As usual, much of the news coverage of the “government shutdown” has been unbelievably superficial; full of sound-bites and oversimplifications. The way they have framed the narrative tends to favor the Democrats. Here are some relevant facts about the “shutdown” that many journalists have ignored or spun. This list is not meant to be comprehensive, only to draw attention to things that many journalists have neglected to mention but that might be important to understanding the shutdown as well as placing blame:
Background:
* In 1974 the Democratic-Party controlled House and Senate passed the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Act which shifted budgetary control away from the President and Executive branch to the Congress.
* The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Act resulted in 6 government “shutdowns” before 1980 in which the Congress failed to agree on a budget. However, during all of these budget disputes, federal employees continued to operate normally and once a budget bill was finally passed it would retroactively fund them. Continue reading
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