Congress has until the end of September to fund the government. With about a week to spare, here are the options: Meet the deadline, pass a stopgap bill, or shut down. But when budget showdowns reach shutdowns, there is a significant taxpayer cost. Here are five times politicians shut down the government in this week’s Five For Friday:

#5: 1986

President Ronald Reagan was in the White House for eight government shutdowns. But the October 1986 shutdown will go down as one of the shortest in history. Democrats, which held a majority in the House of Representatives, were holding out for a vote on welfare expansion, but Republicans in the Senate didn’t budge. Roughly 500,000 federal workers were furloughed for about four hours, which ended up costing $61 million in lost work. 

#4: 1981

Prior to 1981, failing to fund the government wouldn’t stop agencies from operating. So, this is the first government shutdown in the current sense of the term. President Reagan demanded $8.4 billion in spending cuts and promised to veto any bill that didn’t meet at least half of that threshold. House Democrats fell $2 billion short of Reagan’s target. As a result, 241,000 federal employees were shut down from working for two days and it cost U.S. taxpayers $80-$90 million.

#3: 1995-1996

Back-to-back shutdowns stretched from 1995 into 1996, with President Bill Clinton facing off with a Republican-controlled House and Senate. Clinton refused to sign any spending bill with “sharp hikes in Medicare premiums.” And an apparent snub of then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) on Air Force One didn’t help the situation. The initial five-day shutdown resulted in a 30-day continuing resolution, but the two sides failed to come to terms at the end of the 30 days, and the government shut down again. In the end, 284,000 employees were furloughed for a total of 26 days, and it cost taxpayers $1.4 billion.

#2: 2018-2019

President Donald Trump was in the White House for the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Trump demanded $5 billion in funding for a wall at the southern border, and Congress wouldn’t pony up. A 35-day shutdown spanning 2018-2019 ensued, with 800,000 federal employees furloughed. The Congressional Budget Office said it cost the U.S. economy $11 billion.

It also resulted in some iconic moments. With White House chefs furloughed, President Trump served Clemson’s National Championship football team a fast-food feast. The government eventually reopened when the new Congress took over at the start of the year, and Democrats passed a spending bill without funding for the wall.

#1: 2013

President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare legislation was at the center of the 16-day shutdown of 2013. Some conservatives in Congress refused to sign on to a funding bill that didn’t delay or defund the Affordable Care Act, which created the stalemate. Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) reading of Green Eggs and Ham on the Senate floor was part of the proceedings. Eventually, Republican House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) passed a funding bill that left Obamacare intact. Around 850,000 federal employees were furloughed, and S&P says the shutdown cost the U.S. $24 billion. 

China’s military activity is heating up as Taiwan officials reported on Monday, Sept. 18. According to the reports, China has been sending groups of fighter jets and warships into areas around Taiwan.

The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense reported that more than a hundred Chinese aircrafts and nine Chinese naval ships were operating near the island between Sunday, Sept. 17, and Monday, Sept. 18.

The reports state that around 40 aircraft crossed into Taiwan’s side of the Taiwan Strait. Authorities and analysts in the U.S. and Taiwan say these latest actions by Beijing are more about training than sending a message, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Officials worry that China is working on how to most effectively encircle Taiwan and prevent the U.S. from coming to the island’s aid in response to an invasion. 

This comes as the U.S. sends two drone-ship prototypes to Japan for their first deployments in the western Pacific. These drones have surveillance and attack capabilities that are being tested by the Navy. Experts believe these drones could prove useful in any future conflicts with china.

The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense said in its release that Taiwan leaders are responding to China’s actions calmly as they call on officials in Beijing to take responsibility and put an immediate stop to “such destructive unilateral actions.”

The Senate approved three key military nominees that had been held up by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., in overwhelmingly bipartisan votes. That means Gen. Eric Smith is the new Marine Corps commandant, Gen. Randy George is now chief of staff of the Army, and Air Force Gen. Charles Brown will become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when Gen. Mark Milley retires at the end of September. 

The delay in their approval led to a bitter fight. 

“These men should already be confirmed. They should already be serving in their new positions. The Senate should not have to go through procedural hoops just to please one brazen and misguided senator,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said when he announced the votes. 

Tuberville began placing holds on all military nominees — 300 and counting — in March. He is protesting a Pentagon policy that provides paid time off and travel expenses for military service members who get an abortion. 

“These three honorable men will finally be able to assume their positions and the abortion policy that Senator Tuberville abhors will remain in place. Senator Tuberville will have accomplished nothing,” Schumer said. 

Straight Arrow News asked Tuberville for his response to Schumer. 

“Well, we got three new promotions as of today. A lot more than he’s had. And he would have never done this had we not called his hand. And so he blinked, he knows how to do it,” Tuberville said. “Main thing is the American people need to see that we can do this, even with my holds. But he won’t admit it. And again, we’re gonna keep pushing to get the policy moved back because this is an illegal policy.” 

Tuberville’s hold prevented the nominees from being approved quickly and in large groups. They could still be approved individually with full votes. The big difference is the time it takes.

Tuberville responded to critics who contend spending extra time on military nominees takes away from other legislative priorities. 

“It’s going to. Problem is we’ve been doing this for seven months, we could have been doing a few a week. But they refused to do it because they didn’t think they were wrong. Well, they’re dead wrong on this. And so the American people on a controversial subject like this, abortion, need to have their voice heard through their senator and congressman. It doesn’t need to be dictated from the White House with a memo or the Pentagon,” Tuberville said. 

Tuberville said he will continue his hold on the other 300 nominees. He said if they’re going to be approved, the Pentagon can either change its abortion policy or the Senate can vote on each one individually.

Democrats have called Tuberville’s hold a threat to national security, while Republicans have said they disagree with the way in which he’s protesting. But when Schumer announced the votes, Republicans said he should have done it a while ago. 

“Because while everybody is grousing about the senator from Alabama, Chuck Schumer knew full well that he could have done this months and months ago. If we had been lining those nominees up, we wouldn’t have these vacancies today,” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said. 

The Pentagon has also said the hold hurts its operations. Those who have been nominated but not approved serve in an acting capacity and have limits on their authority. Pentagon press secretary Gen. Pat Ryder recently made a football analogy, and said imagine if NFL coaches were serving in an acting capacity as the season started.

Attorney General Merrick Garland testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Sept. 20. It is the first time Garland has testified to the committee since former President Donald Trump and Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son, have both been indicted on federal charges in separate cases.

Republicans focused on discrediting Garland’s leadership at the Department of Justice, attempting to portray Garland as an attorney general who has created two systems of justice: one for Americans and one for the Biden family.

“Americans believe that today, in our country, there is unequal application of the law,” Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan said. “They believe that because there is. Republicans are committed to making that change.”

In his opening statements, Garland fought back, stressing that the DOJ’s job is to pursue justice without fear or favor and apply the law equally to everyone.

“Our job is to uphold the rule of law,” Garland said. “That means that we apply the same laws to everyone. There is not one set of laws for the powerful and another for the powerless; one for the rich, and one for the poor; one for democrats, another for republicans; or different rules, depending upon one’s race or ethnicity or religion.

“Our job is to pursue justice, without fear or favor. Our job is not to do what is politically convenient. Our job is not to take orders from the president, from Congress, or from anyone else, about who or what to criminally investigate. As the president himself has said, and I reaffirm today: I am not the president’s lawyer. I will also add I am not Congress’s prosecutor. The Justice Department works for the American people. Our job is to follow the facts and the law. And that is what we do.”

During the hearing, Republicans grilled the nation’s top law enforcement official on his department’s investigations into Hunter Biden for alleged tax and firearms crimes.

They pressed Garland on why special counsel David Weiss allowed the statute of limitations to run out on potential charges against Hunter Biden. Garland answered the question the same each time.

Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La.: “Why has the Justice Department dragged out this investigation for so long? Does it really take years to determine if Hunter Biden lied on a federal form related to purchasing a firearm?”

Garland: “Mr. Weiss was a long-time career prosecutor. President Trump appointed him.”

Johnson: “You’re not answering the question. Is that standard procedure? Should it take that long to make such a simple determination?”

Garland: “I’m answering the question, give me an opportunity to do so.”

Johnson: “Okay.”

Garland: “He was charged with that investigation under the previous administration. He has continued. He knows how to conduct investigations. I have not intruded or attempted to evaluate that, because that was the promise I made to the Senate.”

Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C.: “Are you unaware that the statutes of limitations have in fact been allowed to expire after there having been tolling agreements in place?”

Garland: “I’m going to say again. Determination of where to bring cases, and which kinds of cases to bring, was left to Mr. Weiss.”

Bishop: “Yes sir, I’m aware that you said that. That’s part of the problem.”

Chairman Jordan, R-Ohio: “It’s one thing to have a gun charge in Delaware, that doesn’t involve the president of the United States, but Burisma? Oh my, that goes right to the White House. We can’t have that. And we can slow-walk this thing along.

“We can even extend the statute of limitations and then we can intentionally let it lapse. And we know this investigation was slow. Here’s what everyone said… Every witness said it was slow-walked and we know why. They slow walked it long enough to have the statute of limitations run so they wouldn’t have to get into Burisma. Tell me where I’m wrong.”

Garland: “I think I’ve tried to make clear. I don’t know specifics of investigation. Much of what you’re describing occurred during the Trump administration with a Justice Department appointed by President Trump.”

Jordan: “No it didn’t. This is four-and-a-half years of investigation; we’re talking about the last few years. Your statement was just this year, March 1st to Senator Grassley.”

Garland: “I’m sorry, I was trying to respond. Your descriptions of what the IRS agents said about certain things…”

Jordan: “The statute of limitations is six years. That lapsed here in the Biden administration.”

Garland: “On the statute of limitations I will say again. That the explanation for why the statute of limitations was lapsed, if it was, has to come from Mr. Weiss.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, Democrats defended garland – and asked him about other issues including a potential government shut down, abortion, crime, and the U.S.-Mexico Border.

Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn.: “If there’s a shutdown of our federal government, how will that affect the Department of Justice and how will it affect policing in local communities?”

Garland: “I have not done a complete calculation on the effects of a shutdown, on the difference between which employees are indispensable under the statute, and which ones are not. It will certainly disrupt all our normal programs including our grant programs to state and local law enforcement, and our ability to conduct our normal efforts, with respect to the entire scope of our activities including helping state and locals fight violent crime.”

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y.: “One Trump-like presidential candidate has said that we should abolish the FBI altogether. Mr. Attorney General, what would be the impact on America if we defund the FBI?”

Garland: “Defunding the FBI would leave the United States naked to the influence of the Chinese Communist Party, to the attacks by Iranians on American citizens and attempts to assassinate former officials, to the Russian aggression, to North Korean cyberattacks, to violent crime in the United States, which the FBI helps to fight against, to all kinds of espionage, to domestic violent extremists who have attacked our churches, our synagogues, our mosques, and who have killed individuals out of racial hatred. I just cannot imagine the consequences of defunding the FBI, but they would be catastrophic.”

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.: “Mr. Weiss was appointed by then President Trump. Your decision was to leave the Trump-appointed attorney completely in charge of this, hands off from you. He makes all the calls without interference from the attorney general. Is that correct?”

Garland: “That is correct.”

Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa.: “Thank you, Mr. Attorney General. Thank you for your decades of faithful service to our country, to our Constitution, and to our rule of law. Thank you for putting up with this today. The American people are watching. They know what’s going on here. This is a gross misuse of your time, your team’s time, and our time. It is a shameful circus. It has a goal. The goal is to spew lies and disinformation ultimately to tear away at the confidence of our independent institutions, in your case today, our very important Department of Justice.”

Things heated up when Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., fired multiple questions at Garland, not giving him much of a chance to answer.

Gaetz: “So, Hunter Biden is selling art to pay for his $15,000 a month rent in Malibu. How can you guarantee that the people buying that art aren’t doing so to gain favor with the president?”

Garland: “The job of the Justice Department is to investigate criminal allegations.”

Gaetz: “Are you investigating this? Someone who bought Hunter Biden’s art ended up with a prestigious appointment to a federal position. Doesn’t it look weird that he’s become this immediate success in the art world as his dad is president of the United States? Isn’t that odd?”

Garland: “I’m not going to comment about any specific…”

Gaetz: “You’re not going to comment, not going to investigate.”

Then, about 40 minutes later, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., accused Garland of being in contempt of Congress for not commenting on ongoing investigations. This led to Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., displaying two computers, showcasing Jordan’s refusal to comply with a congressional subpoena regarding his actions on Jan. 6, 2021.

Swalwell: “My colleague just said you should be held in contempt of Congress, and that is quite rich. Because the guy who’s leaving the hearing room right now, Mr. Jordan, is about 500 days into evading his subpoena. About 500 days.

“So, if we’re going to talk about contempt of Congress, let’s get real. Are you serious that Jim Jordan, a witness to one of the greatest crimes ever committed in America, a crime where more prosecutions have occurred than any other crime committed in America refuses to help his country. And we’re going to get lectured about subpoena compliance and contempt of Congress? Jim Jordan won’t even honor a lawful subpoena. Are you kidding me?”

Overall, the hearing seemed like it was two hearings: one for Republicans to dig in and ask questions about Hunter Biden investigations, and one for Democrats to praise Garland and the work being done by the DOJ.

In the end, Rep. Nadler gave Garland the chance to clear up any confusion or answer any questions in greater detail. He chose to use that time to reaffirm the DOJ’s commitment to America.

“I just, again, I want to assure the American public and this committee that the Justice Department follows the rule of law,” Garland concluded. “It enforces the law equally, without regard to persons and without regard to parties, and that we do the best we can to follow the facts and the law.”

The U.S. is barreling toward a government shutdown. Congress has so far failed to agree on spending legislation to fund the government starting Oct. 1. But didn’t the U.S. just deal with a spending crisis a few months back?

Government shutdowns and debt ceiling debacles are often conflated. Here are the differences between a government shutdown and a debt default.

Government Shutdown

Congress is supposed to pass spending legislation to fund government operations every fiscal year, which starts on Oct. 1.

If Congress fails to pass these bills, agencies won’t have enough money to keep the lights on and end up shutting down to save resources.

Most of the time, that means non-essential employees go home furloughed and government work doesn’t get done until a deal is reached. Often, essential employees like military personnel are required to work without pay.

When a deal is reached, employees receive back pay, but the taxpayers foot the bill for lost productivity.

Government shutdowns are usually highly political. In 2013, the government shutdown because conservatives wanted to defund or delay then-President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. In 2018, it was a spat over then-President Trump’s $5 billion funding request for a border wall.

Debt Default

A debt default would be catastrophic for the U.S. economy. Congress sets a hard limit on how much the U.S. can borrow to pay its bills, commonly referred to as the debt ceiling.

When the Treasury Department reaches that ceiling, if Congress doesn’t raise it higher, the U.S. is unable to do things like send out Social Security checks or make payments on its debt, jeopardizing its global reputation.

In June, the U.S. narrowly avoided its first debt default by suspending the $31.4 trillion borrowing limit until January 2025, after the election.

Even though the U.S. avoided a default, Fitch Ratings cut the U.S. credit rating by one notch in response.

“In Fitch’s view, there has been a steady deterioration in standards of governance over the last 20 years, including on fiscal and debt matters,” the agency said when announcing the rating cut. “The repeated debt-limit political standoffs and last-minute resolutions have eroded confidence in fiscal management.”

Life in the 21st century is filled with distraction. Studies show we spend almost half our waking lives distracted. In the Air Force, like other service branches, distractions could mean disaster.

So, the Department of the Air Force is working to improve mental toughness. Straight Arrow News was given an opportunity to see how the Air Force is working toward that improvement at this year’s AFA Air, Space and Cyber conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

It’s called the MindGym. It’s an aluminum cube that stands 7 feet tall. One side opens up, revealing an interior space filled with mirrors, and lined with hidden LED lights and speakers.

“It’s a controlled environment,” Brandon Murphy said. “It’s a fully immersive environment built for mental skills training to support our airmen with resilience training and performance mindset training, essentially.”

Murphy works for the company behind the MindGym, Lumena Labs. As the name implies, it’s literally a workout space for the brain. It won’t help people slim down or look good for summer, but Murphy said it can help them deal with the world around them in a more positive way.

“It’s the only thing I know how to do to kind of preserve my own mental well-being. When I started, I never meditated in my life,” Murphy said. “I didn’t know anything about mindfulness. I’m very much the type of person that every single day I have every hour blocked. So, the ability to kind of dedicate some time towards my mental fitness, if you will, completely changed my life honestly.”

Dr. Janelle MacAulay was a combat pilot in the Air Force. After a distinguished career stretching two decades, MacAulay helped design the curriculum for the MindGym.

By putting their brain through a mental bootcamp, MacAulay said participants “can be more focused, more pleasant, more productive. Especially when they’re doing things inside high-pressure moments.”

So, how does it work?

Participants step inside the mirror-lined cube where a series of lights and speakers are also embedded. Once they sit down and the door is shut, it’s time for the show.

Air Force 2nd Lt. Jeffrey Wamsley described what it was like the first time he used the MindGym while at ASC 2023, “You just see yourself in like all these different areas and it’s like, ‘Okay.’ Then, you know, as I was sitting all these voices just started coming up and they were overlapping and it’s like, ‘Whoa! This is already getting kind of interesting.’”

It’s interesting because the participants are exposed to an experience unlike anything they’d see in their average day. Programmed lights, soundscapes, and MacAulay’s voice guide participants through a series of mental exercises designed to help the brain strengthen and react better to stress.

“Because we live in a highly distracted world, we tend to make more errors,” MacAulay said. “We tend to see our stress as more overwhelming than it needs to be, and those factors contribute to a degradation in our performance. Especially when we’re doing something where lives are on the line. As warfighters, we can’t afford that. We need to be on the cutting edge of learning the right mental skills so that we can start thriving in those environments, bringing our best self forward, no matter what the challenges.”

And the results? Almost immediate.

“[The MindGym] almost forces you to stop worrying about whatever it was before you stepped in. This was just like a five-minute session, and you know, all the stuff I was worrying about before I got in there, I forgot about it for a little while. Just kind of helps you recharge,” 2nd Lt. Wamsley said.

The MindGym is currently helping airmen and guardians recharge at six different air bases with plans to expand to eight soon. MacAulay said she looks forward to the day when every member of the military has access to the benefits of the MindGym, regardless of service branch.

An organized protest called “1 Million March 4 Children” filled the streets of Canada on Wednesday, Sept. 20. The protesters were parents arguing that sexual content should stay outside of schools.

Thousands of parents expressed concerns over school curriculum focusing on sexual education, as well as policies keeping parents in the dark over children changing gender identities in school.

The protesters used signs saying things like: “Stop the indoctrination and sexualization of out children,” while chanting “no more silence” and “hands off our kids.

However, their protests were countered with other parents showing up to support the opposite perspective, holding signs such as: “Let trans kids thrive,” and “Trans kids need safe spaces.”

These protesters argued that children have the right to learn about sexual orientation and should be able to change their identities without parental knowledge.

The protests were widespread and took place in streets, at government buildings, in front of school buildings and even included marches from Montreal to Ottawa.

The United States is battling with the same issue. Currently, U.S. policies are largely dependent on local school boards or state laws, however they may start to rise to a federal level.

The upcoming 2024 presidential election is increasing political attention to the debate, with candidates using the controversy as a talking point to appeal to parents.

The family of a U.S. Navy veteran is suing Google, alleging that Google Maps directed Philip “John” Paxson to drive over a bridge that was no longer there, resulting in his drowning. In a lawsuit filed in Wake County, North Carolina, Paxson’s family argues that the bridge washed away nine years prior to the incident, giving Google ample time to update its maps.

According to Paxson’s family, he was driving home from his daughter’s ninth birthday party in September 2022 during dark rainy conditions when his truck went off the side of the washed-out bridge.

The family is also suing the owners of the land where the bridge was, claiming that there were no signs or barriers indicating the bridge was gone. According to a report by The Charlotte Observer, North Carolina State Highway Patrol said the barriers had been removed due to vandalism.

The lawsuit states that several individuals contacted Google, requesting map updates due to concerns about the missing bridge before Paxson’s fatal incident.

A Google spokesperson told The Associated Press, the company has “the deepest sympathies for the Paxson family.”

On Wednesday, Sept. 20, the Biden administration announced that it is giving away more free at-home COVID test kits. Beginning Monday, Sept. 25, Americans can go to covidtest.gov and order up to four tests per household.

Free testing kits were made available through the site in January 2022, but the government ended that program in June 2023 to conserve testing supplies. These supplies have become more difficult for the average American to get after the U.S. government ended the public health emergency in May 2023.

The mail-order restart comes just in time for the fall and winter season when the virus is more likely to spread at an increased rate. COVID-19 cases have gradually increased in recent weeks, although significantly less than prior fall seasons. COVID-related deaths remain near all-time lows, according to the latest CDC data.

The Biden administration said it will pay $600 million to 12 different manufacturing sites in the hope of growing the nation’s stockpile by 200 million test kits.

The Senate voted to confirm Gen. Charles Q. Brown to replace Gen. Mark Milley as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on On Wednesday, Sept. 21. This comes as hundreds of military promotions have been blocked by freshman Sen. Tommy Tuberville (AL-R) over the Pentagon’s abortion policy.

Gen. Milley’s four-year term as chairman ends on Sept. 30, and he is retiring after serving in the military for four decades. Milley’s replacement, Brown, was nominated by President Joe Biden months ago and was confirmed with a vote of 83-11.

The months-long hold-up and blockage of hundreds more military promotions comes as Tuberville, acting alone, demands the Pentagon changes its abortion policy. Currently, military members seeking abortions can be reimbursed for out-of-state travel.

The hold on promotions has received pushback from both sides of the aisle, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY-D) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY-R). Tuberville’s hold grinds the process to a halt; with more than 300 nominees waiting, the delay would require the Senate to confirm each individually, a process that would bog down the chamber for months.

Democrats say Tuberville’s actions threaten national security, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States has also urged Tuberville to lift his hold on military promotions.

Brown, 60, is the nation’s first African American to lead a branch of the U.S. military. His confirmation makes history as, for the first time, African Americans will hold the Pentagon’s top two posts.
Despite the blockade, Schumer has set Senate floor votes for Gen. Randy A. George to be chief of staff for the Army and Gen. Eric Smith to be promoted to commandant of the Marine Corps.