The current government shutdown brought back some painful memories for me. I lived through the two shutdowns in 1995-1996 while a federal employee.

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BY THE NUMBERS

The federal government has had eleven shutdowns furloughing employees since 1980, including the one that began on October 1, 2025. Interestingly, the number of days federal employees have been furloughed under Trump’s watch is the highest. He holds the distinction of presiding over the longest shutdown, which lasted 35 days in 2018-19.

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN 1995-96

At the time, I was a single parent, working as a supervisor for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Houston, Texas. Bill Clinton was President, and Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House.

 The drama began when Gingrich (Republican) wanted steep budget cuts. Clinton (Democrat) wanted a balanced budget. They argued over which long-term budget projections to use. Clinton feared that using the more pessimistic budget projections would impose significant hikes on Medicare premiums and excessive cuts in education and the environment.

According to NPR, the shutdown was “about ideology, getting to the very core of how big the federal government should be and how it should operate.”

The first shutdown lasted five days, from November 14 to 19. A five-day vacation with pay. I was okay with that since I technically did not miss a paycheck. But the worst was yet to come.

The temporary budget collapsed, and we were once again thrown out. But this time, it was different. That shutdown lasted from December 16, 1995, to January 6, 1996.

The impact for me:

• As a supervisor, I was forced to work without pay and assigned to the front desk, answering the telephone. Juggling multiple telephone lines was beyond my skill set, and I had difficulty keeping my temper when someone, three weeks into the gridlock, was unaware that the government was shut down.
• I was not allowed to file for unemployment.
• A bill came for my federal credit card in my name, making me responsible for payment. I could not obtain the funds to pay off my federally authorized travel expenses until I had filed an expense report and it was approved. Those responsible for this activity were not deemed critical and were sitting at home.
• I spent a considerable amount of time calling creditors and explaining why I could not pay my bills.
• The anxiety was nerve-racking.

MY GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN VILLAIN

My outrage at the situation centered on Tom DeLay, known as “The Hammer,” who was the Republican majority whip. He got the nickname because he was able to get Republicans in line by threatening them. He supported the Republican “Contract with America,” which advocated for tax cuts and balanced budgets. DeLay hated the Environmental Protection Agency. My big beef with this representative from Texas is that he felt it was just fine that he got a paycheck, and I didn’t.

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DIFFERENCES

The current shutdown, however, seems more sinister. Federal Employees are required to abide by the Hatch Act. The U.S. Office of the Special Counsel, an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency, summarizes the Hatch Act as follows:

The Hatch Act, a federal law passed in 1939, limits certain political activities of federal employees, as well as some state, D.C., and local government employees who work in connection with federally funded programs. ​The law’s purposes are to ensure that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion, to protect federal employees from political coercion in the workplace, and to ensure that federal employees are advanced based on merit and not based on political affiliation.​​​​ ​​

Reports of partisan messaging abound, and on the Department of Justice website, a red banner contained the following words: “Democrats have shut down the government. Department of Justice websites are not currently regularly updated.” 

As a federal employee, I would never even consider blaming the other side. When responding to angry callers, I would just say, “Contact your representatives.” Accusations of violations are emerging.

I never faced the threat of being fired outright.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

We would be well served by passing legislation in the future requiring members of Congress to go unpaid and be forced to work until they reach a budget agreement. At this point, the House is in recess, getting paid, and not working.

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