US government has 'shutdown' 17 times since 1976-NBC News

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4/8/11, "This would be 18th government shutdown in U.S. history," NBCNews.com, Pete Williams

"In official parlance, they’re called “spending gaps,” a term the experts prefer to “government shutdown,” because the government doesn’t fully shut down. They’ve been imposed 17 times since 1976, the year Congress began its revised budgeting process.    

PAST FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS

Year        Beginning date            Length in Days     Ending date
          
1976        Thursday, Sept 30        10                         Monday, Oct 11
1977        Friday, Sept 30             12                         Thursday, Oct 13
                Monday, Oct 31              8                         Wednesday, Nov 9
                Wednesday, Nov 30       8                         Friday, Dec 9
1978        Saturday, Sept 30         17                        Wednesday, Oct 18
1979        Sunday, Sept 30            11                        Friday, Oct 12
1981        Friday, Nov 20                 2                        Monday, Nov 23
1982        Thursday, Sept 30           1                        Saturday, Oct 2
                Friday, Dec 17                 3                        Tuesday, Dec 21
1983        Thursday, Nov 10            3                        Monday, Nov 14
1984        Sunday, Sept 30             2                        Wednesday, Oct 3
                Wednesday, Oct 3          1                        Friday, Oct 5
1986        Thursday, Oct 16            1                        Saturday, Oct 18
1987        Friday, Dec 18                1                         Sunday, Dec 20
1990        Friday, Oct 5                   3                         Tuesday, Oct 9
1995        Monday, Nov 13             5                         Sunday, Nov 19
                Friday, Dec 15                21                       Saturday, Jan 6, 1996" via Mark Levin show
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