POLI 2051 Chapter : Chapter 2 POLI 2051
Document Summary
It"s a limit imposed by congress concerning how much money the country can borrow to pay existing debts. It does not entail new spending for anything, but funds programs that have already been enacted into law. What is a government shutdown: failure to pass appropriations bills or continuing resolutions to keep the government funded. The fiscal year for the federal government runs from october 1 until september. Its really a partial shutdown, at least for now. That means the services are temporarily closed and the employees are sent home. This spending includes most discretionary spending: money that congress appropriates on an annual cycle. Everything else: parks, museums, passports, etc: mandatory spending: spending that continues on autopilot until congress changes the law. Things like social security, medicare, medicaid, most of obamacare, some farm subsidies, and a few other things: there is a rather large loophole here though.
