Impact of the Government Shutdown within the United States
A record breaking 35 day government shutdown was put on pause on January 25th, 2019 here in the United States. Before diving into the impact of the government shutdown on the American Public, noting some key budgeting negotiations between political leaders are important towards understanding the current events.
The government funding and spending bill has been debated within Congress since the summer of 2018. In the Fiscal Year of 2019, the United States Senate agreed upon an $850 billion spending bill towards the end of August. However, the meetings arranged to discuss important budgeting points between President Trump and Democrats showed a change of course throughout December.
The Trump Administration and many Republicans insist that a border wall between the United States and Mexico will force the end of illegal immigration across the US border and the overstaying of visas. President Trump was only willing to compromise to a commitment of $5.7 billion for the construction of the wall in order to prevent the shutdown. The clash over border spending and funding led President Trump to shutdown the government.
While resolutions between congressional leaders and President Trump’s administration are being developed there are many Americans affected by the government shutdown. Since the beginning of the shutdown, the number of federal workers without pay increased from 400,000 to 800,000. Hence, a large amount of the affected population has gone without paying mortgages, credit cards, student loans, groceries and other everyday materials for an entire month.
A variety of federal workers within the United States began protesting against the shutdown as they continued to work with no pay for almost a month. Federal workers in this group include Native American tribes, farmers, contracted scientists, and law enforcers. The small group creates an huge impact on the lifestyle of the United States. Without receiving money from the government, farmers and Natives American tribes are unable to make payments on loans and the production of crops. Scientists have been forced to evacuate labs, preventing developments in technology and medicine. Justice enforcers such as border patrol and TSA are also forced to regulate laws and maintain the safety of our airports without receiving a paycheck from the government. The Transportation Security Administration is also undergoing a loss of staff as some are calling in sick from while others have been furloughed due to the inability to receive a paycheck as the government shutdown continues.
The general public are not the only ones at stake as food inspections run by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), National Parks Service sites, and Transportation Security Administration are also being affected. There has been an increase in waste materials have thrashing around within National Parks due to the low amount of federal workers currently working. According to Now This: News, “An estimated 41% of FDA’s 17,000 employees are currently furloughed” (Now This). While many federal workers are forced on a leave of absence, the FDA has changed its focus to inspections that only relate to the transportation and distribution of foreign foods rather than domestic.
While the United States government undergoes negotiations for budgeting there are thousands of Americans and locations experiencing a shortage of income and safety or regulations. The government shutdown imposed on the American people, however; does reach some benefits which range from the protection of illegal immigration and the issuing of overdue visas along with a more strict regulation on the United States foreign policies. Nevertheless, until Congressional leaders and President Trump come to a resolution, the thousands of affected United States citizens remain unable to purchase food, pay student debts, and housing bills including mortgage, electricity, gas, heat, and rent. Further placing America into more national chaos than before.
As of January 25th, the shutdown has been put on pause for three weeks as both sides return to the table and attempt to come to an agreement. The men and women going back to work have been given a reprieve, but the length of the commitment leaves the door open for this to happen again within the month.
