As of January 18, 2019, the United States government has been shutdown for 28 days. How did we get here? Why did this happen?

One of Eleanor Roosevelt’s own Advanced Placement Government teachers, Troy Pourchot, explained why these shut downs happen. “When the president and Congress are unable to come to some sort of compromise…then the government is shut down.” In this particular instance, President Donald Trump shut down the government when a compromise was not made regarding a Senate spending bill for southern border security.

Something as formidable as a government shutdown may seem scary, but it can also be confusing for those who don’t understand how this affects them.

Pourchot explained that to a certain extent, “the whole country is being affected,” down to us as citizens. Many essential services have been affected; one in particular causing panic being the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Food inspections had been affected by the shutdown-thankfully, the issue is being resolved with a new law. It will allow workers to gain compensation for their work during this time.

Concerning as well is the issue of missed paychecks and unpaid work for government officials. Despite the obvious issue of some government workers not being able to pay their bills due to the halt of their  pay, this event may cause deeper economic problems. According to Pourchot, “If they’re not getting paid, that money is not gonna be able to be funneled through the economy.” In short, “the American economy is suffering due to the government being shut down,” he stated. Some warn that a longer shutdown might lead the country into a recession.

The shutdown can only end if the president and congress eventually meet some sort of compromise. As for when it will end, Pourchot himself said that he doesn’t know. In an interview, he noted that he would like to say it should be over in the coming few days, but “this is uncharted territory,” being the longest shutdown in American history, so it’s really impossible to tell.

On a very human level, the four week shutdown is affecting hundreds of thousands of lives over a $5 billion political issue. This issue, of course, is the notorious Mexican-American border wall. In order to go into effect after a compromise is made, the spending bill must be written signed by the president, and the the budgetary bill will become law as explained by the AP Government teacher.

It seems that only time will tell how this will play out.