Federal government shutdowns are costly, for the economy and public trust

The U.S. Capitol is seen at dusk in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 13. A government shutdown on Nov. 17 would deal a blow to our economy and to public trust in government, two University of Chicago experts write. (Getty)

Late Tuesday, a deal in the House of Representatives set the stage to avoid a government shutdown on Friday, Nov. 17, at midnight. The stopgap bill would fund some federal departments through mid-January and the rest through February, but it still must pass the Senate and be signed by President Joe Biden to completely avert a shutdown.

But as the deadline grew closer, a contingent of political observers have argued that there was nothing especially remarkable to see here. U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) wrote that in the event of a shutdown, “government will keep operating. It’s not a shutdown of government, it’s really a pause in out-of-control federal spending related to nonessentials.” Brian Darling, former counsel to U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), wrote in an op-ed that “in truth, this would be a shutdown in name only.”