The United States government shut down at 12:01 AM on October 1st. As of the time of writing, the shutdown continues. There was once a time when a government shutdown seemed like life-altering news, but now a notification that the government is shut down seems almost synonymous with a notification that it’s going to rain tomorrow. While it may seem common today, there was actually a stretch of 18 years from 1996 to 2013 where the government didn’t shut down once. Since 2013, the government has shut down 5 times, with the longest shutdown in history spanning 35 days in 2019, and costing the economy around $3 billion, according to Courier Journal. As we enter the latest pause in the government with no end in sight, here is a breakdown of why these shutdowns happen and what they actually mean for the government and you.
Why do government shutdowns happen?
As The Bipartisan Policy Center explains, the fiscal year for the federal government ends on September 30th. By October 1st, Congress must pass either a spending bill for the full upcoming fiscal year or a continuing resolution (CR) that will designate funds for a certain period of time. The Constitution Center reports that Congress has increasingly relied on continuing resolutions, only passing three full fiscal year spending bills in the past 48 years. There are two places in United States law that explain why failure to pass these spending bills leads to a shutdown. Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution states that “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law” (U.S. Const. art. I, § 8). If these appropriations are not set, then no money can be taken from the treasury, bringing government spending to a halt. The Antideficiency Act (31 U.S.C. §§ 1341-42, 1349-51, 1511-19) also relates to government shutdowns. The Act states that no government agency can spend money that is not specifically allocated by Congress for its budget. Additionally, agencies must spend all allocated funds in the designated way and meet all necessary conditions set by Congress for spending. These two pieces of legislation together explain why the government can not operate without a spending bill, as agencies are barred from spending when funds are not designated by Congress.
Why did this shutdown happen?
The current government shutdown is happening because Republicans are 60 votes shy of passing their proposed spending bill in the Senate. With 53 Republican senators, at least 7 Democrats must support the bill in order for it to pass. The Republican spending bill is a continuing resolution that will allot funding until November 21. According to PBS, the bill contains tax cuts, cuts to Medicaid spending, increased funding for drilling and mining, cuts to student loans, changes to student loan repayment plans, and funding cuts for the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps). Democrats have proposed an alternative bill that will fund the government until October 31st. The Hill writes that their proposed budget will permanently extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that will otherwise expire at the end of the year and undo cuts to Medicaid. Neither plan has racked up the 60 votes necessary to pass the Senate, as senators continue to vote along partisan lines. For Democrats, this is one area where they can assert themselves despite the Republican majority currently held in both chambers of Congress. Republicans, however, seem content to wait as long as it takes to achieve their victory. As reported by the BBC, President Trump has expressed that a long government shutdown will be helpful in identifying non-essential workers to be permanently fired from government positions, furthering his goal to cut down on federal employees. Despite this almost positive rhetoric around the shutdown, the Trump administration is placing full blame on Democrats for the halt. When visiting government sites such as cdc.gov, users are shown a message explaining, “The Trump Administration is working to reopen the government for the American people. Mission-critical activities of the CDC will continue during the Democrat-led government shutdown.” The White House comment line, which is also currently closed, plays a recording of Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying, “Democrats in Congress have shut down the federal government because they care more about funding health care for illegal immigrants than they care about serving you, the American people.”
What will happen during the shutdown?
During a government shutdown, all agencies of the government deemed “non-essential” are put on temporary unpaid leave, also called furlough. However, the BBC reports that President Trump has indicated that some employees may be permanently fired rather than put on furlough, furthering the message of Elon Musk’s short-lived Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In addition to mass firings, the shutdown also means that food assistance programs, federally-funded schools and museums, and national monuments and parks may close or have extremely limited staff. During the last government shutdown, multiple national parks were vandalized due to extremely limited staffing. Some programs, such as SNAP or food stamps, will be allowed to continue operation until funds run out, while agencies like the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) will remain open but put a significant number of employees on furlough, halting ongoing research. Agencies of the government deemed essential, such as law enforcement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), medical workers, Transportation Safety Administration (TSA), and air traffic control, will all continue operation. However, these employees will be unpaid until the shutdown is resolved. This could result in significant decreases in efficiency at these agencies, especially airports, as more and more employees begin to call in sick while receiving no pay. Healthcare, and programs like Medicare and Medicaid, may also experience significant delays, as well as passport processing. The BBC estimates that for each week of the shutdown, economic growth will drop by 0.1 to 0.2 percentage points.
How will the government shutdown affect Americans?
The hardest hit group during the shutdown will be federal employees. According to the BBC, on day one of the shutdown, 334,904 employees from the Department of Defense, 32,460 employees from the Department of Health and Human Services, 34,711 employees from the Department of Commerce, 16,651 employees from the Department of State, and 15,094 employees from NASA have already been furloughed. That’s 433,820 employees from only 5 departments who will now have no income to provide for themselves and their families. Members of Congress and the President, however, will continue to receive income.
As we enter into a new week with no end to the shutdown in sight, Democrats and Republicans may be forced to reach a compromise while millions of employees remain waiting for work and pay to resume.