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Continuing Resolutions
Congress must pass a budget every year by the start of the new fiscal year, which means that appropriation bills must
be passed for every part of the government. If an appropriation bill does not pass, then the department whose budget
is being discussed will shut down, and all nonessential employees will be temporarily out of work. Sometimes
Congress passes a
continuing resolution,
which provides funding for a limited period (usually a week or two).
Congress then uses the extra time to reach an agreement on the budget.
The Politics of Government Shutdowns
The federal government last shut down in 1995. The Republican-controlled Congress could not agree with President
Bill Clinton on the budget, and Congress allowed the government to shut down to make the Democratic president
look bad. Clinton, however, managed to convince most Americans that the shutdown was Congress’s fault, which
damaged the Republicans’ reputations. Clinton gained a great deal of leverage over Congress via his comments in
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- Winter '09
- LeslieTaylor
- Government, President of the United States, United States Congress, United States House of Representatives, General election
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