Explainer: What a US government shutdown means and why they happen
Essential services, such as law enforcement, air traffic control, and emergency medical care, continue, while many federal employees are furloughed
US government shutdown occurs when federal funding lapses, forcing a full or partial halt of government operations.
These interruptions happen when Congress fails to pass the necessary appropriations bills to finance the government for the upcoming fiscal year, leaving agencies without legal authority to spend.
HOW SHUTDOWNS WORK
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The basis for a shutdown stems from the 1884 Antideficiency Act, which since a 1980 interpretation requires the federal government to suspend non-essential operations during a funding gap.
Essential services, such as law enforcement, air traffic control, and emergency medical care, continue, while many federal employees are furloughed.
Shutdowns typically arise from political standoffs over budget priorities. Congress must pass 12 separate appropriations bills each fiscal year to fund the government. When disagreements arise – for example, over immigration policy, healthcare, or infrastructure projects – lawmakers can fail to approve these bills.
To prevent a shutdown when a full budget is not ready, Congress may pass a short-term measure known as a "continuing resolution" (CR).
This temporarily extends funding, giving lawmakers more time to negotiate. If agreement on a CR cannot be reached, a shutdown becomes inevitable. In the Senate, most funding bills require 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, making bipartisan agreement crucial.
SHUTDOWNS IN THE PAST DECADE
Two major federal shutdowns have occurred in the past ten years:
January 2018 Shutdown (3 days): A dispute over immigration policy triggered this brief closure. Democratic senators demanded protections for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and other immigrants under the DREAM Act. Republicans initially resisted including DACA in the funding bill.
The resulting Senate filibuster blocked a continuing resolution, prompting a short shutdown. The impasse ended after Democrats agreed to support a four-week stopgap funding measure in exchange for renewed DACA negotiations.
December 2018–January 2019 Shutdown (35 days): The longest in US history, this shutdown centered on President Donald Trump's demand for $5.7 billion to build a US–Mexico border wall. Democrats, who gained control of the House in January 2019, opposed the funding.
The standoff led to a record-breaking closure, halting numerous government services and furloughing hundreds of thousands of workers. Flight delays and other safety concerns increased pressure to resolve the impasse.
A temporary three-week funding bill ultimately reopened the government without wall funding, allowing negotiations to continue. The shutdown cost an estimated $5 billion, including $3 billion in back pay for furloughed workers and $2 billion in lost tax revenue.
WHY THEY MATTER
Beyond disrupting government services and furloughing workers, shutdowns carry economic and social consequences. They can delay federal payments, slow public projects, and shake public confidence in government stability.
While relatively rare, shutdowns reflect deep political divisions and the challenges of reaching bipartisan agreement on national priorities.
