Analysis Of The 2018-19 Federal Government Shutdown During The Trump Administration

Government shutdowns caused by funding gap have frequently occurred in American history,and the U.S.system of check and balance makes it difficult to thoroughly resolve this problem.Since the Carter administration first shut down the government in 1980,the U.S.federal government has experienced 16 shutdowns in total,the vast majority of which have occurred under the split government.Party struggle,as an important feature of the American political system,also runs through every government shutdownIn this context,the two government shutdowns under the Trump administration have attracted widespread attention due to their new characteristics.Firstly,the U.S.government was not in the split state when the shutdown began.The President and the majority party in Congress were both Republicans.This is the first unified government shutdown in the 38 years after the Carter government shutdown in 1980.Secondly,the 2018-2019 federal government shutdown,which is the second shutdown under the Trump administration,has lasted for 35 days,appearing to be the longest government shutdown in American history All the above makes the Trump government shutdown worth discussingThis thesis attempts to analyze the bargaining process of the second government shutdown under the Trump administration.By using Doron and Sened's political bargaining theory,this thesis is going to present the bargaining measures and behaviors of two parties,and at the same time analyze the influencing factors of the bargaining process And the arguments mainly come from the textual analysis of relevant government documents,media reports and Congressional members' words,etc.The trigger for the government shutdown is the dispute between the two parties over Trump's $ 5.7 billion border wall appropriation proposed in the budget bill.Before the shutdown,both parties mainly bargained on how to promote or prevent the passing of budget bill.During the shutdown period,the agenda of bargaining also included how the end the shutdown.The bargaining process mainly included leaders' meeting,public address,exchange proposals and Congress vote,etc.Then this thesis will analyze the five factors that have influenced the bargaining process,including the players,difference of interest,rule of progress,time factor and interdependency.