On December 22nd, 2018, President Trump ordered a government shutdown over Democrats’ refusal to give out $5 billion towards a border wall between the United States and Mexico. The effects of this shutdown were widespread and drastic. Initially, up to 380,000 government employees were furloughed without pay, while the other 420,000 employees continued work without any compensation. Despite the withholding of pay from many government workers, Article II Section I of the Constitution forbids the salary of the President from being reduced while in office, meaning that President Trump was receiving compensation despite denying government workers their paychecks. The shutdown also affected Americans that rely on food stamps. The Trump administration promised that Americans would receive food stamps through February, but there was no promise that the benefits would carry into March. The Food and Drug Administration has also been affected by the shutdown and has suspended all normal food inspections of domestic facilities.
On January 25th, 2019, President Trump agreed to temporarily end the government shutdown. He is quoted saying, “If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on February 15th again, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency.” Now that the shutdown is over, here is a list of what is expected to happen:
- Employees that were furloughed or continued to work without pay will receive appropriate compensation.
- Americans that rely on food stamps and other government benefits will continue to receive these benefits.
- The FDA and other government agencies, including the TSA and FAA, have again begun to receive paychecks and furloughed workers have returned to work.
- Scientific researchers from the Agriculture Department, the National Oceanic, the Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Geological Survey, along with others that were furloughed due to the shutdown, have returned to work and research has commenced.
While the end of this shutdown is not permanent as of yet, the benefits are overwhelming. It will be announced on February 15 if the government will be shut down again due to the conflict over the $5 billion President Trump is demanding for the border wall.