Why government shutdowns are so common in the U.S. but not other democracies

Garret Martin is a Hurst senior professorial lecturer and the co-director of the Transatlantic Policy Center at the American University School of International Service .

When it comes to shutdowns , the U.S. is very much an exception rather than the rule.

On Oct. 1, 2025, hundreds of thousands of federal employees were furloughed as the business of government ground to a halt. With negotiations in Congress seemingly deadlocked over a funding deal, many political watchers are predicting a lengthy period of government closure.

According to the nonpartisan nonprofit Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the latest shutdown represents the 20th such funding gap since 1976 .

But it doesn't have to be like this — and in most countries, it isn't . Other Western de