In 1995 and 1996, the United States Government shut down for three weeks as a result of a disagreement between Democratic Clinton and Republican Congress over funding in the federal budget.

17 years later, the U.S. is facing a similar problem, once again caused by diverging opinions in Congress. On September 20, the Republican House passed a budget bill that linked federal funding with an attempt to debilitate Obamacare. Accordingly, the bill was immediately rejected in the Democrat-majority Senate, and the consequential conflict in Congress was compared to watching a tennis match – back and forth, back and forth between the two chambers. At midnight, the end of the fiscal year, lacking a formal budget, the federal government was forced to order a closure. Why? A Constitutional clause states that the federal government must implement a “shutdown of affected activities” if Congress does not ratify annual budget appropriations. Now, what does that really mean, and who is truly affected?

The phrase “government shutdown” signifies that non-essential federal programs and activities will be held in abeyance until Congress establishes a new deal. Indispensable programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid have continued running, though there have been some delays in processing applications. Plans by federal agencies have allowed other necessary activities to carry on – especially those pertaining to public safety and protection like the military. Because the U.S. Postal Service is independently backed, mail has still been delivered.

However, according to USA Today, approximately 41 percent of nondefense federal workers, or 0.8 million people, will be furloughed until a new budget is adopted and will not necessarily be recompensed for their lost pay. Consequently, there have been processing delays in passport and visa applications, gun permits, mortgage requests, and various court cases. Countless government websites have been replaced with static pages, limiting access to information. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has suspended reactor licensing, renewal amendments, and emergency preparedness exercises. The U.S. Antarctic Program will soon run out of money to continue vital research in the barren wastelands by the South Pole. National parks and wildlife refuges, which were shut down, have refused tourists from all around the world access to some of America’s most beautiful sights. A couple owning a home on federal land in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area has been forced to leave their home and stay out until the reopening of the government. Adventurous rafters who have been waiting for more than 10 years for a permit to kayak on the Colorado River have been turned away from the Grand Canyon on their scheduled trip dates.

BUT – don’t forget that in DC, Congress will also have to suffer, as some federal staff MAY have to stay at home.

(Source: CNN)