Jonathan Bernstein, Columnist

The Shutdown Should Have Never Happened

The crucial disagreement is about a deal lasting three days or three weeks. Seriously?

January 22, 2018 at 11:00 AM UTC

Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics. A former professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio, he wrote A Plain Blog About Politics.

Avoidable.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

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In 1995-1996, the government shut down over whether to slash spending on a wide range of programs, as House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the new congressional majority Republicans wanted, or hold close to the status quo, as President Bill Clinton wanted.

In 2013, the government shut down over whether or not to repeal the Affordable Care Act.