A government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass funding legislation to finance the government's operations for the next fiscal year or to pass a temporary funding measure. This failure results in the federal government ceasing full or partial operations because agencies cannot spend money without congressional authorization under the Antideficiency Act. Shutdowns are often caused by partisan disagreements over budget levels, controversial amendments to appropriations bills, or disputes over policy provisions attached to funding, such as healthcare or border security funding.
In the United States, government shutdowns happen when funding bills are not approved before the fiscal year begins on October 1. Without new appropriations, many government functions must stop or operate with minimal essential staff, and non-essential workers are furloughed. Political standoffs—between parties or within Congress and the President—over budget priorities or policy rider provisions are the common roots of shutdowns. For instance, recent shutdowns involved disagreements on healthcare subsidies and border wall funding.
In summary, the key causes of a government shutdown are procedural failure by Congress to approve necessary funding bills or continuing resolutions, often exacerbated by political disputes about spending priorities or attached policy issues.
