Opinion: The Government Has Shut Down, What Comes Next?

The Government has shut down. Now, why does the government shut down every now and then? Both parties must agree on a bill that funds the government service agencies provided to the public. Even though Republicans control the exec-utive, legislative, and judicial branches, they will need 60 votes in the Senate to pass a bill. Therefore, the bill would have to be passed in a biparti- san manner. With the little negotiating power they had, the Democrats would’ve voted on the deal if a reversal of the cuts made to Medicaid were to happen, to prevent cuts to government health agencies in the future, and to extend a tax credit that makes health insurance more affordable for millions of Americans. However, the republicans refused, and so our government shut down. What impact will this have on our country and everyday lives?

Those who will be the main impact will be all the workers who will be furloughed, meaning be sent home on unpaid leave.

That will be:

89% of the environmental protective agency,

87% of the educational department,

81% of the commerce department,

76% of our labor department,

71% of our housing and development department,

59% of our energy department,

49% of our agricultural department

and potentially 750,000 more workers will be furloughed in a few weeks or maybe days. Now, some may think, “Oh well, that’s just a free vacation for them,” however, our government functions because of those agency workers, and if they’re gone, things will slow down tremendously.

Now, jobs like police, firefighters, and doctors were not furloughed because they are essential jobs, so they will continue to function. However, even those essential jobs will feel the effects because they will not be getting paid till the shutdown ends. If you are traveling by plane, you will see a slowdown in travel because TSA agents, air traffic controllers, and other airport workers will call in sick as they won’t be seeing a check anytime soon.

The last time Congress passed a budget on time was back in 1997. Since then, they have relied on continuing resolutions, which means using last year’s budget for the current year. Throughout the year, lawmakers add bills to the budget and vote on it the next year. One important part of the budget set to expire soon is the ACA tax credits, which help millions get health insurance. If these expire, about 4.2 million Americans could lose coverage.

Recently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the job market in the ADP industry is getting weaker. They expected 50,000 new jobs, but instead, 32,000 private jobs were lost, a difference of 82,000. The jobs report was supposed to be released on Friday, but the shutdown means it will be delayed. If the economy looks weak, it could hurt President Trump’s popularity and cost Republicans votes as elections get closer.

The shutdown will likely go through the voting season. The strategy will be that republicans either continue the government shutdown through the voting season so the democrats lose favor and lose seats in Congress, or pass a bill that continues the government’s duties if the shutdown negatively impacts the republicans in the voting run. The shutdown is a gain for the politicians while a loss for the average Americans.