Definition of Partial Government Shutdown

What is meant by the term "partial government shutdown"? What happens in the event of a "partial government shutdown"?

Over the past few days, the term "partial government shutdown" has been widely used in the news.

A "partial government shutdown" occurs when the federal government suspends all "non-essential" operations.

The longest partial government shutdown in the modern era stretched from November 19th, 1995 to December 16th, 1995. The shutdown was the result of President Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress butting heads over the budget and the country's debt ceiling limit.

In the case of a partial government shutdown, here are some of the things that typically occur:

-many federal employees are furloughed

-many federal facilities shut, including national parks and museums

-paper returns go unprocessed at the IRS

-new applications for Social Security go unprocessed

-visa and passport applications go unprocessed

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Partial government shutdowns are fairly rare in the United States, but they certainly do occur.

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