Shutdowns began as a way to enforce federal law. Now Trump is using it to take more power
Associated Press
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FILE - President Jimmy Carter, right, meets with Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti at the White House in Washington, Dec. 13, 1979. (AP Photo/Ira Schwarz, File)FILE - House Speaker Newt Gingrich holds a sheet of budget figures on Capitol Hill, Nov. 15, 1995, during a meeting to discuss the federal budget impasse. (AP Photo/Joe Marquette, File)FILE - Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, center, celebrates with fellow conservatives after Republicans passed a bill that would prevent a government shutdown while crippling the health care law that was the signature accomplishment of President Barack Obama's first term, Sept. 20, 2013, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)FILE - Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, arrives to a Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)The Statue of Freedom atop the U.S. Capitol is seen between autumn tree leaves on day 23 of the government shutdown, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
1979 AP
FILE - President Jimmy Carter, right, meets with Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti at the White House in Washington, Dec. 13, 1979. (AP Photo/Ira Schwarz, File)