A U.S. government shutdown is an event where many federal operations and services cease due to Congress’s failure to pass, or the President’s refusal to sign, annual appropriations bills funding those services [1][2][3].
Shutdowns happen when lawmakers cannot agree on budget legislation before the fiscal deadline, and most nonessential government activities are legally required to stop under the Antideficiency Act [4][1][3].
They are a uniquely American phenomenon, unusual elsewhere, and attempts to prevent them include proposals such as the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act and the use of short-term “continuing resolutions” (CRs)[5][3].