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Newly installed Speaker of the House Mike Johnson just managed to avert a government shutdown. Democrats helped pass a spending bill that will keep federal funds flowing until after the holidays.
However, the real structural problems within the federal government have not been addressed, which means it is only a matter of time before another funding battle begins.
So, let’s talk a little more about government shutdowns. What happens? Who gets affected? What happens if a shutdown occurs close to an election?
A brief history of government shutdowns
The federal government shut down twice during Clinton’s presidency, once for six days in November 1995, and then a second time for 21 days between December 1995 and January 1996. Clinton was trying to pass funding for various healthcare and environmental projects. The Republican Congress, led by Newt Gingrich, would not agree.
Then, in 2013, the government shut down under Obama. Congress refused to approve funding for the newly approved Affordable Care Act, and the government began a partial shutdown on October 1, 2013. About 800,000 federal workers went without pay, and over a million other workers had their paychecks delayed. Obama signed an agreement to make some minor tweaks to ObamaCare shortly after midnight on October 17, ending the shutdown.
