Why did the government shutdown in Fall of 2013 how was the situation resolved?

Answer 1

If you are referring to the US Government shutdown, there are a number of explanations, depending on which side of the political aisle you listen to. Republicans say the reason is congress (and especially Democrats) overspent on the budget and needed to cut back on some services in order to stabilize the budget; when Democrats refused to cut back on food stamps and other "entitlements," there was no choice but to shut down the government, since Democrats would not compromise. Republicans also say the President's Health Care Law needed to be repealed and many were angry that Mr. Obama refused to do that.

On the other hand, Democrats believe the shutdown was caused by stubbornness and political theater by a small group of Tea Party Republicans who dislike government and wanted to find an excuse to shut it down. Democrats say they tried repeatedly to get budget negotiations going, but the Tea Party leaders refused to talk unless Obamacare was repealed. Democrats also believe these Republicans were determined to stop President Obama from having any success, and they were willing to shut down the government to make their point. (It should also be noted that most pollsters, and many members of congress who consider themselves moderates, believe the shutdown was both harmful and unnecessary; but the Tea Party Republicans insist it served a very useful purpose.)