Too Long, Every Time

Government shutdowns are a moral hazard. Why do we let them keep happening?

Good morning,

The U.S. Federal Government has shut down, again.

During the 1980s and 1990s, we saw numerous shutdowns, albeit these were generally very brief (1-5 days with the exception of the 1995-96 showdown shutdown between Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton, which lasted 21 days. In those days, shutdowns were more of a nuisance than a crisis. They disrupted some services, caused a few headlines, and then were resolved in a matter of days as political leaders realized the cost of inaction was higher than compromise. Even then, the 21-day shutdown marked a turning point, showing that brinkmanship could be stretched far longer if one side thought the political leverage was worth the gamble.

Over the last three decades, the frequency of these shutdowns has dropped; there’s only been four since the 21-day long one. This makes shutdowns feel less like routine skirmishes and more like major confrontations when they do occur. The rarity has not lessened their severity; if anything, the infreque…