The United States Government Shutdowns and Emergency Declarations. Kofi Aninakwa
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Acknowledgements
Throughout the writing of this book I have received a great deal of support and assistances from the Almighty God. I would first like to thank my predecessors who have done similar works presenting me with the resources I perused which were invaluable in the expressing the topics formulated during the researching for the materials.
I would like to acknowledge my colleagues and admirers, for their wonderful collaborations. They supported me greatly and were always willing to help me. I would not single out but I want to thank all of them for their excellent cooperation and for all of the opportunities I was given to conduct my research and further come out with this book.
Lastly they provided me with the tools that I needed to choose the right directions and successfully complete this book. In addition, I would like to thank my family for their wise counsel and sympathetic ears. You are always there for me. Finally, there are my friends, who were of great support in deliberating over, as well as providing happy distractions to rest my mind outside this book
Dedication
I dedicate this book to God Almighty my creator, my strong pillar, my source of inspiration, wisdom, knowledge and understanding. He has been the source of my strength throughout this program and on His wings only have I soared.
I dedicate this book to all the Federal workers in the United States and abroad who irregularly face the blunt of administrative impasses which frequently leads to shutdowns from 1976 and those to come.
I also dedicate it to my family who has encouraged me all the way and whose encouragement has made sure that I give it all it takes to finish that which I have started.
To my daughter, Candidate Frimpong-Aninakwa has been influenced in every way possible by this quest. Thank you. My love for you all can never be quantified. God bless you.
Preface
A government shutdown occurs when Congress does not approve of or the president rejects federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year or continuous resolution for short term thereof and nonessential functions of the U.S. government close until lawmakers can agree on a budget. Some government functions such as the Federal Reserve System are completely self-funded. Others, like Social Security and Medicare, are partially self-funded but may be subject to administrative shutdowns. Some programs are fully or partially funded for multiple years and some are funded annually. They may fail if the government does not meet its financial obligations.
Since the 1990s, Congress has often failed to pass the twelve to thirteen appropriation bills that set government-wide spending. In their stead they pass "continuing resolutions (CR)" to extend the existing spending law at or near current levels, and "omnibus" bills that combine many appropriations bills into one. Budget negotiations can be difficult when the president is not of the party that controls one or both houses of Congress. The last budget was passed on April 29, 2009.
A continuing resolution temporarily funds the government in the absence of full appropriations bills, often by continuing funding levels from the prior year. Traditionally, the CRs have been used to give lawmakers a short period of time to complete their work on the remaining appropriations bills while keeping the government operating. CRs sometimes apply to only a few categories of spending, but they can also be used to fund all discretionary functions and can be used for an entire year.
Chapter One – What is a shutdown and causes?
The U.S. Constitution requires that all expenditures of federal funds be authorized by Congress with the approval of the sitting President of the United States. The U.S. federal government and the federal budget process operate on a fiscal year cycle running from October 1 to midnight September 30. If Congress fails to pass all of the spending bills comprising the annual federal budget or "continuing resolutions" extending spending beyond the end of the fiscal year; or if the president fails to sign or vetoes any of the individual spending bills, certain non-essential functions of the government may be forced to cease due to a lack of congressionally-authorized funding. The result is a government shutdown.
A government shutdown occurs when Congress does not approve or the president rejects federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year or continuous resolution for short term thereof and nonessential functions of the U.S. government close until lawmakers can agree on a budget. Some government functions such as the Federal Reserve System are completely self-funded. Others, like Social Security and Medicare, are partially self-funded but may be subject to administrative shutdowns. Some programs are fully or partially funded for multiple years and some are funded annually. They may fail if the government does not meet its financial obligations.
Since the modern congressional budgeting process took effect in 1976, there have been a total of twenty-one separate government shutdowns. It's also important to
note that not all shutdowns are created equal. Under the separation of powers created by the United States Constitution, the United States Congress has the sole power of the purse and responsibility for the appropriating of the government funds. Annual budget appropriations must be passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Upon the passage of the final version by both houses, they are then sent to the President of the United States for his signature. If the President signs the bills, they become law.
If instead of signing he vetoes them due to disagreements, the bills go back to Congress, where the veto can (in rare instances) be overridden by a two-thirds vote of both houses. Some 1980 and 1981 opinions issued by then-Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti, a failure to fund some part of the government did not necessarily mean that that part of government would stop functioning. Civiletti's opinions interpreted the Antideficiency Act, a law passed in 1884, as meaning that a failure to pass new spending bills required