduled passport and visa services in the United States, at the American Institute in Taiwan (Taipei and Kaohsiung), and at U.S. Embassies and Consulates overseas are expected to continue as the situation allows.
The U.S. federal government shutdown commenced at 12 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday after Congress failed to agree on a spending deal. This is the first shutdown since 2018 and is expected to disrupt some government services and programs, with non-essential workers facing unpaid leave, as reported by U.S. media outlets.
AIT serves as a representative of U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic relations.