Congress risks another government shutdown. The cost of 5 prior shutdowns.

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO:

THE CLOCK IS TICKING ON CONGRESS TO FUND THE GOVERNMENT OR RISK A SHUTDOWN ON OCTOBER FIRST. WHEN BUDGET SHOWDOWNS REACH SHUTDOWN, IT COMES WITH A COST. HERE ARE FIVE TIMES POLITICIANS SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT IN THIS WEEK’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY.

PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN WAS IN THE WHITE HOUSE FOR A WHOPPING 8 SHUTDOWNS. BUT THE OCTOBER ‘86 SHUTDOWN WAS ONE OF HIS SHORTEST. HALF A MILLION GOVERNMENT WORKERS GOT FURLOUGHED FOR ABOUT 4 HOURS. BUT THE PRICE TAG WAS STILL $61 MILLION IN LOST WORK. THE SPAT WAS MOSTLY OVER HOUSE DEMOCRATS HOLDING OUT FOR A VOTE ON WELFARE EXPANSION, SOMETHING REAGAN AND SENATE REPUBLICANS OPPOSED.

BEFORE 1981, SPENDING GAPS DIDN’T ACTUALLY MEAN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES STOPPED WORKING. SO THIS ONE’S THE FIRST EVER SHUTDOWN IN THE CURRENT SENSE OF THE TERM. REAGAN WANTED $8.4 BILLION IN SPENDING CUTS AND PROMISED TO VETO ANY BILL THAT DIDN’T MEET AT LEAST HALF THAT. DEMOCRATS IN THE HOUSE REFUSED TO GET THERE, FALLING $2 BILL SHORT OF HIS TARGET. 241,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES WERE OUT FOR 2 DAYS, COSTING TAXPAYERS BETWEEN $80 AND $90 MILLION.

1995 HAD TWO BACK-TO-BACK SHUTDOWNS STRETCHING INTO ‘96, WITH PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON UP AGAINST A REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED CONGRESS. CLINTON REFUSED TO SIGN OFF ON A SPENDING RESOLUTION THAT HAD “SHARP HIKES IN MEDICARE PREMIUMS” – HIS WORDS. AND AN APPARENT SNUB OF THEN-SPEAKER NEWT GINGRICH ON AIR FORCE ONE DIDN’T HELP. SO THAT WAS A 5-DAY SHUTDOWN, THEN A 30-DAY STOPGAP WHERE AT THE END THEY FAILED TO COME TO TERMS, AND IT SHUT DOWN ALL OVER AGAIN. A TOTAL OF 26 DAYS AND $1.4 BILLION TAXPAYER DOLLARS.

HERE’S THE LONGEST IN HISTORY, PRESIDENT TRUMP’S $5 BILLION DOLLAR FUNDING DEMAND FOR A BORDER WALL RESULTED IN A 35-DAY SHUTDOWN. 800,000 FEDS FACED FURLOUGHS AND IT COST THE ECONOMY $11 BILLION IN GDP OVER TWO QUARTERS, ACCORDING TO THE CBO. WHO COULD FORGET THIS MOMENT, WITH WHITE HOUSE CHEFS FURLOUGHED, TRUMP SERVED A FAST FOOD FEAST TO CLEMSON’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL TEAM. GOVERNMENT FINALLY REOPENED WHEN THE NEW CONGRESS TOOK OVER AT THE START OF THE YEAR AND DEMOCRATS PASSED A SPENDING BILL WITHOUT TRUMP’S WALL FUNDING, WHICH I THOUGHT MEXICO WAS PAYING FOR?

OBAMACARE IS AT THE CENTER OF THIS 16-DAY SHUTDOWN IN 2013. ENOUGH CONSERVATIVES REFUSED TO SIGN ON TO ANY FUNDING BILL THAT DIDN’T DELAY OR DEFUND THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT. THE STANDOFF BROUGHT US TED CRUZ READING GREEN EGGS AND HAM ON THE SENATE FLOOR, SO THERE’S THAT. EVENTUALLY REPUBLICAN HOUSE SPEAKER JOHN BOEHNER PASSED A FUNDING BILL THAT LEFT OBAMACARE IN TACT AFTER THE TREASURY WARNED IT WAS GONNA RUN OUT OF MONEY. S&P SAYS THE SHUTDOWN COST THE U.S. $24 BILLION.

WE’VE LEARNED THAT NO ONE EVER REALLY GETS WHAT THEY WANT FROM THESE SHUTDOWNS, THE LEAST OF ALL, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. THAT’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY, I’M SIMONE DEL ROSARIO. IT’S JUST BUSINESS.