Since the 1980s, fi ve government budget crisis shutdowns have aff ected the 

Smithsonian. During the shutdowns of 1981, 1984, 1990, 1995, and 1995–

1996, the Smithsonian’s public faciliƟ es and funcƟ ons, such as the museums, 

the NaƟ onal Zoo, and public programs, were usually closed. Non-essenƟ al 

Federal workers did not report to work, including most staff at research 

insƟ tutes. EssenƟ al Federal employees—the staff deemed necessary to 

ensure the security and safety of the Smithsonian’s assets—conƟ nued to 

work, as also did Trust fund employees who didn’t work for closed public 

funcƟ ons, such as museum shops and theaters. One door in each building 

was designated to remain open.

November 23, 1981

For the fi rst Ɵ me in U.S. history, 

a one-day government-wide 

furlough was ordered by 

President Ronald Reagan. 

Some 400,000 of 2.1 million 

Federal employees were 

furloughed. The Smithsonian 

sent home non-essenƟ al staff 

and closed the museums. 

EssenƟ al staff , such as guards, 

animal keepers at the NaƟ onal 

Zoo, and building engineers 

stayed on site. Employees 

were paid for the furlough day 

by the Federal government. 

1980–1981

Prior to 1980, administraƟ ons 

cut non-essenƟ al spending 

(such as travel and new hires) 

and furloughed individual agencies when a Federal budget 

was not passed. The proposed 

balanced budget legislaƟ on in 

1980, however, required broad, 

across-the-board closures of all 

government funcƟ ons that leŌ 

liƩ le fl exibility to keep essenƟ al 

government funcƟ ons running, 

such as air traffi c control 

and Federal prisons. Thus, 

President Carter and AƩ orney 

General Civileƫ (r) at the White 

House, 1980. B. Civileƫ Papers, 

University of Maryland

President Jimmy Carter spent 

his last days in offi ce exploring the legality and logisƟ cs of 

closing down the government. 

In 1980 and 1981, AƩ orney 

General Benjamin Civileƫ 

issued opinions that the 

ConsƟ tuƟ on and Federal laws 

governing Federal spending do 

allow the president to furlough 

government workers but also 

“leave the execuƟ ve leeway to 

perform essenƟ al funcƟ ons and 

make the government ‘workable’ unƟ l the budget impasse 

is resolved.” 

President Reagan with group of outside economic advisors, 1981, 

Associated Press

FROM THE ARCHIVES
2

October 1984

AŌ er failing to pass a Federal budget bill for fi scal year 1985, 

Congress passed a series of conƟ nuing resoluƟ ons in early 

October 1984. On October 4, in the absence of a conƟ nuing resoluƟ on, 

President Ronald 

Reagan furloughed 

government 

employees, including non-emergency 

Smithsonian 

staff , for a half 

day. Smithsonian 

museums were 

closed and the 

Department of 

the Interior closed 

the Washington 

Monument and 

NaƟ onal Parks. An 

emergency bill was 

passed on October 

11, 1984, that would serve as a conƟ nuing resoluƟ on for all 

of 1985. Although the budget contained signifi cant cuts to 

the Smithsonian’s Federal budget request, it was $22 million 

higher than the fi scal year 1984 budget. 

closed the naƟ onal parks. 

EssenƟ al employees—such as 

senior management; a reduced 

staff of guards; buildings maintenance personnel; certain 

Offi ce of Human Resources 

staff and computer services 

specialists; supply and mail/

shipping personnel; accounting and fi nancial services 

staff ; collecƟ ons care staff ; 

zookeepers and medical staff ; 

and employees necessary to 

carry out the terms and condiƟ ons of grants and contracts 

received or obligated by the 

Smithsonian—remained at 

work. 

Some special events and 

classes involving contracts 

were held. Trust fund employees kept the Smithsonian’s 

visitor services operaƟ onal 

and fi elded quesƟ ons from the 

public. The Smithsonian anƟ cipated and prepared for another 

shutdown on October 20, 

when the conƟ nuing resoluƟ on 

expired, but that was averted. 

When President Bush 

announced that Federal 

workers would not be paid 

October 6–8, 1990

Throughout the summer of 

1990, Smithsonian management prepared for staff 

furloughs threatened by a 

provision of the GrahamHollings-Rudman Act, which 

mandated a 32 percent 

sequestraƟ on of Federal 

funds in the absence of a 

fi nal budget. A hiring freeze 

was put in place. President 

George Herbert Walker Bush 

vetoed the Congressional 

budget and closed down the 

Federal government from 

October 6 to 8, 1990. The 

impact of the shutdown 

was soŌ ened because it 

occurred over the Columbus 

Day holiday weekend, when 

many government employees 

Poster of President Reagan, undated, Business 

Review

were not scheduled to work. 

The Smithsonian closed its 

museums for the three days, 

and the NaƟ onal Park Service 

President George H.W. Bush leaves for budget negoƟ aƟ ons, September 

7, 1990, Government ExecuƟ ve, November 30, 2012
3

for the furlough days, the U.S. Congress promptly passed legislaƟ on ensuring that they would be paid, in response to threats of 

lawsuits. Since Federal employees were paid for the furlough 

days, quesƟ ons were raised as to whether Trust employees, such 

as museum shop staff , should be paid for the days the museums 

were closed, despite the loss of business income on those days. 

December 1995–January 1996

In December of 1995, the 

conƟ nuing budget standoff 

between President William 

Clinton and the U.S. Congress 

led to a government-wide 

shutdown for 21 days, from 

December 16, 1995, to January 

5, 1996. Only emergency 

Smithsonian Federal personnel 

were at work during the budget 

stand-off and Federal employee 

furlough. With the excepƟ on 

of a few days, Smithsonian 

museums were closed to the 

public unƟ l Saturday, January 6, 

when they reopened to sparse 

visitorship. 

Since the closure was at the 

height of the holiday tourist 

season, the Smithsonian sought 

ways to keep at least some 

museums open. The NaƟ onal 

Museum of American History 

(NMAH), for example, had a 

$50,000 contract for performers that could not be cancelled. 

Management fi rst considered contracƟ ng for guards 

and building management 

services through Trust funds, 

but concluded the contractors could not be trained to 

Smithsonian standards quickly 

enough. Management then 

asked for, and got, just enough 

volunteers who took leave 

without pay from their Federal 

posiƟ ons (including forfeiture 

of Federal reƟ rement contribuƟ ons), signed waivers of claims 

to any reimbursed salary, and 

became temporary Trust fund 

security offi cers and building 

maintenance staff . 

Both NMAH and the NaƟ onal 

Air and Space Museum (NASM) 

were open from December 26 

to 31, 1995, using a skeleton 

staff of ciƟ zen volunteers and 

Trust fund employees. At 

NMAH, the galleries, shops, and 

Sign on entrance to NaƟ onal Air and Space Museum, December 1995, 

GeƩ y Images

November 14–19, 1995

AŌ er a budget impasse between President Bill Clinton and 

the United States Congress, the Federal government was 

closed for six days, from November 14 to November 19, 1995. 

Smithsonian nonessenƟ al staff 

were furloughed 

and the museums 

and NaƟ onal 

Zoo were closed 

to the public. A 

November 19 

conƟ nuing resoluƟ on reopened 

the government, 

kept it funded 

at 75 percent of 

current levels, 

and paid Federal 

employees for the 

furlough days. 

President Clinton and House Speaker Newt 

Gingrich face off over budget, 1995, MSNBC 
4

ice cream parlor were open. 

At NASM, the Planetarium, 

IMAX Theater, main shop, and 

entrance gallery (Milestones 

of Flight) were open, but all 

other galleries were closed. A 

temporary Vermeer show at 

the NaƟ onal Gallery of Art was 

kept open with private funding. 

The Visitor InformaƟ on and 

Associates’ RecepƟ on Center, 

staff ed by Trust fund employees, responded to a record 

number of calls as the public 

inquired as to whether the 

museums were open and when 

specifi c exhibits would reopen. 

On Sunday, January 7, one 

day aŌ er the reopening, a 

major blizzard hit the Eastern 

seaboard, paralyzing the 

Washington, D.C., region with 

more than two feet of snow. 

The storm closed the Federal 

government for three more 

days, and Smithsonian employees did not return to work 

unƟ l Thursday, January 11. On 

Friday, January 12, another 

snowstorm closed government 

offi ces. 

Finally, aŌ er four weeks of 

disrupƟ on, normal operaƟ ons 

resumed on Monday, January 

15, 1996. 

Throughout these closures, 

essenƟ al employees, including 

security offi cers and zookeepers, remained on the job, 

despite the fact that they, as 

well as furloughed workers, 

were not being paid. Although 

all Federal employees were 

later paid for furlough days, 

they had to fi nd alternate 

sources of income unƟ l those 

paychecks were received, 

which was oŌ en at a signifi -

cantly later date. Because 

Federal employees were paid, 

parity issues arose with regard 

to Trust fund employees who 

experienced a loss of income 

because of museum closings. 

During the shutdown of 1995–

96, the Smithsonian created 

the Smithsonian Employee 

Emergency Assistance Fund to 

provide loans of not more than 

$500 to staff for basic necessiƟ es of life: rent, mortgage, 

medical bills, heat, electricity, 

water, and food. Eligibility 

was determined by demonstrated fi nancial need due to 

the furlough or medical crisis 

or disaster, and all expenses 

had to be documented. The 

program was administered 

through the Agriculture Federal 

Credit Union, with 3 percent 

interest to cover costs, and 

repayment was made through 

payroll deducƟ ons. During 

the 1995–96 shutdown, the 

Comptroller’s Offi ce esƟ mated 

that 3,235 employees were 

furloughed in D.C., 158 in 

Maryland, and 43 in Virginia. 

Pamela M. Henson

InsƟ tuƟ onal History Division

Smithsonian InsƟ tuƟ on Archives

Sledding down the Capitol steps, January 1996, The Washington Post