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A government shutdown last week would've been the 13th in all U.S. government shutdown history.
It was narrowly avoided when a stopgap measure passed through Congress just hours before the Sept. 30 midnight deadline.
But this was only a temporary solution – the shutdown still looms…
You see, the stopgap legislation finances the government through Dec. 11. That provides extra time to negotiate a more wide-ranging budget deal that would carry past the 2016 presidential election. Largely at issue is a fight over federal funding for nonprofit Planned Parenthood due to its practice of supplying aborted fetus tissue for scientific research.
Now Congress and U.S. President Barack Obama have 65 days to reach a resolution – otherwise, a government shutdown will happen right as we enter into the holiday season.
"The American people deserve far better than last-minute, short-term legislating," Obama administration spokesman Josh Earnest said in pressing for a broader, longer-lasting budget deal.
"It is to my great dismay that we are at this point again, requiring a temporary Band-Aid to buy us time to do our duty," chairman of the Appropriations Committee Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) said.
Funding gaps like this didn't used to lead to government shutdowns. But in 1980, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter requested opinions from then-Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti on the Antideficiency Act as it pertains to a funding gap.
Civiletti stated that all government work must stop if Congress does not agree to pay for it – and that's where these shutdowns all began. (He later issued a second opinion that said "essential" government services could continue even in the absence of a spending bill.)
Since 1980, there have been 12 government shutdowns.
Here's a look at U.S. government shutdown history…
List of U.S. Government Shutdown History
**Data sourced and modified from Wikipedia.org
| Red denotes Republican Party |
| Blue denotes Democratic Party |
|
Year |
Dates |
President |
Senate |
House |
Details |
|
1981 |
Nov. 20 – 23 |
Reagan |
Rep |
Dem |
Former President Ronald Reagan pledged to 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 Democrat-controlled House insisted on larger cuts to defense, as well as pay raises for Congress and senior civil servants. A temporary bill restored spending through Dec. 15 and gave Congress time to work out a deal. |
|
1982 |
Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 |
Reagan |
Rep |
Dem |
Congress passed the required spending bills a day late. |
|
1982 |
Dec. 17 – 21 |
Reagan |
Rep |
Dem |
Congress wished to fund job programs, but Reagan vowed to veto. 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. |
|
1983 |
Nov. 10 – 14 |
Reagan |
Rep |
Dem |
The House increased education funding but cut defense and foreign aid spending, which led to a dispute with 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 funding via government employee health insurance was also prohibited. |
|
1984 |
Sept. 30 – Oct. 3 |
Reagan |
Rep |
Dem |
The House wanted to link the budget to both a crime-fighting package 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 – 5 |
Reagan |
Rep |
Dem |
The Oct. 3 spending extension expired, forcing a shutdown. Congress dropped its proposed water and civil rights packages, while Reagan kept his crime package. Funding for aid to the Nicaraguan Contras was also passed. |
|
1986 |
Oct. 16 – 18 |
Reagan |
Rep |
Dem |
Disputes over multiple issues 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 – 20 |
Reagan |
Dem |
Dem |
The House and Senate opposed funding for the Contras and wanted the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 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 – 9 |
G. H.W. Bush |
Dem |
Dem |
Former 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 passed a continuing resolution with a deficit reduction package to end the shutdown. |
|
1995 |
Nov. 13 – 19 |
Clinton |
Rep |
Rep |
Former President Bill Clinton vetoed a continuing resolution passed by Congress. A deal was reached allowing for 75% funding for four weeks, and Clinton agreed to a seven-year timetable for a balanced budget. |
|
1995-1996 |
Dec. 15 – Jan. 6 |
Clinton |
Rep |
Rep |
The Republicans demanded that President Clinton propose a budget with the seven-year timetable using Congressional Budget Office (CBO) numbers, rather than Clinton's Office of Management and Budget numbers. Clinton refused. Eventually, the parties passed a compromise budget. |
|
2013 |
Sept. 30 – Oct. 17 |
Obama |
Dem |
Rep |
Due to language defunding or delaying the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare), the government failed to pass a substantial funding bill. Funding for active military pay and back wages for furloughed workers was agreed to, but the Senate and White House rejected the House’s small funding measures. Meanwhile, the House rejected the Senate’s measures that didn’t delay/defund Obamacare. On Oct. 16, Senate Democrats and Republicans agreed to a deal that extended funding for government services until Jan. 15, making only minor adjustments to the ACA and other funding. This resolution was quickly adopted by both houses in bipartisan numbers and was signed early next morning by President Obama. |
**Data from Wikipedia.org
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Playing Chicken with the $18 Trillion U.S. Economy: The full cost of the last government shutdown two years ago was staggering – it delivered a $24 billion blow to the U.S. economy and taxpayers. Now we may be about to repeat government shutdown history on Dec. 11. "The way I see it, wingnuts on both sides of the aisle are playing chicken with an $18 trillion economy and world markets once again," Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald said. Here are a few costs of a government shutdown in 2015 we can anticipate…
Related Articles:
- Wikipedia.org: List of U.S. Government Funding Gaps