New Year, New Government shutdown. Due to disparities over a short-term spending bill House Democrats and Republicans have been bumping heads over with the passion of early 2010s teenagers fighting over Team Edward and Team Jacob, the American Government shut down officially on Friday, 19th, right before midnight.
AFP 2018/ SAUL LOE
Why was this so? According to Fox News, it came from the Democrats’ unwillingness to sign a spending bill until a DACA–An Obama-implemented act which temporarily protects immigrant children from deportation while having privileges of education and working in the US–compromise and alteration was agreed upon. The Republicans refusal comes from their interest in making sure money is allocated to immigration, i.e. Trump’s big bad border wall. Democrats are taking the heaviest blame though, with even the White House answering machine projecting a message denouncing the Democrat’s inability to reach an agreement, including their fault for holding up funds to troops.
My dad, an active-duty military member, will still get paid because he’s an “essential government worker,” which is, like, super flattering during a time of complete government occlusion. However, for the over 800,000 estimated “non-essential” federal workers, this means they’re out of a job for an indefinite amount of time. For workers who live paycheck to paycheck, this isn’t cool and creates a good amount of anxiety.
Plus, people sometimes need government things, like getting a passport or social security number, which my immigrant friend here on a student visa couldn’t do on Monday. Here’s a list of other people and things affected by this government shutdown:
1. Military Personnel
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About 1.3 million members of the military could work without pay for the duration of the shutdown. Don’t get too worried about our country’s safety (well, actually nevermind), because they have payment security until February 1st, which is a more secure gig than Americans who work for minimum wage.
2. Government Employees–but also, maybe not?
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During the 2013 shutdown, 850,000 government employees were furloughed (worked without pay). That’s a pretty hefty amount, but 1.87 million federal workers could be exempt. Most of these would be border patrol and prison guards, because America isn’t America if we don’t pay for protection from the scary outsiders.
(Getty Images 2017/Andrea Franceschini)
3. About 700,000 Undocumented Immigrants
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With the government shut down, the protections for DACA recipients will have no security or protection beyond their March 7th deadline–but wait, when were any immigrants protected anyway?
4. National Parks and Monuments
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Over 400 national parks could close with the government, as well as the national monuments. This stinks because we could really use a dip in Yosemite or a good look at some semi-stable presidents right now.
5. Acquiring Gun Permits
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WHAT? Since the federal offices are all closed including the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives I can’t obtain a gun permit? That’s my constitutional right! Now I’m mad.
6. Congress and The President
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At least the people who shut everything down also won’t be getting paid. Oh wait, it actually says in our constitution that both the President and Congress members are still paid in full despite a halt in the government. How ‘bout that? However, some Congressmen and women, both Democrat and Republican, are giving up or donating their salary during the duration of the shut down.
VII FOR TIME 2007/ CHRISTOPHER MORRIS
7. Airports and Transportation
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All are open with paid federal workers. At least we can leave.
In all seriousness, it’s not as dramatic as it may seem. People will still get their Medicare and Social Security checks, though some Veteran’s disability services may take a temporary tumble. Still, it’s not so simple as turning off the lights and letting hundreds of thousands of people take a long weekend; the government shutting down is an obvious, unsettling effect of the greater dysfunctionalities of our congressmen and women and the rigid, incapable polarized system within which they operate.
Yes, the National Zoo’s Panda Cam’s potential shut off is a tragedy, but there are real consequences. The US is the oldest democracy in the world, our government should be much better than shutting down because a president wants to build the biggest wall on the playground. This petty, childish, “Real House Members of DC” idiocy is not a representation of we we are as Americans. It’s time our government grows up instead of shutting down.