Take a Look at Some of America's Government Shutdowns

PHOTO: Former Presidents Obama, Clinton, Reagan.

Although it seems like yet another major critical point of President Trump's administration and first year in office, a government shutdown isn't a rare event. As you've probably heard, the most recent before Trump's shutdown was during Obama's presidency back in 2013. Let's take a look at some of the US' other shutdowns.

In 1980, during Jimmy Carter's presidency, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) shut down for one day. 1,600 workers were furloughed. The cost of the shutdown was $700,000 USD. It was labelled the first shutdown caused a dispute.

In 1981, after Ronald Reagan took power, a major shutdown took place once the President had vetoed a spending bill containing small spending cuts than he wanted. The government shutdown forced 241,000 employees to be furloughed. It also costed the US taxpayers and American citizens at least $80,000,000 USD. Lasted one day.

In 1984, an afternoon-long shutdown was caused, once again, by President Reagan. The spending bill had included a civil rights measure and a water project package that the President opposed, leading to 500,000 federal employees to be furloughed. Yet another costly shutdown for Reagan, the afternoon-shutdown costed $65,000,000 USD. The funding bill was passed the next morning at Reagan's compromise.

In 1986, the third government shutdown of the Reagan administration was sparked and once again forced 500,000 federal employees to be furloughed. According to reports, the shutdown (once again only one afternoon long) costed $65,000,000 USD.

In 1990, the lone shutdown during President H.W. Bush's administration was triggered during the Columbus-day weekend. It happened due to a deficit reduction and tax increase that broke the President's campaign promises. Thanks to the shutdown being over a weekend, it furloughed 2,800 and costed $2,570,000 USD.

In 1995, the Bill Clinton administration shut down for five days after major disagreements and vetoes by Clinton against the Republican-lead Congressional funding bill proposed that Clinton didn't agree with. As the two aisles battled each other consistently, the government opened and shut down again later on. The second shutdown lasted for a record-breaking 22 days.

In 1996, when the second Clinton shutdown ended, reports indicated that the first shutdown furloughed 800,000 federal workers while the second, thanks to security laws placed, furloughed around 280,000 workers. The combined cost is debated, though is speculated to be around $30,000,000,000 USD ($30 billion).

In 2013, during the Obama administration, a significantly damaging government shut down was triggered by Senate and House Republicans. The GOP-held House of Representatives, encouraged strongly by Senator Ted Cruz, continued on proposing continuing resolutions that de-funded Obamacare that the Democratic-held Senate rebuked and refused. Eventually, it shut down. The major shutdown lasted for the second-longest in America's history for 17 days. According to reports, at least 800,000 federal workers were furloughed. It costed $24,000,000,000 USD ($24 billion).

Now, in 2018, the Trump administration has shut down. A 3-day long government funding collapse of which triggered criticism of both parties by opposing sides of the aisle after a failed continuing resolution didn't include immigration reforms that Dems demanded. The most recent CR, passed overwhelmingly by the Senate and House, expands the government funding for 2 and a half weeks of pure negotiation.

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