A government shutdown is a disruption in the operations of federal departments and agencies. If Congress does not pass a new budget or a continuing resolution (CR), those departments and agencies are required by law to shut down until appropriations funding is restored. The exception is activities deemed essential to public safety, such as border protection, in-hospital medical care, and air traffic control (though the employees involved in those operations are usually compensated once a funding bill is passed).
For many Americans, a government shutdown can mean the loss of some important services like issuing passports, processing small business loans, or conducting clinical trials for medical research. National parks may close, and citizens might not be able to access information on immigration, visas, or veterans benefits. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that a week of shutdowns could reduce gross domestic product by $3 billion, though most of that would be recovered once the government resumes operation.
A major reason the government has been vulnerable to shutdowns is that the legislative process has become dysfunctional. Rather than passing individual spending bills, Congress has relied on a series of massive, last-minute “omnibus” measures that few lawmakers have time to read and understand before they vote. This has weakened the U.S.’s ability to defend its interests and has played into the narrative of adversaries, who view America as divided, ineffective, distracted, and unstable. A plan that allows for more regular funding votes would prevent taxpayers and federal employees from having to pay the price for Congress’s partisan fights.
