WASHINGTON — Without a stop-gap continuing resolution spending bill, the federal government is set to shut down when the fiscal year 2021 budget expires at midnight, Sept. 30.
According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, there have been 20 funding gaps and four true shutdowns since 1976.
The most recent one took place in 2018 and 2019. It lasted 35 days, resulted in 800,000 workers being furloughed, and, according to the Congressional Budget Office, cost the American economy at least $11 billion.
"The corporate world, the business world, no business leader would run an organization like Congress is running the United States government with this type of threat," said Tidewater Community College Business Professor Peter Shaw.
Virginia lawmakers say a shutdown would be terrible, but, they're holding out hope that one can be averted.
"It would be idiotic," said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia).
He added: "I think we'll figure out a way to do a continuing resolution next week and do what we normally do: keep the government funded through the end of the calendar year so that we then work between now and Christmas to come up with a longer-term appropriations process."
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia) agreed that a shutdown is a bad idea, and it probably won't come down to that.
"The idea that we would arbitrarily self-inflict on our country a shutdown of the government would be stupidity on steroids," he said. "And I don't think that's going to happen."
The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a nine-week continuing resolution to keep government agencies running through December 3.
But, that legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where Republicans have said they won't support a continuing resolution that includes a debt limit suspension.
Also on Friday, Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby was asked about what impact a shutdown could have on U.S. military operations.
"We hope Congress prevents a shutdown but we are preparing for any contingency," he said. "We have to continue to defend the nation."
Author's note: The video below is on file from Dec. 2018.