What Is a Gridlock in Government?

In politics, gridlock or deadlock is a situation where there is difficulty in passing laws due to evenly divided votes. It also occurs when the executive branch or legislative houses are controlled by different political parties.

In the United States, gridlock occurs when theSenate and the House of Representatives are controlled by different parties. In the senate, gridlock may also occur when no party has a filibuster-proof majority. Gridlocks may occur when no major political party has the minimum numbers in the lower house to form a government or when a party controls the upper house’s majority votes.