Government “Shutdowns” and the U.S. Constitution - Shutdowns Result from Important Checks and Balances in the U.S. System but Also Reflect the Country’s Worrying Polarization

Government “Shutdowns” and the U.S. Constitution - Shutdowns Result from Important Checks and Balances in the U.S. System but Also Reflect the Country’s Worrying Polarization S. Price, Zachary Author aut Text xx# 2025 Verfassungsblog 2025-10-08 eng In a wearyingly familiar recurrence, parts of the U.S. government shut down last week after Congress failed to approve funding for the new fiscal year. Though bewildering to foreign observers (and many Americans), these government closures reflect important features of the U.S. system of checks and balances. In that sense, they are a sign of constitutional strength rather than weakness, yet this shutdown, like other recent funding lapses, also shows that acute partisan divisions are complicating American governance. CC BY-SA 4.0 S. Price, Zachary Power of the Purse US constitution USA shutdown USA 342 https://verfassungsblog.de/government-shutdowns-and-the-u-s-constitution/ Verfassungsblog 2366-7044 Max Steinbeis Verfassungsblog gGmbH 10.59704/3afa0dde868ce211 251008 10.59704/3afa0dde868ce211 Converted from MARCXML to MODS version 3.7 using MARC21slim2MODS3-7.xsl (Revision 1.140 20200717)