Government Shutdown

Written By Jonathan Milner

A government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass or the president refuses to sign a spending bill to fund the federal government’s operations. This results in a funding gap that can cause several government functions to be temporarily disrupted. If a spending agreement is not reached soon, the government will shutdown on October 1, 2025. According to the data from the visual above, how many government shutdowns has the U.S. had in the past half century?

Example

 
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Questions

  1. What is a government shutdown?

  2. What causes a government shutdown to happen?

  3. During government shutdowns, many federal employees are told not to report for work. Government employees who provide what are deemed essential services, such as air traffic control and law enforcement, continue to work, but don’t get paid until Congress takes action to end the shutdown. Shutdowns can be disruptive, leading to delays in processing applications for passports, small business loans, or government benefits; shuttered visitor centers and bathrooms at national parks; fewer food-safety inspections; and various inconveniences. Describe how a government shutdown would impact you.

  4. If the current government shutdown continues, on Monday Smithsonian museums will close. There are many essential (emergency) services that continue during a shutdown, such as the military, FBI, border security, TSA, etc. What would be the absolute last service or activity you would want the government to shut down.?

  5. Who determines when a government shutdown ends? The longest ever government shutdown was 39 days long. I’m 20,859 days old. How many days old are you?

  6. Use government shutdown in a sentence that uses almost no curse words.

  7. Find an image or emoji that does justice to the concept of government shutdown:

Remember!

Now, let’s commit this term to our long-term memory. On a scrap piece of paper, take 10 or 20 seconds to draw government shutdown. Draw with symbols or stick figures if you wish. Nothing fancy. Don’t expect a masterpiece. No one else will see this but you. Look at your drawing. That’s all - now it’s downloaded into your memory. Destroy the piece of paper in a most delightful way.

GoPo Glossary

Jonathan Milner

Civics Maven!

https://www.gopopro.com/
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