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Government shutdowns in the United States

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Letter from President Obama to US Government employees affected by the shutdown in 2013

In U.S. politics, a government shutdown is a situation in which Congress fails to pass authorization for sufficient funds for government operations. Typically, the government stops providing all but "essential" services at first, but since Congress must authorize all expenditures, there is no law protecting any government service from stoppage. Federal services that may continue for a time after a shutdown include the National Weather Service and its parent agencies, medical services at federal facilities, armed forces, air traffic management, and corrections (the penal system).

During the Ford and Carter administrations, there were 6 partial government shutdowns that affected only the departments of Labor and Health, Education, and Welfare. These partial shutdowns lasted from 8 to 18 days and the primary issue of dispute was federal funding for abortion. During the Reagan administration, there were 8 full government shutdowns that lasted only 1 to 3 days each, primarily over the issue of the United States budget deficit. There was a similar 4-day shutdown during the first Bush administration.

During the Clinton administration, after conservatives made massive congressional gains in the 1994 Republican Revolution, there were two full government shutdowns lasting 5 and 21 days each, the second of which was by far the longest of its kind to that date. The primary issue was again the United States budget deficit.

The United States federal government shutdown of 2013 is ongoing, having begun on 1 October 2013. The primary issue of dispute between the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Democrat-controlled Senate (the latter supported by President Obama) is the Republicans' desire to oppose the Affordable Care Act, signed into law in 2010.

Mechanism of a shutdown

Under the separation of powers created by the United States Constitution, both the Senate and House of Representatives must approve an agreed budget, which then goes to the President of the United States for signature. If the President vetoes the budget, it goes back to Congress, where the veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote. Government shutdowns tend to occur when the President and one or both of the chambers of Congress are unable to resolve disagreements over budget allocations before the existing budget cycle ends. [1]

Shutdowns of the type experienced by the United States are nearly impossible in other democracies. Under the parliamentary system used in most European nations, the executive and legislative branch are not separate, with the parliament designating all executive officials, typically called "ministers". In non-parliamentary democracies, a strong executive branch typically has the authority to keep the government functioning even without an approved budget. This was the case in the United States up until 1980, when the administration of Jimmy Carter interpreted the 1884 Antideficiency Act to limit the power of federal agencies in the lack of congressional approval.[2]

Effects

A federal government shutdown causes a large number of civilian federal employees to be furloughed. Active duty military personnel (those on Title 10 status) and "essential" employees are not furloughed, but may not be paid as scheduled[3][4] if at all for the period of the furlough.

The exact details of which government functions would stop during a shutdown is determined by the Office of Management and Budget.[5] However, some specific aspects have applied to all shutdowns in the past. Among these is the closure of national parks and passport offices.[6] "Emergency personnel" continue to be employed, including the active duty (Title 10) military, federal law enforcement agents, doctors and nurses working in federal hospitals, and air traffic controllers.[5] For the Department of Defense, at least half of the civilian workforce, and the full-time, dual-status military technicians in the National Guard and traditional Guardsmen (those on Title 32 status) are furloughed and not paid while the shutdown is in effect. Members of Congress continue to be paid, because their pay cannot be altered except by direct law.[7] Mail delivery is not affected as it is self-funded and the funds are not appropriated by Congress.[8]

Shutdowns in the past have also affected the Washington, D.C., municipal government, closing schools and suspending utilities such as garbage collection.[9]

List of U.S. government shutdowns

Federal government

Starting in 1976, the United States Federal Government has shut down on 18 occasions:[10][11][12]

Year Start date (exclu­sive) End date (exclu­sive) Total days President Senate House Circumstances
1976 Sep 30 Oct 11 10 Ford Dem Dem Citing out of control spending, President Gerald Ford vetoed a funding bill for the United States Department of Labor and the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), leading to a partial government shutdown. On October 1, the Democratically-controlled Congress overrode Ford's veto but it took until October 11 for a continuing resolution ending funding gaps for other parts of government to become law.
1977 Sep 30 Oct 13 12 Carter Dem Dem The Democratically-controlled House continued to uphold the ban on using Medicaid dollars to pay for abortions, except in cases where the life of the mother was at stake. Meanwhile, the Democratic-controlled Senate pressed to loosen the ban to allow abortion funding in the case of rape or incest. A funding gap was created when disagreement over the issue between the houses had become tied to funding for the Departments of Labor and HEW, leading to a partial government shutdown. A temporary agreement was made to restore funding through October 31, 1977, allowing more time for Congress to resolve its dispute.
1977 Oct 31 Nov 9 8 Carter Dem Dem The earlier temporary funding agreement expired. President Jimmy Carter signed a second funding agreement to allow for more time for negotiation.
1977 Nov 30 Dec 9 8 Carter Dem Dem The second temporary funding agreement expired. The House held firm against the Senate in its effort to ban Medicaid paying for the abortions of victims of statutory rape. A deal was eventually struck which allowed Medicaid to pay for abortions in cases resulting from rape, incest, or in which the mother's health is at risk.
1978 Sep 30 Oct 18 18 Carter Dem Dem Deeming them wasteful, President Carter vetoed a public works appropriations bill and a defense bill including funding for a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Spending for the Department of HEW was also delayed over additional disputes concerning Medicaid funding for abortion.
1979 Sep 30 Oct 12 11 Carter Dem Dem Against the opposition of the Senate, the House pushed for a 5.5 percent pay increase for congress members and senior civil servants. The House also sought to restrict federal spending on abortion only to cases where the mother's life is in danger, while the Senate wanted to maintain funding for abortions in cases of rape and incest.
1981 Nov 20 Nov 23 2 Reagan Rep Dem President Ronald Reagan pledged that he would veto any spending bill that failed to include at least half of the $8.4 billion in domestic budget cuts that he proposed. Although the Republican controlled Senate passed a bill that met his specifications, the Democratically controlled House insisted on larger cuts to defense than Reagan wanted as well as pay raises for congress and senior civil servants. A compromise bill fell $2 billion short of the cuts Reagan wanted, so Reagan vetoed the bill and shut down the federal government. A temporary bill restored spending through 15 December and gave Congress the time to work out a more lasting deal.
1982 Sep 30 Oct 2 1 Reagan Rep Dem Congress passed the required spending bills a day late.
1982 Dec 17 Dec 21 3 Reagan Rep Dem The House and Senate wished to fund job programs, but President Reagan vowed to veto any such legislation. The House also opposed plans to fund the MX missile. The shutdown ended after Congress abandoned their jobs plan, but Reagan was forced to yield on funding for both the MX and Pershing II missiles. He also accepted funding for the Legal Services Corporation, which he wanted abolished, in exchange for higher foreign aid to Israel.
1983 Nov 10 Nov 14 3 Reagan Rep Dem The House increased education funding but cut defense and foreign aid spending, which led to a dispute with President Reagan. Eventually, the House reduced their proposed education funding, and also accepted funding for the MX missile. However, the foreign aid and defense cuts remained, and oil and gas leasing was banned in federal wildlife refuges. Abortion was also prohibited from being paid for with government employee health insurance.
1984 Sep 30 Oct 3 2 Reagan Rep Dem The House wished to link the budget to both a crime-fighting package President Reagan supported and a water projects package he did not. The Senate additionally tied the budget to a civil rights measure designed to overturn Grove City v. Bell. Reagan proposed a compromise where he abandoned his crime package in exchange for Congress dropping the water projects package. A deal was not struck, and a three-day spending extension was passed instead.
1984 Oct 3 Oct 5 1 Reagan Rep Dem The 3 October spending extension expired, forcing a shutdown. Congress dropped their proposed water and civil rights packages, while President Reagan kept his crime package. Funding for aid to the Nicaraguan Contras was also passed.
1986 Oct 16 Oct 18 1 Reagan Rep Dem Disputes over multiple issues between the House and President Reagan and the Republican Senate forced a shutdown. The House dropped many of their demands in exchange for a vote on their welfare package, and a concession of the sale of then-government-owned Conrail.
1987 Dec 18 Dec 20 1 Reagan Dem Dem The House and Senate opposed funding for the Contras and wanted the Federal Communications Commission to renew enforcement of the "Fairness Doctrine". They yielded on the "Fairness Doctrine" issue in exchange for non-lethal aid to the Contras.
1990 Oct 5 Oct 9 4 G.H.W. Bush Dem Dem President George H.W. Bush vowed to veto any continuing resolution that was not paired with a deficit reduction package, and did so when one reached his desk. The House failed to override his veto before a shutdown occurred. Congress then passed a continuing resolution with a deficit reduction package to end the shutdown.
1995 Nov 13 Nov 19 5 Clinton Rep Rep President Bill Clinton vetoed a continuing resolution passed by the Republican-controlled Congress. A deal was reached allowing for 75-percent funding for four weeks, and Clinton agreed to a seven-year timetable for a balanced budget.
1995-1996 Dec 15 Jan 6 21 Clinton Rep Rep The Republicans demanded that President Clinton propose a budget with the seven-year timetable using Congressional Budget Office numbers, rather than Clinton's Office of Management and Budget numbers. However, Clinton refused. Eventually, Congress and Clinton agreed to pass a compromise budget.
2013 Sep 30 Ongoing 10 years, 8 months and 22 days Obama Dem Rep Due to disagreement regarding inclusion of language defunding or delaying the Affordable Care Act,[13] the Government has not passed a funding bill. Negotiations have come to a stop and the shutdown is in progress.

Local governments

See also

U.S.

References

  1. ^ "US Shutdown". The Guardian.
  2. ^ Zurcher, Anthony (September 30, 2013). "US shutdown has other nations confused and concerned". BBC. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  3. ^ Shutdown: 800,000 federal workers in the dark – 2011 Cable News Network
  4. ^ "Government Prepares for Shutdown". The Wall Street Journal'.
  5. ^ a b O'Keefe, Ed (April 2, 2011). "Government shutdown: Frequently asked questions". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ Belopotosky, Danielle (April 8, 2011). "What a Government Shutdown Means for Travelers". The New York Times.
  7. ^ Shear, Michael (April 7, 2011). "Will Members of Congress Get Paid in a Shutdown?". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Kolawole, Emi (April 8, 2011). "Government shutdown 2011: Will I get paid? What will be open? What can I expect?". The Washington Post.
  9. ^ Jouvenal, Justin (April 8, 2011). "Government shutdown could prove smelly for D.C." The Washington Post.
  10. ^ "A Brief History Of Federal Government Shutdowns". Outside The Beltway. April 8, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  11. ^ Matthews, Dylan (September 25, 2013). "Wonkblog: Here is every previous government shutdown, why they happened and how they ended". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  12. ^ Shutdown #18 Since the Modern Budget Process Was Established in 1974
  13. ^ Curry, Tom (September 29, 2013). "Chances of averting government shutdown appear slim". NBC News. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  14. ^ "Budget Mess Hits Cultural Groups,". The Buffalo News. February 7, 2005.
  15. ^ "County Leaders Brace for Closings". The Buffalo News. February 21, 2005.
  16. ^ "Services Shut Down as County Fails to Pay Up". The Buffalo News. July 3, 2005.
  17. ^ "Minnesota Experiences Unprecedented Government Shutdown Due to a Budget Deadlock". 6 (14 – OMB Watch). July 11, 2005. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  18. ^ "Pa. State Agencies Back in Operation After Budget Deal Struck".
  19. ^ "Central PA Local News –". Pennlive.com. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  20. ^ "Time's up: chances of a budget deal slipped away". Star Tribune. June 30, 2011.

External links

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