Q&A: The US government shutdown explained
Around 800,000 government employees have been sent home without pay, while 1 million more are being asked to work without pay. Tourists have been locked out of major US sites and there are warnings of broader dire consequences for the economy. The last shutdown 17 years ago lasted for 20 days and there are fears it could take a number of weeks for Congress to overcome this latest stalemate.
The shutdown has raised plenty of questions from the ABC Fact Check audience about why it's happening, who is to blame and what might happen next. To provide some clarity on the matter, a selection of questions received on Twitter, Facebook and Reddit is answered below.
Can you explain why it is a conflict between the Congress and president? Why they don't have the double dissolution option? -
The federal government in the United States has shut down because Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate) failed to pass a budget before the start of the financial year on October 1. It's the responsibility of Congress to pass a budget, not the US president, although the president does submit a budget early in the year in what amounts to a "wish list" to get the budget ball rolling.
The budget standoff that's led to the shutdown of the US government is more of a conflict between the Republican-dominated House of Representatives and the Democrat-controlled Senate. Some Republicans, many of them identified with the Tea Party Movement, oppose healthcare reforms known as "Obamacare". They have voted for budget measures to delay or defund healthcare changes passed by Congress in 2010 but framed by Democrat president Barack Obama.
The US system is quite different to Australia's. The US government isn't formed by the party with the house majority as it is in Australia - and it's not unusual to have different parties controlling the US House, the Senate and the presidency.
A double dissolution-type option to hold a joint sitting preceding an early election would hand significantly increased power to the House, which has 435 members compared to the 100-member Senate.
Here's a detailed description of the US budget process, which helps explain why it is so hard to pass a budget.
Why aren't Congressional salaries included in the shutdown? Seems like a good way to keep them motivated to me. -
Members of Congress keep getting paid during a shutdown because of the 27th amendment to the US constitution. It was designed to stop politicians giving themselves pay rises, but also stops them taking a cut.
But cutting the pay of members of Congress may not help anyway, as they're not usually short of a buck. Based on figures from 2011, United States Senators have an average personal wealth of almost $US12 million and House Representatives have an average of $US6.5 million to their names.
How does the Tea Party control the Republicans?
The Tea Party take their name from the colonial American "Boston Tea Party" in 1773, when a group of men disguised comically as Indians dumped a shipment of imported British tea into Boston Harbour in protest at being forced to pay taxes.
The modern Tea Party isn't a political party as such. They began as a grassroots conservative movement with an anti-taxation, anti-government, anti-debt message. Egged-on by conservative talk radio, Fox News and wealthy backers like The Koch Brothers, hundreds of Tea Party groups emerged across the United States in 2009 following the election of Mr Obama. They opposed what they saw as his "big government" approach to issues like health care reform.
The Tea Party offered their support to like-minded members of Congress and candidates in the Republican's pre-selection primaries leading up to the 2010 midterm elections. The Tea Party caucus now forms a sizable voting block in the House of Representatives.
As well as their numbers in Congress, the Tea Party continues to influence who will stand for the Republican party in House elections, which come along every two years, and Senate ballots, which are every six years.
A number of more moderate Republicans have been defeated by conservatives backed by the Tea Party. The overall effect of the Tea Party has been to shift the Republican Party to the right.
How do they define which services get furloughed? How is it at all legal to get some government employees to come in without pay? -
US federal departments and agencies are bound by the Antideficiency Act, which basically says they can't spend money they don't have. As of October 1, Congress hasn't given them any money - although some departments plan to keep operating as normal for a week or more before sending non-essential staff home.
Other departments and agencies are exempt because they don't rely on discretionary spending through annual appropriations (i.e. money from the budget).
However, a wide range of "non-essential" US federal government services have already shut down, with their workers "furloughed" - meaning they now have to stay home and may not ever be paid for the duration of the closure. The means federally-run institutions including The Smithsonian, landmarks like The Statue of Liberty and National Parks have all been closed.
Despite the shutdown, some services regarded as essential will continue - social security (pension) payments, the US postal service, active military, NASA Mission Control and air traffic controllers, to name a few. In many cases their employees will be required to work but may not receive a pay check until the shutdown ends.
What, exactly, are the Republicans demanding in order to resolve the stalemate? What, exactly, are the Democrats demanding in order to resolve the stalemate? (Non-polemical answers, please) -
Republicans want "Obamacare" delayed, Democrats don't.
The Congressional stalemate and government shutdown are likely to end with a Continuing Resolution, which will provide money for government services until a broader budget agreement is reached. Agreement on a budget is far from certain however, and Continuing Resolutions have become the lifeblood of the US government, adding to uncertainty and a sense of dysfunction.
Comments