The 2013 United States Government Shutdown
The United States government shut down last year at 12:01 am because the House of Representatives and the Senate could not agree on a spending bill to fund the government. The main cause of this is "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)" because countless repeals from 2010 to 2013, and losing a Supreme Court case, Obamacare has become very controversial. The US House of Representatives added something to Obamacare where they could eliminate funding from the PPACA or Obamacare in order to fund the US Federal Government.
That bill however was sent to the US Senate and the Senate took out the idea that the House of Representatives had implemented and sent it back to the House. Afterwards, the House then sent back the bill that delayed the implementation of the idea for one year but the Senate did not want it into the Act. And that is when the Federal Government shutdown. The US Congress did not pass a law to take any funds past September 30, 2013 and so the Federal Government "shutdown". Now you are thinking, why do even have to pass a bill in the first place? Becase spanning from October 1st to September 30th is the fiscal year where it is a period of calculating annual financial statements in businesses and other organizations like the US Government. Obamacare is not directly tied to funding the government however it is a big part of it. A group of Republicans believed that the President's signature domestic policy achievement is bad for the country that it is worth disrupting government funding to price slash it. Obamacare or the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires all Americans to have health insurance. The Democrats say that the law will expand access to health care and will also help restrain in the rising costs of coverage. This law also known as Obamacare prevents people with pre-existing medical conditions from being denied health care or health insurance and advocates say that those who have health insurance will no longer have to indirectly pay for the people who show up in emergency rooms not covered by health insurance. You would think after all of this fuss about Obamacare, Obamacare would be killed but most of the money for Obamacare actually comes from new taxes and fees and also from cost cuts to other programs like Medicare and other types of funding. The Congress did agree on one thing during the shutdown that the legislation on Monday was written to keep paying troops in the event of a shutdown. I think this might happen again in the near future because of how many bills and laws that have been passed. Who nows how many people in the government want to alter or change laws and Acts. |