As the United States continues to grapple with the reality of the longest government shutdown in history, one cannot help but hope that it can learn from its long and storied home of similar events. This was not the first time the government has been faced with a potential shutdown, and it certainly won’t be the last if history is any indicator.
In the last four decades, there have been a total of 20 funding showdowns that threatened or led to a shutdown, a pretty stunning statistic. This does not include the more recent (and ongoing) government shutdown in 2019, the longest in US history.
The most recent shutdown started when President Donald Trump refused to sign off on a spending bill unless it included funding to build a wall along the Southern border that Congress refused to back. Trump’s ultimatum led to a 35-day government shutdown that left 800,000 workers without pay and paralyzed vital services.
The most recent shutdown was far from an isolated incident however, and there have been many other showdowns in the last 40 years. The most famous, of course, being the two-week-long shutdown of 1995-96. President Bill Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich famously sparred over a budget dispute that ended up shutting down government services and furloughing 800,000 workers.
Other shutdowns, while not as widely publicized, had similar disruptions. In 2013, a 16-day shutdown was initiated when Democrats refused to pass a spending bill unless it ended some of the provisions of Obamacare. The government shutdown resulted in the furlough of 800,000 workers and the closure of national parks and monuments.
The history of government shutdowns in the United States is long and storied. It is a testament to the stubborn politicking that has become a part of everyday life in Washington. However, while it is certainly too early to say what lessons, if any, were learned from this most recent debacle, one would hope that it serves as a cautionary tale about what happens when political posturing outweighs responsible governance.
Only time will tell if the United States has learned anything from its long history of threatened and real shutdowns; however, it is important to recognize the devastating effects that these events can bring and the incredible cost that they can have on both the government and its citizens.