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By Jasmine Laws
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The U.S. is less than 12 hours away from a government shut down, if Congress is unable to pass a spending bill before midnight.
On Thursday, 38 Republicans voted against a spending bill backed by President-elect Donald Trump in the House of Representatives that planned to avert a government shutdown. The bill failed by a vote of 174-235.
Government funding is set to lapse on Friday night at midnight so lawmakers are expected to meet again on Friday morning to try to pass legislation to avoid government shutdown, according to the BBC. This comes after a bipartisan agreement for funding was also vetoed in Congress on Wednesday.
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Newsweek has contacted the press office of the Trump administration out of regular business hours via email for comment.
What Causes a Government Shutdown?
A government shutdown is a forced halt of most federal operations and services that are not considered necessary to protect national security, public health, public safety or property due to a lack of funding, according to Britannica.
Government shutdowns typically occur after partisan disagreements over funding recommendations submitted to Congress, meaning it fails to pass one or more of the annual appropriations bills.
As federal agencies rely on annual funding to function, it means that if Congress fails to pass all 12 spending bills that constitute the spending budget, these operations discontinue non-essential functions, according to the BBC.
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What Happens If the Government Shuts Down?
When the government shuts down, major nonessential services cease operation, meaning many federal employees may go without pay.
Many of the hundreds of thousands of federal employees are furloughed, or placed on unpaid leave, while those who perform essential services, like law enforcement, border protection and air traffic control, may be forced to work without pay, according to Britannica.
Under these circumstances the workers will usually be compensated for their unpaid labor once the relevant appropriations bill is enacted.
As social security and Medicare are funded through laws that do not require annual approval by Congress, they are largely unaffected by government shutdowns. The Federal Reserve and the U.S. Postal Service also receive funding from outside the federal government, so they remain fully functional.
How Long Was the Last Government Shutdown?
The last government shutdown was during Trump's first term as president, between December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, according to Britannica.
During that shutdown, many services were impacted. Flight traffic controllers were working long hours to compensate for the low number of fully-trained staff as many were quitting or calling in sick, the BBC reported.
Per the outlet, FBI resources also took a hit, with a report showing that the shutdown affected criminal, counter-terrorism and intelligence work, and other operations, meaning the service was at "breaking point."
Coast Guard workers also struggled to afford food and cover the cost of their expensive coastal housing while they weren't receiving pay, according to the BBC.
In addition, a report by Syracuse University found that more than 42,000 immigration hearings had been canceled as of January 11, 2019.
The second-longest government shutdown was for 21 days, between December 16, 1995, to January 6, 1996, while Bill Clinton was president.
Jimmy Carter's terms as president had five of the top 10 longest government shutdowns, with one lasting 17 days, another for 12, one for 11 days, and then another two lasting eight days.
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