The Government has now shut down, which occurred at 12 am on October 1. The shutdown came into light as the federal government was expected to run out of money. A shutdown could still have been avoided if seven Democrats had decided to cross party lines and join Republicans in passing the proposed funding bill. However, political divisions and disagreements over key provisions had stalled negotiations. The government has now implemented the shutdown, which will have a significant impact on federal workers and government services.
A government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass funding legislation by the deadline. Without approved funding, many federal agencies will come to a halt. Essential services, such as national security and emergency care, will continue, but others, including federal workers in non-essential roles, will be paused, resulting in furloughs without pay. Those in essential roles work without immediate compensation. Shutdowns are a result of political gridlock and disagreements over budget priorities, which is the reason for this government shutdown.
ERHS AP Government teacher Mr. Pourchot had this to say about the government shutdown: “The government has shut down before, and it will again. I’m not that concerned,” Pourchot said. “Still, I tend to get more concerned when it starts affecting TSA because people won’t be able to travel for business, vacation, and many other things. I know it doesn’t sound like a big deal, but we rely on air travel for a lot”.
It’s only the beginning of this government shutdown, so right now it might not seem like that big of a deal, but as more things the government deems unnecessary start to be affected by it, then the people will start to realize that it does indeed impact them. Especially for federal workers, the longer the shutdown continues, the more difficult it becomes for workers to manage, as they are not getting paid or do not know the next time they will be paid. Therefore, it will start causing frustration and overall lower morale across agencies.
The shutdown continues to spark more and more conflict between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party; they continue to blame each other for the shutdown, and neither side will budge. Democratic Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, when asked about the shutdown, said, ” They want us to blink first and we have too much to save,” they being the republican party. ” Protecting people is too important a task for us to give up before anything even starts”. Democrats and Republicans are not willing to budge, even if it puts US citizens in harm’s way. Many view the government shutdown as a symptom of a bigger problem in the federal government. Right now, there seems to be no agreement between the two parties in sight. The political divide only seems to be widening.
