A look at past government shutdowns, as border wall fight heats up

President Trump on Thursday reportedly resumed his threats to shutdown the government over a lack of funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall, just one day before a looming Friday deadline.

After meeting with Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan said the president would not sign a Senate-approved spending bill that didn't include the $5 billion he wants for border wall funding. Democrats have repeatedly refused to give Trump the money he wants.

Trump will meet with House Republicans as he weighs his options before the shutdown deadline at the end of Friday, even as conservatives pressure him to stand his ground. If he does, it wouldn’t be the first time the government shutdown.

Although shutdowns are a pretty new development in the political sphere -- the 1974 Congressional Budget Act redesigned the entire budget process -- the concept is relatively familiar to most Americans.

Here’s a look back at the past five shutdowns, and why they happened:

Feb. 9, 2018:

A stopgap bill funding the government expired, and the government shut down for a few hours before Trump signed a funding bill into law that financed the government through March 23.

Jan. 20, 2018:

This was the first time the government shut down while Trump occupied the Oval Office. It began when a majority of Democrats voted “no” against a spending bill they criticized for not addressing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA, but commonly referred to as the Dreamers). The government reopened three days later on Jan. 23 after Congress passed a stopgap bill.

Oct. 1, 2013

Under President Barack Obama, the government shut down for approximately 16 days while Congress remained in deadlock about spending. House Republicans, led by Speaker John Boehner and encouraged by Sen. Ted Cruz, wanted to delay the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Boehner eventually folded and passed a funding bill opposed by most of his party. About 850,000 government workers were furloughed.

Dec. 5, 1995

The longest government shutdown on record took place under President Bill Clinton, largely due to an impasse in talks between the White House and House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Gingrich and the Republican-controlled Congress wanted to slash government spending, while Clinton refused.

It lasted for a total of 27 days, before it ended with a seven-year budget plan that included modest spending cuts and tax increases.

Nov. 13, 1995

When Clinton vetoed Gingrich’s and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole’s initial continuing resolution proposal, the government entered a shutdown period. It ended with a deal to fund the government at 75 percent levels for four weeks, preceding the next shutdown. It lasted for six days.