USA government shutdowns in history

USA government shutdowns since the 1970:s

Why do USA government shutdowns occur

The government in the United States shuts down when its congress fails to pass a legal budget or a so called continuing resolution to fund government functions. The president may also refuse to sign a proposed budget or resolution into law thus resulting in a government shutdown.

What happens during a shutdown

Many government empployees and contractors are sent home without pay. Various agencies deemed not essential are temporarily closed. Functions which are often closed or otherwise affected during a US government shutdown include (but not limited to this list):

Airport security
Food safety
Environmental Protection Agency
National parks
National museums
Department of Agriculture
Scientific research
Justice
NASA
Homeland Security
State and Treasury

Note that national parks are often closed and unavailable during goverment shutdowns, which is good to know for those planning a trip to a park during the shutdown.

Unaffected government functions typically include

Mail delivery
Law enforcement
Pension payouts

USA government shutdowns since the 1970:s

Fiscal year	Start date	Days	President
1977	1976-10-01	10	Ford
1978	1977-10-01	12	Carter
1978	1977-11-01	8	Carter
1978	1977-12-01	8	Carter
1979	1978-10-01	17	Carter
1980	1979-10-01	11	Carter
1982	1981-11-21	2	Reagan
1983	1982-10-01	1	Reagan
1983	1982-12-18	3	Reagan
1984	1983-11-11	3	Reagan
1985	1984-10-01	2	Reagan
1985	1984-10-04	1	Reagan
1987	1986-10-17	1	Reagan
1988	1987-12-19	1	Reagan
1991	1990-10-06	3	Bush
1996	1995-11-14	5	Clinton
1996	1995-12-16	21	Clinton
2014	2013-10-01	16	Obama
2018	2018-01-20	2	Trump
2018	2018-02-09	1	Trump
2019	2018-12-22	35	Trump