evidence: There have been four shutdowns where operations were affected for more than one business day. In 1995-1996, President Clinton and the Republican Congress were unable to agree on spending levels, so the government shut down twice, for a total of 26 days. In 2013, a standoff over funding for the Affordable Care Act resulted in a 16-day shutdown. And in December 2018 and January 2019, a dispute over border wall funding led to a shutdown that lasted 35 days; it was a partial shutdown because Congress had previously passed five of the 12 appropriation bills. (For more on shutdowns, see the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget’s FAQ.) Shutdowns can be disruptive, leading to delays in processing applications for passports, small business loans, or government benefits; shuttered visitor centers and bathrooms at national parks; fewer food-safety inspections, and various inconveniences. But shutdowns are now sufficiently likely that the White House Office of Management & Budget posts the contingency plans that government agencies maintain for shutdowns. In short, members of Congress, government employees, financial markets, and the press generally understand what happens when a failure to pass appropriations bills leads to a government shutdown. [...] In contrast to government shutdowns, a failure to raise the debt ceiling threatens not only the spending subject to annual appropriation by Congress, but all federal spending—including interest on the debt and Social Security, Medicare, and other government benefits. Federal employees can continue working—there is no need for agencies to decide which services are essential and which are not—but their paychecks may be delayed.