Then & Now: 1995 Government Shutdown

In 1995, the federal government of the United States went into a shutdown mode after the Republican controlled Congress and the Democratic Administration of Bill Clinton failed to agree on an annual budget. Between November 14, 1995 through November 16 & later December 16, 1995 to January 6, 1996, the United States did not have a fully functional federal government. What lead to these dramatic events had been the legislative standoffs between President Clinton and the Republican Congress lead by House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole. Republicans had swept into majorities in the House and Senate in previous year's midterm elections. Since then, the Clinton Administration had engaged in political fights over legislation that Republicans wished to pass, originally incorporated in the "Contract with America" campaign pledge. A part of the "Contract" had been to make spectacular budget cuts in order to balance the federal budget. The Clinton Administration refused many of the Republicans proposals, leading to months of public argument.

Bill Clinton

Newt Gingrich

By the end of the 1995 fiscal year in September 30, no budget plan had been reached between the White House and Congress. As a result, the federal government shut down. On November 14, major institutions of the federal government, including executive departments and government agencies, closed down as they could no longer operate without a budget. Employees of such agencies didn't show up to work. A controversy that soon arose was whether veterans and those eligible for Social Security would receive any of their benefits. The first shutdown was resolved by a temporary spending bill, which then expired resulting in a second shutdown. By the end of the crisis, it seemed that the public held Gingrich and the Republicans responsible while siding with the president. It severely damaged Gingrich's reputation, as well as Majority Leader Bob Dole, and may have contributed to Dole's loss in the 1996 Presidential Election.

John Boehner

Barack Obama

Today, sixteen years later, another budget battle is looming between the Obama Administration and the Republican controlled House led by Speaker John Boehner and Republicans in the Senate led by Mitch McConnell. The Republicans want to make major cuts to the federal budget. Similar to the 1995 debate, both sides have yet to come to a conclusive agreement. Last week, in order to prevent a shutdown of the federal government, Congress passed a continuing resolution that would continue to fund the federal government with the previous year's budget until an agreement is reached. It seems unclear what the future may hold regarding this budget battle, whether President Obama or the Republicans will compromise their values for the sake of preventing another shutdown. The potential crisis may be averted, whether through negotiations or through external pressure by the public. Another pressure point may be the 2012 election, which both sides may feel the need to negotiate or even continue the fight in order to attack their opponents One wishes for the best, but with such a bitter partisan feeling amongst Democrats and Republicans in Washington, a clear resolution is foreseeable.

Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/US/9512/budget/12-18/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_government_shutdown_of_1995
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20038315-503544.html