At 12 a.m. on Oct. 1, the federal government entered a shutdown after Congress failed to reach a budget agreement amid disputes between Republican and Democratic lawmakers over a potential expansion of Obamacare healthcare. The shutdown has left thousands of workers at a possible furlough and raised concerns over potential Medicaid funding cuts, including those related to President Trump’s domestic policy and tax proposals.
A government shutdown occurs when Congress cannot agree on a budget or funding plan for the next fiscal year. Without agreement, the government doesn’t have the money it needs to run normally. As a result, federal offices close, workers leave unpaid and public services can be delayed until a new budget is passed.
Lawmakers were sharply divided over healthcare funding, with Republican representatives and officials opposing Democratic efforts to expand medical care. The standoff blocked the passage of a new spending bill, triggering a shutdown that closed large portions of the government. Roughly 500,000 could be laid off due to the government shutdown. Departments such as education, labor, health and human services, among others, are at risk.
Brian Krammer, a legal aid attorney stationed in Atlanta Georgia, offered his legal perspective on the impact of the shutdown.
“Essential services such as food and housing assistance for poor families, children, monitoring food safety, health care subsidies for low-income seniors, environmental protection, early childhood education services, are all likely to be disrupted,” he said.
Krammer explains that the shutdown has placed thousands of workers in the position of being let go, leaving them without pay. Numerous citizens who rely on federal aid are facing possible interruptions.
In relation to this, President Trump stated when referring to the democratic party, “There could be firings, and that’s their fault.”
Local voices are also weighing in. Ms Drozd, a US History and AP World teacher at Sage Creek High School, provides her insight.
She said, “allowing the government to shut down and allowing thousands of government employees to go without a paycheck is the exact opposite of ‘serving the people’.”
As the budget standoff continues, citizens feel the impact while members of Congress continue to receive their paychecks during the shutdown. Lawmakers will continue to negotiate in hopes of resolving a new budget to reopen the government. Until an agreement is reached, federal employees and citizens who depend on government programs remain in limbo.
The shutdown serves as a reminder of how political changes can ripple into everyday lives, impacting people, from those carrying out their usual activities to those who depend on them.
“Justice delayed is justice denied,” said Krammer.
