A U.S. government shutdown happens when Congress fails to pass legislation to fund federal agencies and programs before the start of a new fiscal year . The main reason behind this is a budget impasse — lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate cannot agree on how much money should be spent and on what priorities. Since the U.S. Constitution requires that Congress approve all government spending, a failure to reach a funding deal leads to a halt of many government operations. Political disagreements are often at the heart of a shutdown. These disputes can involve debates over spending levels for defense and social programs , border security , healthcare , or climate initiatives . In many cases, one party uses the threat of a shutdown as leverage to force policy concessions from the other side. For example, disagreements between Republicans and Democrats over the federal budget , immigration enforcement , and social welfare funding have triggered several ...
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