In the early hours of the morning October 1, it would have appeared to be a typical Tuesday work morning for people in Washington, D.C. Except for one very large detail: the government shutdown. When the Strongsville school system in Cleveland, Ohio closed for several months because of a teacher strike, hundreds of teachers stopped going to work.
Now imagine this government shutdown similar to that, only on a more monumental scale where employees didn’t ask to temporarily give up their jobs or work for free.
More than 800,000 government employees are temporarily laid off, and an additional 1.3 million government employees are no longer being paid, but are still expected to come into work anyway. All this is a result of a government shutdown that went into effect when Congress failed to pass a budget for the 2014 fiscal year.
It is all a power game.
The Democrats who control the Senate and the Republicans who control the House of Representatives were unable to agree on a budget before their October 1 deadline, which is when the 2014 fiscal year began.
In addition to passing a budget, the Republicans of the House wanted to delay or alter the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, colloquially known as “Obamacare” which was slated to take effect Tuesday morning. The Senate Democrats refused to agree on any budget that altered Obamacare, and since both sides were unable to agree on a budget, no budget was passed, and non-essential parts of the U.S. government were shut down.
So who had to go home, and who still has to go to work?
Managers at all federal agencies recently conducted reviews to determine which personnel were essential in carrying out the basic functions of the agency, and which employees were deemed non-essential. The non-essential employees were sent home without pay until a budget is passed. The essential employees are required to go about the workday as usual, but until a budget is passed, they will not be paid for their work.
Many government functions still continue during a shutdown, including anything related to national security and public safety, such as the military, border patrol, federal law enforcement, and prisons. Personnel such as air traffic control, emergency medical care, disaster assistance and power grid operation are still working, as well. Any agency that is funded from other sources, such as The Postal Service, will also continue working as usual.
One more group of people will continue getting paid despite their lack of teamwork and cooperation: members of Congress.
So what government responsibilities will stop?
The list is quite lengthy, but some of the more important functions include: The CDC will stop its seasonal flu programs and will have a significantly reduced ability to investigate outbreaks. The Department of Homeland Security will no longer offer its “E-Verify” program, meaning employers will not be able to check the legal immigration status of potential employees. The National Parks Service will close all federal parks, such as Yosemite, the Statue of Liberty, and all Washington D.C. museums and monuments. The EPA will shut down almost entirely, sending home 95 percent of its employees. Nearly all NASA employees will be sent home as well, with only employees working on the International Space Station being deemed essential.
What does this mean for Miami students?
Students whose parents work for the federal government might see the financial situation of their family at risk. Any student who was seeking government jobs or internships might have their efforts halted. If the shutdown lasts for more than a week, local and national economies will begin to be effected, potentially increasing the prices of many commodities such as food and gas.
The most important reason Miami students should care?
Some of us are a short few years from graduating, while others are an even shorter few months from entering the real world. There is a lot more beyond this little town of Oxford, and as we all transition from a college career to an adult career, we will start to feel the effects of what happens in D.C., and many of us may even be in positions to influence the decisions made in Congress. So pick up a copy of the New York Times once in a while at King Café and immerse yourself in the news taking place in our nation’s capital.
Is there anything that isn’t affected by the shutdown?
Ironically, one of the few things unaffected by the shutdown is Obamacare, and as of October 1, uninsured Americans were able to shop for insurance plans as appropriated by the bill.
Americans now must wait until Congress passes a budgetary bill, and the President signs them into law.
Until then, the government will remain shut down indefinitely.
Information found from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/30/absolutely-everything-you-need-to-know-about-how-the-government-shutdown-will-work/?tid=pm_pop
Cover photo by KAZVorpal, from Creative Commons images
Story photo from Creative Commons images