Government Shutdown

Each year, Congress passes 12 appropriations bills to fund the government, sometimes combined into a single bill called an “omnibus” or a few bills called “minibuses.” When these bills are enacted, programs covered by them receive their full-year funding, and the government is said to have passed a budget. However, if these bills are not passed and there is no continuing resolution (CR) in place to temporarily fund the government, then portions of the government that have not been funded by law must shut down.

The federal government funds thousands of activities across 900 budget accounts annually—programs that make the country run. A government shutdown halts many of these essential services that people rely on and puts hundreds more at risk.

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Military Service Members and U.S. National Security Will Pay the Price for Trump’s Manufactured Emergency Article
President Donald Trump delivers remarks in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., February 15, 2019. (Getty/Brendan Smialowski/AFP)

Military Service Members and U.S. National Security Will Pay the Price for Trump’s Manufactured Emergency

In an unconstitutional exercise of emergency authority, President Trump has threatened to divert billions of dollars away from military projects to fund an unnecessary border wall that serves few interests but his own political agenda.

Saharra Griffin

The State of the Trump Economy Article
Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to guests during an event in Warren, Michigan, on March 4, 2016. (Getty/Scott Olson)

The State of the Trump Economy

In his State of the Union address, President Trump will try to take credit for a growing economy; in reality, he has done everything he can to direct those gains to the wealthy few.

Lily Roberts, Andy Green

Trump’s Shutdown Threatened the American Dream, Especially for People of Color Article
Even after the end of the government shutdown, federal employees continue to line up outside the World Central Kitchen for free food and coffee, January 28, 2019, in Washington, D.C. (Getty/Chip Somodevilla)

Trump’s Shutdown Threatened the American Dream, Especially for People of Color

More than 228,000 people of color were furloughed or forced to work without pay because of the president’s decision to shut down the government in an effort to gain funding for a border wall.

Connor Maxwell

The State of the U.S. Labor Market: Pre-January 2019 Jobs Release Article
A Transportation Security Administration agent works at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago during the partial government shutdown on January 7, 2019. (Getty/Scott Olson)

The State of the U.S. Labor Market: Pre-January 2019 Jobs Release

Policymakers and economists need to center populations who face high labor market barriers when evaluating the health of the labor market.

Daniella Zessoules, Galen Hendricks, Michael Madowitz, 1 More Olugbenga Ajilore

5 Ways the Trump Shutdown Is Harming Struggling Workers, Families, and Communities Article
President Donald Trump answers questions from the press as he departs the White House, January 2019. (Getty/Win McNamee)

5 Ways the Trump Shutdown Is Harming Struggling Workers, Families, and Communities

President Donald Trump’s shutdown is more than a debate around a wall: It is about the low-income, disabled, and indigenous peoples at and within our borders whose lives and economic security he is willfully endangering for political gain.

Donovan Hicks, Heidi Schultheis, Rejane Frederick, 2 More Azza Altiraifi, Rachel West

Fact Sheets: How the Trump Shutdown Harms States Article
Due to President Trump's shutdown of the government, this national park facility is closed in Philadelphia, January 8, 2019. (Getty/Mark Makela)

Fact Sheets: How the Trump Shutdown Harms States

Across the country, President Trump's shutdown has had damaging effects on vital programs and services. As he continues to hold portions of the government hostage, Trump has left hundreds of thousands of workers in financial limbo.

Saharra Griffin

Immigration Priorities in the 116th Congress Article
The U.S. Capitol dome stands under a cloudy sky, January 2019. (Getty/Chip Somodevilla)

Immigration Priorities in the 116th Congress

Democratic control of the House of Representatives provides an opportunity for much-needed oversight, passage of legislation to protect vulnerable individuals, and exploration of longer-term solutions.

Tom Jawetz

Big News in Old Data: Sharp Public Cuts Are Undermining the Recovery Article
Public spending and investment are critical to our nation's economic growth. (AP/Nati Harnik)

Big News in Old Data: Sharp Public Cuts Are Undermining the Recovery

The big news in today’s GDP report is the public sector’s rapidly shrinking economic contribution, which is driving not only trend U.S. economic growth lower but also our potential for future growth.

Adam Hersh

October 2013 Report
The recent federal government shutdown negatively affected the economy this month. (Flickr/wizzer2801)

October 2013

Congress must move past its partisan pettiness and enact policies to help the American economy.

Christian E. Weller, Sam Ungar

Hating Government but Loving Its Programs Article
Tea Party Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks at a rally at the World War II Memorial in Washington, Sunday, October 13, 2013. (AP/Alex Brandon)

Hating Government but Loving Its Programs

The conservatives who engineered the government shutdown are complaining about the new lack of programs and services.

Sally Steenland

The Impact of the Government Shutdown on People of Color Article
Felicia Evans Long, a program analyst at the National Institutes of Health who is currently furloughed due to the partial federal government shutdown, stands outside her home in Rockville, Maryland, Thursday, October 3, 2013. (AP/Patrick Semansky)

The Impact of the Government Shutdown on People of Color

We examine federal civilian employees who are being furloughed as a result of the government shutdown and what that means for employees of color.

Farah Z. Ahmad

A Piecemeal Approach to Funding the Government Makes No Sense Article
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) pauses during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, October 8, 2013. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

A Piecemeal Approach to Funding the Government Makes No Sense

House Republicans' current approach to government funding—through small, targeted appropriations for a select group of government functions—is impractical and irresponsible.

Michael Linden

Then and Now: The Truth About Government Shutdowns Article
In a rare weekend session at the Capitol, the House of Representatives works into the night to pass a bill to fund the government, Saturday, September 28, 2013. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

Then and Now: The Truth About Government Shutdowns

Measured in workdays lost, the current shutdown is already the third longest in history and involves a far larger share of the government than either of the two shutdowns that were of longer duration.

Scott Lilly

Shutdown Adds Insult to Injury for Crumbling National Parks and Monuments Article
Locks secure a gate at the Vicksburg National Military Park visitor center in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on Tuesday, October 1, 2013. (AP/Rogelio V. Solis)

Shutdown Adds Insult to Injury for Crumbling National Parks and Monuments

Despite House Republican claims that funding national parks is noncontroversial, public lands have been plagued by drastic budget cuts, seasonal closures, proposed land sell-offs, and a freeze on new parks since the Tea Party takeover of the House.

Matt Lee-Ashley

Have They No Shame? Article
Rahab Kinity espera para obtener estampillas de asistencia alimentaria en el Catholic Parish Outreach Food Pantry de Raleigh, Carolina del Norte, 13 de septiembre del 2013. (AP/Gerry Broome)

Have They No Shame?

Republicans who slash essential programs for those in need are modern-day Pharaohs.

Sally Steenland

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Restoring Social Trust in Democracy

Democracy is under attack at home and abroad. We must act to ensure it is accessible to all, accountable, and can serve as a force of good.

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