2013 Us Government Shutdown Timeline

The 2013 US government shutdown was a significant event in American politics, causing widespread disruption and economic impact. Lasting for 16 days, from October 1 to October 16, 2013, the shutdown affected millions of federal employees and impacted various government services. This article delves into the detailed timeline of this historical event, providing a comprehensive overview of the key moments and decisions that led to the shutdown and its eventual resolution.

The Prelude to Shutdown

The seeds of the 2013 government shutdown were sown months prior, as Congress struggled to pass a budget for the new fiscal year beginning on October 1, 2013. The primary point of contention was the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare, which was set to take effect on that date. Republicans in the House of Representatives, led by Speaker John Boehner, sought to delay or defund the ACA as a condition for passing the budget.

On September 20, 2013, the Republican-controlled House passed a funding bill that would have delayed the ACA by one year and repealed a medical device tax to fund it. However, the Democratic-controlled Senate, led by Majority Leader Harry Reid, rejected this proposal and passed a clean Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government without any amendments to the ACA.

With both chambers of Congress at an impasse, the fate of the budget and the government's funding hung in the balance.

Key Dates Leading to Shutdown

• September 27, 2013: The House passed a revised funding bill, known as the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014. This bill, once again, sought to delay the ACA and included provisions to repeal the medical device tax and defund the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). The Senate once more rejected this bill, setting the stage for a potential shutdown.
• September 30, 2013: As the midnight deadline approached, both chambers of Congress were still unable to reach an agreement. The Senate and House continued to exchange bills and amendments, but no consensus was reached. With no budget in place, the government was set to shut down at midnight, resulting in the furlough of hundreds of thousands of federal employees.

The Shutdown Begins

At 12:01 a.m. on October 1, 2013, the federal government officially shut down. This marked the first government shutdown since the 1995-1996 shutdowns under President Bill Clinton.

• October 1, 2013: On the first day of the shutdown, the impact was immediately felt across the country. National parks and monuments were closed, with visitors being turned away. Many government services were suspended, including the processing of passport applications and new enrollments in federal programs like Medicare.
• Approximately 800,000 federal employees were furloughed, and another 1.3 million deemed essential continued to work without pay. The shutdown affected various agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, and the National Institutes of Health.
• President Barack Obama called on Congress to pass a clean Continuing Resolution to reopen the government, stating that the shutdown was unnecessary and harmful to the economy.

Day-by-Day Breakdown of the Shutdown

The following is a detailed account of the key events that occurred during the 16-day shutdown:

• October 2: Senate Democrats introduced a clean CR to fund the government until November 15, 2013. The bill was blocked by Senate Republicans.
• October 3: The House passed a bill to fund the Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal agencies, but the Senate rejected it due to its exclusion of funding for the ACA.
• October 4: Both chambers remained at an impasse, with no significant progress made towards a resolution. The shutdown began to impact the economy, with estimates suggesting a cost of $300 million per day in lost economic activity.
• October 7: The House passed several mini-funding bills to reopen specific agencies, such as the National Park Service and the National Institutes of Health. However, the Senate again rejected these bills, maintaining that a clean CR was the only path to resolution.
• October 8: With no breakthrough in sight, the shutdown continued to disrupt federal services. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began furloughing air traffic controllers, leading to flight delays and cancellations across the country.
• October 10: President Obama met with congressional leaders at the White House, urging them to pass a clean CR. The meeting, however, failed to produce any immediate results.
• October 11: The shutdown entered its second week, with no signs of an end in sight. The House passed a bill to pay furloughed federal workers retroactively, but this move was seen as a political maneuver and had little impact on the negotiations.
• October 14: With the deadline for raising the debt ceiling approaching, the shutdown began to intertwine with the debt ceiling crisis. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew warned that the US would default on its debt obligations if Congress failed to raise the debt ceiling by October 17.
• October 15: The Senate finally reached a tentative agreement to end the shutdown and raise the debt ceiling. The deal included a provision to fund the government until January 15, 2014, and raise the debt ceiling until February 7, 2014.

The End of Shutdown

On October 16, 2013, both the House and the Senate passed the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014, which ended the shutdown and provided funding for federal agencies until January 15, 2014. The bill also suspended the debt ceiling until February 7, 2014.

• The bill was signed into law by President Obama, officially ending the 16-day government shutdown.
• Federal employees who had been furloughed returned to work, and government services resumed.
• The economic impact of the shutdown was significant, with estimates suggesting a total cost of $24 billion to the US economy.

Post-Shutdown Analysis and Impact

The 2013 government shutdown had far-reaching consequences and served as a cautionary tale for future political negotiations.

Economically, the shutdown resulted in a loss of confidence in the US government and a decline in consumer and business sentiment. It also disrupted various sectors, including tourism, as national parks and monuments remained closed for the duration of the shutdown.

Politically, the shutdown damaged the reputation of both parties, with public approval ratings for Congress hitting record lows. It also set a precedent for future budget battles, with the threat of government shutdowns becoming a recurring tactic in political negotiations.

The shutdown also highlighted the vulnerability of federal employees, who were forced to go without pay during the impasse. This led to increased calls for reforms to protect federal workers during future shutdowns.

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