Presidential administration: Donald Trump
According to Dylan Matthews and Andrew Prokop of Vox, motivated by external activists, Democrats aimed to pressure both the Trump Administration and Congress into safeguarding participants of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival). This policy prevented the deportation of unauthorized immigrants who had arrived in the US as children; however, its termination had been decided by the Trump administration. Due to the Democrats possessing ample votes to instigate a Senate filibuster, they, along with several Republican senators voting against it, succeeded in obstructing a bill devoid of protections for DACA beneficiaries, causing a shutdown. Nevertheless, the Democrats swiftly conceded thereafter, agreeing to finance the government (including the Children’s Health Insurance Program due for renewal) subsequent to a promise made by Majority Leader McConnell to schedule a vote on an immigration bill.
Start date: January 19, 2018
End date: January 22, 2018
Impact:
- 692,900 federal workers furloughed (Wikipedia)
Related Resources:
- Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview [Updated February 4, 2019]
- Congress’s Power Over Appropriations: A Primer [June 16, 2020]
- FY 2019 Government Shutdown: Selected Agencies Could Improve Contingency Planning for Potential Shutdown Scenarios and Strengthen Some Internal Controls, Report to the Ranking Member Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate
- Availability of Unemployment Benefits for Affected Federal Employees During a Government Shutdown [September 17, 2019]
HSDL Featured Topics: Federal Workforce Challenges | Debt Limit
HSDL Search: Government Shutdown | Government Shutdown Agency Contingency Plans