As much as I may sympathize with my colleagues who view government shutdowns as ineffective ways of advancing political agendas, it is critical to understand that the spectacle of Uncle Sam’s doors being closed is not new. Truth be told, it has happened more often than we care to admit:
Presidents Gerald Ford (1 shutdown), Jimmy Carter (5), Ronald Reagan (8), George H.W. Bush (1), and Bill Clinton (2) each went through periods when parts of the government went unfunded for periods of time, ranging from one day to three weeks.
President George W. Bush was the only leader in recent decades who didn’t serve during a shutdown.
There have been 17 partial government shutdowns in the past 37 years, though in many cases they were isolated, caused because several – but not all – of Congress’s spending bills weren’t finalized. The current disagreement is much broader, as Congress hasn’t authorized any spending bills for operations beyond Monday.
That last point makes a shutdown this time somewhat unique. But the idea of government closing shop for a while? It’s been done. A lot. And always over politics.
