Government shutdowns are not a requirement of the Constitution or of common sense. They are the product of the interaction of statutes that Congress can and should change. Government shutdowns don’t improve the quality of governance or the country’s fiscal health, and Congress should end them forever.
... The political calculation for shutdowns often includes the belief that voters will feel the pain and demand a way out, which the party that caused the shutdown hopes will mean granting its wishes. But most voters feel no pain. Social Security checks still go out, and Medicare and Medicaid coverage continues during government shutdowns. Those programs, plus interest payments on the national debt, which also continue to be made during shutdowns, account for about three-quarters of all federal spending.
Those programs, plus interest payments, are also the long-run drivers of the national debt. The rest of the federal budget is roughly balanced over the long run. That means that a lapse in government funding causes the balanced part of the budget to stop while the deficit-causing part continues as before. It’s nonsensical.
... For most of the furloughed employees, a government shutdown is basically a strange type of vacation, because the duration of that vacation is decided by Congress. Furloughed workers are not allowed to work or even be signed on to government computer networks. Far from being a harsh punishment of faceless bureaucrats, shutdowns are kind of nice for them while they last. ...they are legally entitled to back pay once the shutdown is over. ... most workers don’t even miss a paycheck. ...most voters and federal workers don’t feel much pain from government shutdowns. ... what can Congress do to fix this system? (read more)
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