What is a Government Shutdown?

The federal government has experienced funding gaps 20 times in the past 50 years—some of which were so brief they went largely unnoticed, while others lasted days or weeks and impacted millions of Americans. With a funding deadline looming at the end of this month, what do these gaps mean, which ones are called “shutdowns,” and how could it impact everyday Americans and the economy? The Bipartisan Policy Center answers some of the most frequently asked questions about government shutdowns in this video. For more information on government shutdowns, see here, and check out more from BPC’s Economic Policy Program here.