US shutdown effects will deepen

Abstract

Significance For Trump, building “the wall” is an election pledge, but Democrats say it would be an “immorality” and ineffective. This disagreement triggered a partial government shutdown of nine federal departments and many agencies on December 21-22; some 800,000 federal workers are currently not being paid or soon will not be. Impacts Without a return to bipartisan law-making, more frequent shutdowns are possible as a negotiating tactic. More government shutdowns would undermine the desirability of taking on federal employment. Would-be federal contractors may need to diversify their market offerings and build reserves for future shutdowns.