As yet another deadline looms, a divided US House stumbles closer to a federal shutdown: 5 essential reads

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Howard Manly, The Conversation

(THE CONVERSATION) Once again, federal budget negotiations are down to the last minute, and once again, GOP hardliners are in the middle of what might turn into a gridlock.

Current government funding expires on Nov. 17, 2023. While newly elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has not announced any new and specific proposals that stand the chance of passage in the Democratic-controlled Senate, he has urged the public to “trust us.”

The Conversation has published the work of several scholars who study Congress and federal budgets. They explain the brinkmanship politics and the economic consequences of federal shutdowns. Here, we spotlight five examples of those scholars’ work.

1. How a government shutdown affects the economy

In the past four decades, the government has shut down 20 times.

During the Trump administration, the government...