{"id":344685,"date":"2018-01-20T14:45:32","date_gmt":"2018-01-20T13:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/newswire\/us-government-shuts-down-for-the-18th-time-rt-us-news\/"},"modified":"2018-01-20T14:45:32","modified_gmt":"2018-01-20T13:45:32","slug":"us-government-shuts-down-for-the-18th-time-rt-us-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/newswire\/us-government-shuts-down-for-the-18th-time-rt-us-news\/","title":{"rendered":"US government shuts down for the 18th time \u2014 RT US News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The US government shut down at midnight Friday, the 18th such event in modern US history. RT takes a look at previous instances of congressional stalemate that brought the country to a standstill.<\/p>\n

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A shutdown occurs when Congress can\u2019t agree on a spending bill. It results in the temporary suspension of \u201cnon-essential\u201d civil services.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: US govt shuts down after Senate fails to pass funding<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

2013 Obamacare<\/strong><\/p>\n

The last government shutdown took place during Obama\u2019s presidency in 2013 and lasted two weeks \u2013 more than 800,000 federal employees were furloughed during this period.<\/p>\n

The shutdown happened when legislators couldn\u2019t resolve a bitter budget standoff over Obama\u2019s health care law.<\/p>\n

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They actually did it. A group of Republicans in the House just forced a government shutdown over Obamacare instead of passing a real budget.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 1, 2013<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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It even inspired its own memes with the hashtags #NoBudgetNoPants and #PantsShutDown,<\/p>\n

READ MORE: US government shutdown<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

1995 \u2013 1996 \u00a0Clinton\u2019s double shutdown<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bill Clinton oversaw two government shutdowns within the space of weeks in 1995. The first deadlock occurred in November after Clinton vetoed spending legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Congress. Funding elapsed for five days and about 800,000 employees were furloughed.<\/p>\n

In December, continued disputes over funding levels for the Medicare health insurance program for the elderly and other issues resulted in a second lapse in government funding for 21 days. \u00a0Some 280,000 workers were furloughed until a resolution was met on January 6 1996.<\/p>\n

1990 George H.W. Bush<\/strong><\/p>\n

A three-day shutdown took place beginning October 5 1990 when George H.W. Bush pledged to veto any continuing resolution that did not involve a plan to reduce the deficit.<\/p>\n

The House tried to override his veto and failed, forcing a weekend shutdown.<\/p>\n

1980s Reagan\u2019s series of shutdowns<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ronald Reagan set a record of shutdowns which still stands, clocking up eight between 1981 and 1987. These all lasted between one and three days.<\/p>\n

The 1981 shutdown was the first time a funding gap resulted in a severe reduction in government operations \u2013 furloughing 241,000 federal workers.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: \u2018Reagan was smarter than you, and he lost!\u2019 Iran\u2019s leader slams Trump, praises Black Lives Matter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The first recorded shutdown took place during Gerald Ford\u2019s presidency in 1976 on the back of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until a set of opinions issued by Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti in 1980 and 1981, however, that the shutdowns actually entailed a halt to the functioning of the government.<\/p>\n

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