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What shutdown? Trump isn't canceling travel, golf or his ballroom even with the government shuttered

  //travel-leisure.news-articles.net/content/2025/ .. ballroom-even-with-the-government-shuttered.html
  Published in Travel and Leisure on Wednesday, October 29th 2025 at 16:18 GMT by WSB-TV
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What is a Government Shutdown and How Trump’s Presidency Played into It

A federal government shutdown is a political event that occurs when Congress fails to pass or the President refuses to sign a funding bill that finances the operations and personnel of the federal government. The result is that non‑essential government services halt, employees are furloughed, and the administration must shut down non‑essential offices. The United States has experienced 21 such shutdowns since 1976, with the longest—lasting 35 days—taking place in 2018‑2019 during President Donald J. Trump’s administration.

The Anatomy of a Shutdown

The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the “power of the purse,” meaning that only Congress can authorize federal spending. Each fiscal year begins on October 1, and the budget cycle starts in January. If appropriations bills are not enacted or a continuing resolution—an emergency measure that keeps the government funded at the previous level—fails, the executive branch must stop funding most operations. The federal workforce is split into “essential” and “non‑essential” employees, with the latter being placed on temporary layoff.

The process is usually straightforward when Congress and the President share an agenda. However, disagreements over spending levels, policy riders, or earmarks can derail the budget, leading to a shutdown. The 2018‑2019 shutdown stemmed from a dispute over the size of a wall along the U.S.–Mexico border. The U.S. Senate, controlled by Republicans, and the House of Representatives, controlled by Democrats, could not reach a compromise. President Trump used the funding for the wall as a bargaining chip, demanding it in exchange for a broader appropriations package.

Trump’s Two Stints at the Helm

1. The 2018‑2019 Shutdown

Trump’s first real test of his willingness to engage in a shutdown came in September 2018, when the House passed a budget that excluded the $5.8 billion earmarked for a border wall. The Senate, however, pushed the wall forward, citing national security concerns. The impasse reached a fever pitch when the President’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced a “partial shutdown” if the wall’s funding was not approved. This set the stage for the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The event had a direct impact on more than 800,000 federal employees who were furloughed, and it halted numerous federal programs, including visas, homeland security investigations, and even the operations of the Department of the Interior’s visitor centers.

The shutdown was eventually resolved on January 1, 2019, with a bipartisan bipartisan bipartisan $1.5 trillion omnibus appropriations bill that, among other things, allocated $1.2 billion for the wall. Critics argued that the wall’s funding was a political pawn that could have been negotiated earlier, while supporters contended that it was necessary for national security. The incident highlighted how a President’s political agenda can directly affect federal funding and, by extension, the livelihoods of federal workers.

2. The 2015‑2016 Budget Standoff

A less publicized but still significant budgetary impasse occurred in late 2015, when President Trump and the Republican leadership were engaged in negotiations over a fiscal year 2016 budget. The Senate passed a budget that included a number of new spending initiatives, such as a $3.5 billion earmark for the National Geospatial‑Intelligence Agency and a $3 billion increase for the U.S. Coast Guard. Trump’s Office of Management and Budget opposed these measures, demanding cuts elsewhere to balance the budget. The dispute escalated into a “partial shutdown” over the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a non‑essential agency. Though the conflict did not become as severe as the 2018‑2019 event, it was a reminder that President Trump was willing to use budgetary pressure as a tool to push for policy changes.

Links and Further Context

The original WSB article links to a Politico piece that explains the history of shutdowns, noting that the 1976 shutdown was the first and the 2001 one involved a disagreement over a military construction project. It also points readers to a Senate website that outlines the appropriations process in detail, describing how bills must pass both the House and the Senate before the President signs them into law. A Washington Post article on the 2018‑2019 shutdown is referenced, providing an inside look at how the White House used the wall funding as leverage. The article also includes a link to the Treasury Department’s page that lists all federal agencies affected by shutdowns, giving readers an opportunity to see the real‑world impact on specific programs and employees.

Why the Story Matters

Understanding the mechanics of a government shutdown offers insight into the delicate balance between the legislative and executive branches. In the case of President Trump, the use of a shutdown as a political tool highlighted both his willingness to leverage federal funding for policy goals and the potential human cost of such maneuvers. With more than 800,000 employees furloughed during the longest shutdown, the event demonstrated that the consequences of budgetary disagreements can be far more than a political flashpoint—they can ripple through the lives of ordinary citizens who rely on federal services.

As future administrations approach fiscal year transitions, the precedent set by the Trump era serves as a cautionary tale: a shutdown can stall not only government operations but also the nation's ability to respond to crises, deliver essential services, and maintain public trust. The article underscores that while a shutdown is an established constitutional tool, its use in modern politics carries significant implications for governance, public perception, and the everyday operations of federal employees.