Beginning of the End?
Lately, I hear a lot of UMaine students along with the rest of the country asking questions like how the hell does our government just shut down, what exactly does that mean and, most importantly, how does it effect me?
Let’s start off with the basics:
1. The current government shutdown reflects a battle within the Legislative Branch, (the House of Representatives and the Senate) which controls the budget for our country. When a decision cannot be made concerning funding, we shutdown. Many people are asking why it occurred at this point of the year. While we may be in the latter part of a twelve month year, we are at the beginning of the fiscal year (October 1st through September 30th).
2. What is Congress fighting over that put the government out of work in the first place? The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (AKA: Obamacare). The main reason Republicans hate this act is because it will force every American citizen to have a health care plan or they will be charged a fine of $95 or 1% of their household income, whichever is greater. Many Republicans claim that this will hurt employers and that by requiring medical insurance it will send our workers overseas. Democrats refute this by claiming it will make health care affordable by reducing the costs of coverage and protects those with a pre-exisiting medical condition by allowing them coverage too. The Republicans believe so strongly in fighting Obamacare that they are willing to disrupt government function. For the moment, the Republicans are doing everything they can to prevent Obamacare from continuing. However, it has now gone live and Americans have until March 31st, 2014 to have a health care plan. Unfortunately for the Republicans, even if the shutdown continues they will not make many gains, because “most of the money for Obamacare comes from new taxes and fees, as well as from cost cuts to other programs like Medicare and other types of funding that will continue despite the government shutdown.” – CNN.
3. Will Congress and the President be paid during the shutdown? Yes, doesn’t seem fair does it? But the President’s salary is deemed mandatory spending and Congress cannot go without pay according to the Constitution – the 27th Amendment to be exact.
4. Who is furloughed? “Essential” personnel will remain working. So, who is not essential? That’s up to the government’s interpretation, and so far some of the organizations they’ve considered to be unessential are NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), Lockheed Martin (one of the most popular defense technology companies), Sikorsky Aircraft (makes aircrafts for our military), WIC (Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program- will be operational throughout October but past that there is no guarantee), Head Start Program (health, education, nutrition, etc. programs to low-income children and families), National Parks and Museums are closed, and unfortunately the list drones on.
Now, let’s go over how it effects us, college students. Put a pin in any international plans you might have had for Fall Break if you don’t have a passport, those services have been deemed unessential. Sexual assault investigations are being put on hold. Many military academies are being effected and certain departments forced to shut down, especially those with civilian teachers. Research funding that is not deemed essential may be put on hold. Student veteran services are also limited at this time and the hotline to ask questions about benefits for them is currently disabled. Also, if you are applying for a loan, you may have to wait.
When is this shutdown going to cease? Unfortunately, no one knows – not even congress, with House Speaker John Boehner stating, “If I knew, I’d tell you.”
References
Atteberry, Emily. “5 Ways the Shutdown Has Affected American Higher Education.” USA Today. Gannett, 03 Oct. 2013. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.
Campbell, Colin. “Despite Government Shutdown, WIC Program Will Operate through October.” The Seattle Times. N.p., 03 Oct. 2013. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.
Miller, Zeke J. “Swampland.” Swampland Boehner No End to Government Shutdown Without Concessions Comments. TIME Inc., 06 Oct. 2013. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.
Simpson, David, and Saeed Ahmed. “10 Ways a Government Shutdown Will Affect Your Daily Life.” CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Oct. 2013. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.
Yan, Holly, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Z. Byron Wolf, Adam Aigner-Treworgy, Laura Koran, Lisa Desjardins, Bryan Monroe, Chris Isidore, and Gregory Wallace. “Government Shutdown: Get up to Speed in 20 Questions.” CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Oct. 2013. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.