evidence: Shutdowns are almost unique to US politics. In most countries, budget votes become votes of confidence in the government itself. But because the US has equal and often divided branches of government, that isn't the case. [...] Many federal agencies, which rely on the funding approved by Congress, are effectively closed down and hundreds of thousands of government employees have to take a leave of absence, often without pay. [...] Yes, quite a few times. There have been 14 shutdowns since 1981, some lasting for just a day, others for over a month.