fb-pixelWhat are the lawmakers in D.C. fighting about? - The Boston Globe Skip to main content

What are the lawmakers in D.C. fighting about?

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images/File

WASHINGTON — The US government shutdown began at midnight Friday as Democrats and Republicans failed to resolve a standoff over immigration and spending. Here’s a look at what the parties are fighting over and what some of the effects of the shutdown are likely to be.

■  Top issues: Since the end of the fiscal year in September, the government has been operating on temporary funding measures. The current one expired Friday. Republicans and Democrats have not been able to agree on spending levels for the rest of the year, so another short-term measure is the most likely solution.

The House has passed a four-week bill Thursday that also extends funding for a children’s health insurance program. But Democrats want a budget bill to be tied to a deal that protects young immigrants facing deportation. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is set to expire March 5.

Advertisement



That deal has not come together, and Democrats have decided to dig in.

■  Scope of shutdown: Not all the government will be closed. The military, air traffic control system, food inspection, mail, Social Security, Medicare, veterans’ health care, and many other essential government programs will run as usual. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will continue to deal with the effects of last year’s disasters.

The Interior Department says national parks and other public lands will remain as accessible as possible. The stance is a change from previous shutdowns when most parks were closed and became high-profile symbols.

■  Paying workers: While they can be kept on the job, federal employees can’t get paid for days worked during a lapse in funding. In the past, however, they have been repaid retroactively, even if they were ordered to stay home.

■  Past budget impasses: Past shutdowns usually weren’t that big a deal. They happened every year when Jimmy Carter was president, averaging 11 days each. During Ronald Reagan’s two terms, there were six shutdowns, typically just one or two days apiece. Deals got cut. Everybody moved on.

Advertisement



The last one was a 16-day partial closing of the government in 2013, which came as Tea Party conservatives, cheered on by outside groups like Heritage Action, demanded that language to block implementation of President Barack Obama’s health care law be added to a must-do funding bill.

■  Assigning blame: In a 1995-96 political battle, President Bill Clinton bested House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his band of budget-slashing conservatives, who were determined to use a shutdown to force Clinton to sign onto a balanced-budget agreement.

Republicans were saddled with the blame, but most Americans suffered relatively minor inconveniences such as closed parks and delays in processing passport applications. The fight bolstered Clinton’s popularity and he sailed to reelection.

In 2013, the Tea Party Republicans forced a shutdown over the better judgment of GOP leaders like then-Speaker John Boehner, Republican of Ohio. Republicans tried to fund the government piecemeal. But they eventually backed down.

Republicans are calling the current standoff the ‘‘Schumer Shutdown,’’ arguing that there’s nothing in the bill that Democrats oppose, while a short-term extension would give lawmakers time to work out differences on young immigrants and disaster assistance. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer of New York blames the GOP’s unwillingness to compromise.