Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
    • The Best of Reason Magazine
    • Why We Can't Have Nice Things
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Print Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

Government Shutdown

The Federal Government Has Shut Down. Merry Christmas!

Yes, it's only temporary. But if it stops Trump from blowing money on a stupid border wall, cheer it on.

Scott Shackford | 12.22.2018 12:01 AM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests
Closed sign
Fottoo / Dreamstime.com

President Donald Trump insisted he wanted $5 billion to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. The Senate said no and refused to add the money to a stopgap spending bill. So now the federal government is "shutting down."

It's really only a partial shutdown. About 420,000 federal employees will be working without pay; another 380,000 will be furloughed, But this is only due to the cut-off of the funding that would have been included in the continuing resolution. Much of the government spending for 2019—around $1 trillion—has already been approved.

As Joe Setyon wrote earlier today, the House of Representatives' version of the continuing resolution included $5 billion for the border wall. The Senate version offered a smaller $1.3 billion for border security, none of it for the wall. And he obviously won't be able to go back to Congress to ask for money after the holidays, because the Democrats will have firm control of the House and most certainly aren't going to give him more money.

The Senate adjourned at 8 p.m. tonight without passing a spending resolution, guaranteeing the government shutdown. They will return to session Saturday at noon

So now we have less federal government, briefly, while everybody hammers things out. Federal government shutdowns are one of those concepts that feel wonderfully libertarian in theory but often end up being anything but in practice. First of all, the government doesn't really shut down. Yes, a lot of employees get sent home, but most of the federal law enforcement apparatus is still in place. As I noted the last time we had a big federal shutdown, "The parts of the federal government authorized to shoot you are still functioning."

And when the shutdown ends, all those furloughed employees are going to get paid. It's not a money saver. Government shutdowns typically don't lead to smaller or more efficient government in the long run.

Nevertheless, a federal shutdown indicates that someone is resisting an expensive and wasteful government project. In this case, refusing to give the president billions of dollars to build a stupid, pointless border wall is something lovers of liberty should cheer on.

So have a holiday toast and celebrate the warm feeling of a federal government that is just a little bit less intrusive and controlling and domineering than it usually is—even if it's only temporary.

Here's Trump announcing the shutdown on Twitter and blaming the Democrats for not giving him the money for the wall:

OUR GREAT COUNTRY MUST HAVE BORDER SECURITY! pic.twitter.com/ZGcYygMf3a

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 22, 2018

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: Supreme Court Blocks Trump's Attempt To Change Asylum Law

Scott Shackford is a policy research editor at Reason Foundation.

Government ShutdownBorder wallGovernment SpendingDonald TrumpCongress
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Show Comments (133)

Latest

Georgia Man Who Spent 6 Weeks in Jail on a Kidnapping Charge Says He Was Helping a Falling Child

Autumn Billings | 5.9.2025 2:05 PM

Newly Released Documents Show What the Feds Knew About the New Jersey Drone Scare

Matthew Petti | 5.9.2025 12:31 PM

New York's Biggest Budget Doubles Down on the Mistakes Driving People Out

Gregory Lyakhov | 5.9.2025 12:15 PM

Trump Is Wrong. Cheap Goods Are Awesome.

Emma Camp | 5.9.2025 11:15 AM

Bernie Sanders: American Success Story

Liz Wolfe | 5.9.2025 9:41 AM

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS

© 2024 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

r

Do you care about free minds and free markets? Sign up to get the biggest stories from Reason in your inbox every afternoon.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

This modal will close in 10

Reason Plus

Special Offer!

  • Full digital edition access
  • No ads
  • Commenting privileges

Just $25 per year

Join Today!