USA The government closed At 12:01 am East Coast time (04:01 GMT) on Wednesday after Congress failed to pass a new spending bill, forcing operations to close them.
President Donald Trump threatened to use the budget for payment Group hairstyles For federal employees.
Democrats and Republicans remain divided due to the priorities of spending, as Democrats are pressing to protect health care, social programs and external aid while Republicans demand discounts.
This is not the first time that Washington has faced such confrontation. The drawing below shows every American financing gap and the closure of the government since 1976, including the period in which the administration continued.
What is the closure of the government?
Government closure occurs when Congress does not approve a budget, so parts of the federal government must close until the spending plan is approved.
The closures tend in October because the government’s fiscal year lasts from October 1 to September 30.
How many times has the government closed?
The current budget has been created in 1976. Since then, the government has obtained 20 financing gaps, which led to the closure of 10.
A financing gap occurs whenever the Congress passes the deadline for passing a budget or the Stopgap Law (also called an ongoing decision), leaving the government without legal authority to spend money.
- It can include turning off one multiple financing gaps if the provision of temporary financing measures ends before a long -term agreement.
- The closure occurs unless government operations are actually stopped due to this financing gap.
Before the eighties of the last century, the gaps in funding did not lead to closure, and the agencies continued to work, assuming that funding will be restored soon.
After 1980, Public Prosecutor Benjamin Siyadati issued legal opinions stating that, under federal law, the agencies may not spend money without the approval of Congress. Only basic services – such as national security, air traffic control and law enforcement – can continue.
Since 1982, with this new legal basis, financing gaps often led to the closure of the full or partial government until Congress resolves confrontation.
When was the last government closure?
The last government Closing In December 2018 and January 2019 after President Donald Trump arrived, then in his first term, Democratic politicians struck the impasse over the President’s request for $ 5 billion in financing a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico, a request from opposition Democrats.
When was the longest closure?
The last closure was the longest in the history of the United States, as it lasted 35 days from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, when Trump announced that he had reached an initial agreement with Congress leaders to reopen the government for a period of three weeks as negotiations on the border wall continued.
What happens during the closure?
During government closure, non -essential federal services are stopped or reduced, and many government employees are drowned or placed on unpaid leave.
Meanwhile, basic employees – such as members of military service, law enforcement officers and air traffic controllers – must continue to work, often without pay until funding is restored.
How is government closure resolved?
Close operations are usually resolved when Congress passes a continuous decision, which provides short -term financing as negotiations continue with a long -term budget.
Since 1990, each suspension ended with a continuous decision.
What services have been stopped?
The closure primarily affects federal non -basic employees, as well as persons and companies that depend on government services.
The federal government is the largest employer in the country. As of November, it had more than 3 million workers – about 1.9 percent of the civil workforce – according to the data of the work statistics office reported by the Pew Research Center.
Congress Budget Office It is estimated that if the lapses are funded in the fiscal year 2026, about 750,000 federal employees may be subjected every day, and their missing salaries will add about $ 400 million per day. The exact number of workers who have been conducted over time can change because some agencies may increase workers as the closure continues, while others may restore some employees.
Previous closures have affected many services and agencies, including:
- National parks and antiquities
- Federal museums
- Federal research projects
- Treating some government benefits
- Tax service services in the Tax Authority
What services are still running?
Even during the closure, many basic government jobs remain in operation. Some continue because they are classified as necessary for public safety and luxury, while others are funded separately from the annual budget process through compulsory or self -complete programs. Examples include:
- Benefits of social security and medical care
- Military and federal law enforcement
- American Post service
- Air traffic control
- US Passport Agency
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