Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources
Jared C. Nagel
Information Research Specialist
Justin Murray
Information Research Specialist
November 17, 2014
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R41759


Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources

Summary
When federal government agencies and programs lack budget authority after the expiration of
either full-year or interim appropriations, they experience a “funding gap.” Under the
Antideficiency Act (31 U.S.C. §1341 et seq.), they must cease operations, except in certain
circumstances when continued activities are authorized by law. When there is a funding gap that
affects many federal entities, the situation is often referred to as a government shutdown. In the
past, there have occasionally been funding gaps that led to government shutdowns, the longest of
which lasted 21 full days, from December 16, 1995, to January 6, 1996. The most recent
shutdown occurred at the beginning of FY2014. The shutdown began October 1, 2013, and lasted
for a total of 16 full days.
The relevant laws that govern shutdowns have remained relatively constant in recent decades.
However, agencies and officials may exercise some discretion in how they interpret the laws, and
circumstances that confront agencies and officials may differ over time. Consequently, it is
difficult to predict what might happen in the event of some future shutdown. Still, information
about past events may offer some insight into possible outcomes and help inform future
deliberations.
This report provides an annotated list of historical documents and other resources related to
several past government shutdowns. Sources for these documents and resources include the
Congressional Research Service (CRS), Government Accountability Office (GAO), House and
Senate Committees, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Personnel Management
(OPM), and Executive Office of the President. When possible, the report includes links to full-
text documents.
For more information about federal government shutdowns and funding gaps, see
• CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes,
and Effects, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass; and
• CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by Jessica
Tollestrup.
This report will be updated as additional resources are identified.

Congressional Research Service

Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources

Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1
Congressional Research Service Reports and Memorandum .......................................................... 1
CRS Reports .............................................................................................................................. 1
CRS Memorandum .................................................................................................................... 2
Government Accountability Office .................................................................................................. 2
House and Senate Committee Prints and Hearings .......................................................................... 4
Committee Prints ....................................................................................................................... 4
Hearings ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Office of Management and Budget .................................................................................................. 6
Guidance Documents for Agencies ........................................................................................... 6
Agency Contingency Plans ........................................................................................................ 8
Impacts and Costs of Shutdowns ............................................................................................... 8
FY1996 ................................................................................................................................ 8
FY2014 ................................................................................................................................ 8
Office of Personnel Management .................................................................................................... 9
Presidential Materials ...................................................................................................................... 9
Presidential Statements Related to FY1996 Shutdowns ............................................................ 9
The November 1995 Shutdown ........................................................................................... 9
The December 1995–January 1996 Shutdown .................................................................. 10
Presidential Statements Related to FY2014 Shutdown ........................................................... 11

Contacts
Author Contact Information........................................................................................................... 13
Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... 13

Congressional Research Service

Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources

Introduction
This report provides historical documents and other resources related to past government
shutdowns, along with brief annotations that describe the contents of the documents. The report
includes links to full-text documents when available. There is limited information and guidance
related to shutdowns, and it is difficult to predict what might happen in the event of one, but
information about past events may help inform future deliberations.
The following annotated resources are meant to guide readers to relevant materials from
governmental and selected nongovernmental sources.
Congressional Research Service Reports
and Memorandum

The following CRS reports and memorandum include information related to past government
shutdowns.
CRS Reports
• CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes,
and Effects, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass.
Brief Description: This report discusses the causes, processes, and effects of federal
government shutdowns, including potential issues for Congress.
• CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by Jessica
Tollestrup.
Brief Description: This report briefly covers funding gaps since FY1977, including
those related to the 1995, 1996, and October 2013 government shutdowns.
• CRS Report R41745, Government Shutdown: Operations of the Department of
Defense During a Lapse in Appropriations, by Amy Belasco and Pat Towell.
Brief Description: This report reviews the effects of a lapse in appropriations on the
Department of Defense. Activities that provide for national defense have been permitted
to continue during past government shutdowns. This report has been updated to reflect
some aspects of the October 2013 shutdown.
• CRS Report R43292, The FY2014 Government Shutdown: Economic Effects, by
Marc Labonte.
Brief Description: This report discusses the effects of the FY2014 government shutdown
on the economy and financial markets. It also reviews third-party estimates of the effects
of the shutdown on the economy.
• CRS Report R43250, CRS Resources on the FY2014 Funding Gap, Shutdown,
and Status of Appropriations, by Justin Murray.
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Brief Description: This brief report includes short annotations and links to CRS products
related to the October 2013 government shutdown.
CRS Memorandum
• CRS Congressional Distribution Memorandum, FY1977-FY2014 Funding Gaps:
The Enactment of Regular Appropriations Acts and Continuing Resolutions, by
Jessica Tollestrup, November 12, 2014.
Brief Description: This memorandum lists the regular appropriations and continuing
resolutions enacted before, during, and after each funding gap that occurred between
FY1977 and FY2014. It is available on request from Jessica Tollestrup at 7-0941 or via
email at jtollestrup@crs.loc.gov.
• CRS Congressional Distribution Memorandum, The Historical Policy Context
for the FY1977-FY1996 Funding Gaps: Excerpts from Government and Media
Sources
, co-coordinated by Jessica Tollestrup and Jared Nagel, October 7, 2013.
Brief Description: This memorandum provides background on the historical policy
context for the 17 funding gaps that occurred between FY1977 and FY1996. It is
available on request from the authors, either Jessica Tollestrup at 7-0941 or via email at
jtollestrup@crs.loc.gov, or Jared Nagel at 7-2468 or via email at jnagel@crs.loc.gov.
Government Accountability Office
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)1 has published reports related to past and
potential shutdowns. The following documents investigate possible issues and provide historical
context surrounding government shutdowns.
• U.S. General Accounting Office, Cost of the Recent Partial Shutdown of
Government Offices, PAD-82-24, December 10, 1981, available at
http://www.gao.gov/products/PAD-82-24.
Brief Description: According to GAO, this report was completed “in response to
congressional requests,” for which “GAO contacted 13 cabinet departments and 12
selected agencies and offices to obtain information about the costs of a 1981 partial
shutdown of government offices.” It includes costs estimates, background information
about the costs, and GAO recommendations to Congress concerning agency operations in
the event of a government shutdown.
• U.S. General Accounting Office, Funding Gaps Jeopardize Federal Government
Operations, PAD-81-31, March 3, 1981, available at http://www.gao.gov/
products/PAD-81-31.

1 Until 2004, GAO was called the General Accounting Office. For further information on the agency name change, see
CRS Report RL30349, GAO: Government Accountability Office and General Accounting Office, by Frederick M.
Kaiser.
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Brief Description:2 According to GAO, as of March 1981, “interruptions in federal
agency funding at the beginning of the fiscal year (FY) and operations on continuing
resolutions have become the norm rather than the exception.” For years, many federal
agencies continued to operate during a funding gap, while “minimizing all nonessential
operations and obligations, believing that Congress did not intend that agencies close
down” while waiting for the enactment of annual appropriations acts or continuing
resolutions. During the FY1981 appropriations process, the President requested opinions
on the Antideficiency Act from the then-U.S. Attorney General, Benjamin Civiletti.3 In
two memoranda issued in 1980 and 1981, the Attorney General stated that the act
required agencies to terminate all operations when their current appropriations expired.
According to GAO, agencies were uncertain how to respond to the Attorney General’s
opinion and what activities they would be able to continue if appropriations expired. This
GAO report outlines some of the problems surrounding late appropriations and funding
gaps. It also includes Attorney General Civiletti’s opinions within Appendices IV and
VIII.4
• U.S. General Accounting Office, Government Shutdown: Funding Lapse
Furlough Information, GGD-96-52R, December 1, 1995, available at
http://www.gao.gov/products/GGD-96-52R.
Brief Description: GAO was asked to provide available information on the numbers of
federal employees who might have been subject to furlough in the event of a second
shutdown in 1995. GAO provided numbers that were based on plans provided by the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to GAO in October 1995. The numbers
included within this document do not represent actual furloughs. The numbers represent
planned furloughs in advance of the two shutdowns, which occurred later in November
and December–January.
• U.S. General Accounting Office, Government Shutdown: Permanent Funding
Lapse Legislation Needed, GGD-91-76, June 6, 1991, available at
http://www.gao.gov/products/GGD-91-76.
Brief Description: In 1990, GAO issued a questionnaire to government agencies in an
attempt to measure the effects of a partial shutdown which occurred on Columbus Day
weekend. This report also includes estimates on the effects of a hypothetical three-day
shutdown during a nonholiday workweek.

2 Information about historical context in this section was provided by Clinton Brass. For more information on
government shutdowns, see CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and
Effects
, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass.
3 Benjamin Civiletti was U.S. Attorney General from 1979 to 1981.
4 The opinions stated that, with some exceptions, the head of an agency could avoid violating the Antideficiency Act
only by suspending the agency’s operations until the enactment of an appropriation. In the absence of appropriations,
exceptions would be allowed only when there is “some reasonable and articulable connection between the function to
be performed and the safety of human life or the protection of property.” For discussion of exemptions, see U.S. GAO,
Principles of Federal Appropriations Law
, 3rd ed., vol., GAO-06-382SP, February 2006, ch. 6, pp. 6-146 - 6 -159.
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House and Senate Committee Prints and Hearings
Committee Prints
The following committee print includes historical information on a past government shutdown.
• U.S. Congress, House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, Cost of
Shutting Down Federal Government on November, 23, 1981, committee print,
97th Congress, 2nd session, March 25, 1982 (Washington: GPO, 1982), available
at http://hdl.handle.net/2027/pur1.32754077662413.
Brief Description: This committee print assessed the cost of the November 23, 1981,
shutdown of federal offices resulting from a presidential veto of a continuing resolution
for FY1982. The committee print includes individual federal departments’ and agencies’
shutdown impact assessments in a study conducted by GAO (pp. 73-212).5 It also
includes costs estimates, an OMB memorandum, and a presidential veto statement.
Hearings
The following are congressional hearings that include historical information on past shutdowns.
Some of these hearings include items for the record such as OMB memoranda.
• U.S. Congress, House and Senate Committees on the Budget, Effects of Potential
Government Shutdown, hearing, 104th Congress, 1st session, September 19, 1995
(Washington: GPO, 1995), available at
http://www.archive.org/stream/effectsofpotenti00unit.
Brief Description: This hearing took place before the November 1995 shutdown, and it
examined potential scenarios if a shutdown were to occur. The hearing includes testimony
from Walter Dellinger, Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, and Alice
M. Rivlin, Director, OMB. The hearing includes additional materials such as articles,
letters from the Federal Reserve System, and a memo6 from Walter Dellinger to Alice
Rivlin.
• U.S. Congress, House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight,
Subcommittee on Civil Service, Government Shutdown I: What’s Essential?,
hearings, 104th Congress, 1st session, December 6, and 14, 1995 (Washington:
GPO 1997), available at
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-104hhrg23275/pdf/CHRG-
104hhrg23275.pdf.

5 U.S. General Accounting Office, Cost of the Recent Partial Shutdown of Government Offices, PAD-82-24, December
10, 1981, available at http://www.gao.gov/products/PAD-82-24.
6 U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel, Government Operation in the Event of a Lapse in
Appropriations
, memorandum from Walter Dellinger, Assistant Attorney General, for Alice Rivlin, Director, Office of
Management and Budget, August 16, 1995. Reprinted in the hearing print at pp. 77-85.
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Brief Description: These hearings were held in December 1995 and generally covered
the November 1995 shutdown.7 Because the hearings were not published until 1997,
some additional information related to the December 1995-January 1996 government
shutdown is included.8
• U.S. Congress, House Committee on Resources, State Service Donations in
Budgetary Shutdowns, hearing, 104th Congress, 1st session, December 5, 1995
(Washington: GPO 1996), available at
http://www.archive.org/stream/stateservicedona00unit.
Brief Description: The hearing was held to consider legislation9 that would have
directed the Department of the Interior to accept donations from state governments’
employee services for assistance in operating national parks and wildlife refuges during
federal government shutdowns.
• U.S. Congress, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, As
Difficult As Possible: The National Park Service’s Implementation of the
Government Shutdown
, hearing, 113th Congress, 1st session, October 16, 2013.
Available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-113hhrg88621/pdf/CHRG-
113hhrg88621.pdf.
Brief Description: The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown and looked
at the National Parks Service’s implementation of the government shutdown.
• U.S. Congress, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Effect of Government
Shutdown on VA Benefits and Services to Veterans, hearing, 113th Congress, 1st
session, October 9, 2013. Document not available from GPO at this time; select
written testimony documents are available at http://veterans.house.gov/hearing/
effect-of-government-shutdown-on-va-benefits-and-services-to-veterans.
Brief Description: The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown and focused
on the impact of the shutdown on benefits payments and services for veterans.
• U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Impacts of the Government Shutdown on Our Economic Security, hearing, 113th
Congress, 1st session, October 11, 2013. Document not available from GPO at
this time; select written testimony documents are available at
http://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Hearings&
ContentRecord_id=71810f14-e80e-4425-a7d6-592ac6f6b025.
Brief Description: The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown and focused
on the possible and emerging economic and other impacts related to the shutdown.

7 This hearing print includes inserted material from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Shutdown Plan,
September 1995
, pp. 80-90; VA, Agency Shutdown Guidance, August 14, 1995, pp. 119-131; VA, Lapse of
Appropriation Furlough Guidance
, September 19, 1995, pp. 132-151; and VA, Updated Plans for Implementing a
Government Shutdown
, December 14, 1995, pp. 354-374.
8 This hearing includes an OMB letter with information about the effects of the shutdowns and counts of employees
who were excepted and not excepted from furlough, pp. 266-270 and 272-274.
9 Includes the text of H.R. 2677 and H.R. 2706, 104th Congress.
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• U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
Small Businesses Speak: Surviving the Government Shutdown?, hearing, 113th
Congress, 1st session, October 15, 2013. Document not available from GPO at
this time; video footage is available at http://www.sbc.senate.gov/public/
index.cfm?p=Hearings&ContentRecord_id=12ad9c4d-d494-4713-9cc2-
49d90e1ea1a6&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&
Group_id=43eb5e02-e987-4077-b9a7-1e5a9cf28964.
Brief Description: The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown and it
examined the impacts the shutdown was having on small businesses.
• U.S. Congress, House Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on
Readiness. The Interpretation of H.R. 3210: ‘Pay Our Military Act’, hearing,
113th Congress, 1st session, October 10, 2013. Available at http://www.gpo.gov/
fdsys/pkg/CHRG-113hhrg85325/pdf/CHRG-113hhrg85325.pdf.
Brief Description: The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown, and it
examined interpretations of H.R. 3210, the Pay Our Military Act, which ultimately was
enacted as P.L. 113-39.
• U.S. Congress, Senate Joint Economic Committee. The Way Forward: Long-
Term Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth, hearing, 113th Congress, 1st
session, October 11, 2013. Available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-
113shrg85408/pdf/CHRG-113shrg85408.pdf.
Brief Description: The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown. The hearing
examined policy options for ending the shutdown and addressing the debt ceiling, and it
also reviewed potential solutions to promote fiscal sustainability and economic growth.
Office of Management and Budget
Guidance Documents for Agencies
OMB documents and guidance regarding potential or actual funding gaps and shutdowns may
provide insights into current and future practices. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
has provided links to copies of previous OMB bulletins and memoranda for reference.10 This
website, entitled Pay & Leave Furlough Guidance: Shutdown Furlough, is available at
http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/furlough-guidance/#url=Shutdown-
Furlough.
The OMB documents include the following.

10 Some of these documents have been reproduced within legislative branch documents mentioned within this report.
See U.S. Congress, House and Senate Committees on the Budget, Effects of Potential Government Shutdown, hearing
104th Cong., 1st sess., September 19, 1995, pp. 77-85; U.S. General Accounting Office, Funding Gaps Jeopardize
Federal Government Operations
, Appendices V, VI, and VII; and U.S. Congress, House Committee on Government
Reform and Oversight, Subcommittee on Civil Service, Government Shutdown I: What’s Essential?, hearings, 104th
Cong., 1st sess., December 6, and 14, 1995, pp. 99-112, 121-131, and 428-430.
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• OMB Bulletin No. 80-14, Shutdown of Agency Operations Upon Failure by the
Congress to Enact Appropriations, August 28, 1980 (citing the 1980 Civiletti
opinion11 and requiring agencies to develop shutdown plans);
• OMB Memorandum, Agency Operations in the Absence of Appropriations,
November 17, 1981 (referencing OMB Bulletin No. 80-14; stating the 1981
Civiletti opinion12 remains in effect; and providing examples of “excepted
activities” that may be continued under a funding gap);
• OMB Bulletin No. 80-14, Supplement No. 1, Agency Operations in the Absence
of Appropriations, August 20, 1982 (“updating” OMB Bulletin No. 80-14 and
newly requiring agencies to submit contingency plans for review by OMB);
• OMB Memorandum M-91-02, Agency Operations in the Absence of
Appropriations, October 5, 1990 (referencing OMB Bulletin No. 80-14; stating
that OMB Bulletin No. 80-14 was “amended” by the OMB Memorandum of
November 17, 1981; stating the 1981 Civiletti opinion remains in effect; and
directing agencies on a Friday how to handle a funding gap that begins during the
weekend);
• OMB Memorandum M-95-18, Agency Plans for Operations During Funding
Hiatus, August 22, 1995 (referencing OMB Bulletin No. 80-14, as amended;
citing the 1981 Civiletti opinion; transmitting to agencies a 1995 Office of Legal
Counsel opinion as an “update” to the 1981 Civiletti opinion;13 and directing
agencies to send updated contingency plans to OMB); and
• OMB Memorandum M-12-03, Planning for Agency Operations During a Lapse
in Government Funding, December 15, 2011 (citing Section 124 of Circular A-11
and providing guidance and coordinating efforts to facilitate contingency
planning in accordance to the Antideficiency Act).
• OMB Memorandum M-13-22, Planning for Agency Operations during a
Potential Lapse in Appropriations, September 17, 2013 (citing Section 124 of
Circular A-11 and providing guidance and coordinating efforts to facilitate
contingency planning in accordance to the Antideficiency Act).
OMB also provides agencies with annual instructions in Circular No. A-11 on how to prepare for
and operate during a funding gap.
• U.S. Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget,
Circular No. A-11: Preparation, Submission, and Execution of the Budget, July
2013, Section 124, available at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars_a11_current_year_a11_toc.

11 For the 1980 Civiletti opinion, see U.S. General Accounting Office, Funding Gaps Jeopardize Federal Government
Operations
, PAD-81-31, March 3, 1981, pp. 63-69, available at http://www.gao.gov/products/PAD-81-31.
12 For the 1981 Civiletti opinion, see U.S. General Accounting Office, Funding Gaps Jeopardize Federal Government
Operations
, PAD-81-31, March 3, 1981, pp. 77-92, available at http://www.gao.gov/products/PAD-81-31.
13 U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel, Government Operation in the Event of a Lapse in
Appropriations
, memorandum from Walter Dellinger, Assistant Attorney General, for Alice Rivlin, Director, Office of
Management and Budget, August 16, 1995, reprinted in U.S. Congress, House and Senate Committees on the Budget,
Effects of Potential Government Shutdown, hearing, 104th Cong., 1st sess., September 19, 1995 (Washington: GPO,
1995), pp. 77-85, available at http://www.archive.org/details/effectsofpotenti00unit.
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Brief Description: The circular establishes two “policies” regarding the absence of
appropriations: (1) a prohibition on incurring obligations unless the obligations are
otherwise authorized by law and (2) permission to incur obligations “as necessary for
orderly termination of an agency’s functions,” but prohibition of any disbursement (i.e.,
payment).
The circular also directs agency heads to develop and maintain shutdown plans, which
are to be submitted to OMB at a minimum every four years, starting August 1, 2014, and
also when revised to reflect certain changes in circumstances. Agency heads are to use
the Civiletti opinions, a 1995 Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel opinion,
and the circular to “decide what agency activities are excepted or otherwise legally
authorized to continue during an appropriations hiatus.”14
Agency Contingency Plans
OMB has a website with links to agency shutdown contingency plans arranged by agency. This
website entitled, Agency Contingency Plans is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/
contingency-plans.
Impacts and Costs of Shutdowns
FY1996
The hearing entitled Government Shutdown I: What’s Essential? includes some estimates related
to the December 1995–January 1996 shutdowns. The hearing includes an OMB letter with
information about the effects of the shutdowns and counts of employees who were excepted and
not excepted from furlough, pp. 266-270 and 272-274. This hearing is available at
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-104hhrg23275/pdf/CHRG-104hhrg23275.pdf.
FY2014
OMB released a report on November 7, 2013, with some estimates on the cost of the October
2013 shutdown. The report includes information on federal employee furloughs, economic effects
of the shutdown, and some impact estimates related to select programs.15 This report is available
at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/reports/impacts-and-costs-of-october-2013-
federal-government-shutdown-report.pdf.

14 U.S. Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Circular No. A-11, Section 124.1,
July 2013, For the Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel document, see U.S. Congress, House and Senate
Committees on the Budget, Effects of Potential Government Shutdown, hearing, 104th Cong., 1st sess., September 19,
1995 (Washington: GPO, 1995), pp. 77-85, available at http://www.archive.org/details/effectsofpotenti00unit. For more
information on federal government shutdown causes, processes, and effects, see CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of
the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects
, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass.
15 An accompanying OMB blog post entitled Impacts and Costs of the Government Shutdown is available at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/11/07/impacts-and-costs-government-shutdown.
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Office of Personnel Management
OPM has some information publicly available on the Internet related to government shutdowns
and furloughs.
• U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Pay & Leave Furlough Guidance,
available at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/furlough-
guidance/.
Brief Description: This website includes links to guidance related to administrative and
shutdown furloughs. The shutdown portion of this website includes the following
additional guidance:
• U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Guidance for Shutdown
Furloughs, October 11, 2013;
• U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Memorandum to Agencies on
Retroactive Pay and Other Matters, October 17, 2013; and
• U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Information on Paychecks for
September 22 through October 5, 2013 Pay Period.
Presidential Materials
The following documents are from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Clinton Presidential Materials Project.16 These documents cover statements made by President
William J. Clinton leading up to and during the November 1995 and December 1995–January
1996 government shutdowns; these documents are arranged by date.
Presidential Statements Related to FY1996 Shutdowns
The November 1995 Shutdown
Brief Historical Context:17 The November 1995 shutdown began on November 14, 1995, and
ended on November 19, 1995. An estimated 800,000 federal employees were furloughed during
the five full days of the shutdown.18 The furlough action was due to the expiration of a continuing
resolution (P.L. 104-31), which funded the government through November 13, 1995. On
November 13, President William Clinton vetoed a second continuing resolution (H.J.Res. 115)

16 The website notes that this has become part of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. See
http://clinton.archives.gov/project_overview/project_overview.html. In 2000-2001, NARA created snapshots of the
Clinton White House website including press releases, speeches, and publications. Some further information on the
project can be found at http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2001/nr01-34.html.
17 Information about the historical context in this section was provided by Jessica Tollestrup. For more information on
funding gaps, see CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by Jessica Tollestrup.
18 See U.S. Congress, House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, Subcommittee on Civil Service,
Government Shutdown I: What’s Essential?, hearings, 104th Cong., 1st sess., December 6, and 14, 1995, p 4.
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and a debt limit extension bill (H.R. 2586) and instructed agencies to begin shutdown operations.
The following presidential statements occurred during this time period.
• U.S. President (Clinton), November 13, 1995, President’s Message to Congress
on Continuing Resolution Veto, available at
http://clinton6.nara.gov/1995/11/1995-11-13-president-message-to-congress-on-
continuing-res-veto.html.
• U.S. President (Clinton), November 14, 1995, Statement by the President on
Government Shutdown, available at
http://clinton6.nara.gov/1995/11/1995-11-14-for-the-record-president-on-
government-shutdown.html.
• U.S. President (Clinton), November 17, 1995, Transmittal to Congress of
Presidential C.R., available at
http://clinton6.nara.gov/1995/11/1995-11-17-transmittal-to-congress-of-
presidential-cr.html.
• U.S. President (Clinton), November 18, 1995, Radio Address by the President to
the Nation, available at
http://clinton6.nara.gov/1995/11/1995-11-18-radio-address-by-the-president-to-
the-nation.html.
• U.S. President (Clinton), November 19, 1995, Statement by the President on
Budget Agreement, available at
http://clinton6.nara.gov/1995/11/1995-11-19-statement-by-the-president-on-
budget-agreement.html.
The December 1995–January 1996 Shutdown
Brief Historical Context:19 The December 1995–January 1996 shutdown began on December
16, 1995, and ended on January 6, 1996. The shutdown was triggered by the expiration of a
continuing funding resolution enacted on November 20, 1995 (P.L. 104-56), which funded the
government through December 15, 1995. This shutdown officially ended on January 6, with the
passage of three continuing resolutions (CRs) (P.L. 104-91, P.L. 104-92, and P.L. 104-94). There
were five additional short-term continuing resolutions needed to prevent further funding gaps
from occurring through April 26, 1996, when the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and
Appropriations Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-134) was enacted to fund any agencies or programs not yet
funded through FY1996. The following presidential statements occurred during the time period of
December 15, 1995, through January 6, 1996.
• U.S. President (Clinton), December 15, 1995, Statement by the President on
Budget Negotiations, available at
http://clinton6.nara.gov/1995/12/1995-12-15-president-statement-on-budget-
negotiations.html.
• U.S. President (Clinton), December 16, 1995, Radio Address by the President to
the Nation, available at

19 Information about the historical context in this section was provided by Jessica Tollestrup. For more information on
funding gaps, see CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by Jessica Tollestrup.
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http://clinton6.nara.gov/1995/12/1995-12-16-radio-address-by-the-president-to-
the-nation.html.
• U.S. President (Clinton), December 18, 1995, Statement by the President on the
Budget, available at
http://clinton6.nara.gov/1995/12/1995-12-18-statement-by-the-president-on-the-
budget.html.
• U.S. President (Clinton), December 22, 1995, Statement by the President on
Signing House Joint Res. 136, available at
http://clinton6.nara.gov/1995/12/1995-12-22-president-statement-on-signing-
house-joint-res.html.
• U.S. President (Clinton), December 23, 1995, Radio Address by the President to
the Nation, available at
http://clinton6.nara.gov/1995/12/1995-12-23-radio-address-by-the-president-to-
the-nation.html.
• U.S. President (Clinton), January 4, 1996, Statement by the President on House
Joint Resolution 153, available at
http://clinton6.nara.gov/1996/01/1996-01-04-president-statement-on-house-joint-
resolution.html.
• U.S. President (Clinton), January 6, 1996, Statement by the President on
Balanced Budget Proposal, available at
http://clinton6.nara.gov/1996/01/1996-01-06-president-remarks-on-balanced-
budget-proposal.html.
• U.S. President (Clinton), January 6, 1996, Statement by the President in Signing
H.R. 1358, available at
http://clinton6.nara.gov/1996/01/1996-01-06-president-statement-in-signing-
hr.html.
• U.S. President (Clinton), January 6, 1996, Statement by the President in Signing
H.R. 1643, available at
http://clinton6.nara.gov/1996/01/1996-01-06-president-statement-in-signing-hr-
a.html.
• U.S. President (Clinton), January 6, 1996, Radio Address by the President to the
Nation, available at
http://clinton6.nara.gov/1996/01/1996-01-06-radio-address-by-the-president-to-
the-nation.html.
Presidential Statements Related to FY2014 Shutdown
Brief Historical Context:20 The most recent shutdown occurred at the beginning of FY2014, on
October 1, 2013, and lasted for a total of 16 days. At the beginning of the fiscal year, none of the
12 regular appropriations bills for FY2014 were enacted. In addition, a continuing resolution to

20 Information about the historical context in this section was provided with the assistance of Jessica Tollestrup. For
more information on funding gaps, see CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by Jessica
Tollestrup.
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Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources

provide temporary funding for the previous year’s projects and activities had also not been
enacted. On September 30, however, an automatic continuing resolution was enacted that covered
FY2014 pay and allowances for (1) certain members of the Armed Forces, (2) certain Department
of Defense (DOD) civilian personnel, and (3) other specified DOD and Department of Homeland
Security contractors (P.L. 113-39).21
A continuing resolution was signed into law (P.L. 113-46) on October 17, 2013, which ended the
shutdown and allowed government departments and agencies to reopen. The following
presidential statements occurred during the time period of September 30, 2013, through October
19, 2013, and included discussion of the shutdown.
• U.S. President (Obama), September 30, 2013, Statement by the President,
available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/09/30/statement-
president.
• U.S. President (Obama), September 30, 2013, Weekly Address: Averting a
Government Shutdown and Expanding Access to Affordable Healthcare, available
at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/09/27/weekly-address-averting-
government-shutdown-and-expanding-access-affordable-healthca.
• U.S. President (Obama), October 1, 2013, Remarks by the President on the
Affordable Care Act and the Government Shutdown, available at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/10/01/remarks-president-
affordable-care-act-and-government-shutdown.
• U.S. President (Obama), October 3, 2013, Remarks by the President on the
Government Shutdown, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/
2013/10/03/remarks-president-government-shutdown.
• U.S. President (Obama), October 5, 2013, Weekly Address: End This Government
Shutdown, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/10/04/your-
weekly-address-end-government-shutdown.
• U.S. President (Obama), October 7, 2013, Remarks by the President at FEMA
Headquarters, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/10/
07/remarks-president-fema-headquarters.
• U.S. President (Obama), October 12, 2013, Weekly Address: Let’s Get Back to the
Work of the American People, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/
10/11/weekly-address-let-s-get-back-work-american-people.
• U.S. President (Obama), October 16, 2013, Statement by the President of the
United States, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/10/
16/statement-president-united-states.
• U.S. President (Obama), October 17, 2013, Remarks by the President on the
Reopening of the Government, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-
office/2013/10/17/remarks-president-reopening-government.

21 For more information on automatic continuing resolutions see CRS Report R41948, Automatic Continuing
Resolutions: Background and Overview of Recent Proposals
, by Jessica Tollestrup
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• U.S. President (Obama), October 19, 2013, Weekly Address: Working Together on
Behalf of the American People, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/
2013/10/18/weekly-address-coming-soon.

Author Contact Information

Jared C. Nagel
Justin Murray
Information Research Specialist
Information Research Specialist
jnagel@crs.loc.gov, 7-2468
jmurray@crs.loc.gov, 7-4092

Acknowledgments
Some of the descriptions within this report draw from CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal
Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects
, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass. Jessica Tollestrup assisted
by providing details within the brief historical context sections on the November 1995, December 1995-
January 1996, and October 2013 shutdowns.
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