31.   The longest previous federal shutdown lasted six days and occurred last month as part of the same White House-Capitol Hill struggle to balance the budget.

32.   The partial federal shutdown is the longest ever.

33.   The Senate was to begin voting today on proposed Democratic amendments to a Republican spending bill needed to avert another partial federal shutdown Friday.

34.   The temporary measure would avert the third partial federal shutdown in five months.

35.   The White House was unusually quiet throughout the day because the federal shutdown had furloughed all but essential employees.

36.   There were two partial federal shutdowns during the current fiscal year before President Bill Clinton and the Republican Congress agreed on funding for all federal agencies.

37.   To buy time, Congress may pass another stopgap spending bill this week to avert a possible weekend federal shutdown.

38.   Wednesday in Washington, the Clinton administration sought to put pressure on Republicans by arguing that the federal shutdown may soon do significant damage to the U.S. economy.

39.   But neither the Republican-led Congress nor the president was ready to let the budget fight produce a federal shutdown.

40.   Despite the slow pace of work and the seven veto threats the administration has issued, no federal shutdown is imminent.