Article - Shutting Down the Government Battles between the President and Congress over the federal budget are nothing new. Time and again,
they have stood their ground for their different principles until a looming deadline forced them to
agree on a budget. In 1995, Congress also wrangled over how to achieve a balanced budget. But this
time was different
Impasse
The deadline for passing a budget came and went without the President and Congress achieving a
compromise. They could not even agree upon emergency appropriations, which would have kept the
government funded until a final budget could be passed. On December 15, 1995, the government had
to shut down
Effects of the Shutdown
About 280,000 federal employees were sent home. Nearly half a million federal workers such as those
who worked in national security and communications
were ordered to stay on the job, although there
was no money to pay them. The effects of the shutdown were immediate and widespread. Many
important government services were suddenly unavailable. The Centers for Disease Control could not
keep up with a flu outbreak in the Midwest. Passport applications could not be processed. The
Environmental Protection Agency had to shut down cleanups at 32 toxic waste sites.
Public Anger
As the shutdown continued, many Americans began to direct their anger at Republicans, whom they
blamed for using government workers as pawns in their budget battle-all while the lawmakers
continued to receive their own paychecks. Sensing the public's anger, Congress passed a measure to
end the shut down and to pay government workers their back wages. The shutdown had lasted 21
days.
Impact of the 1995 Government Shutdown
Each day, 260 small businesses did not receive Small Business Administration loans. Ten states ran out
of money for unemployment insurance. The Environmental Protection Agency stopped all
enforcement activities. The Federal Emergency Management Agency program that provides food and
shelter for disaster victims ran out of money. The release of the latest economic indicators such as
unemployment and inflation-was delayed until the end of the shutdown.
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