What You Need to Know About the Latest Government Shutdown

Shutdown. On Saturday, January 20th, many agencies of the government closed their doors; services were suspended and the agencies needed to dig into their reserve funds.

What is a government shutdown?

When Congress fails to approve a budget for the upcoming fiscal year, nonessential services are put on hold until an agreement is reached. Programs such as Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare, however, are part of the mandatory budget and are not included in this budget, so they are funded automatically.

If the government shuts down for an extended period of time, it can lead to a slow in economic growth and a loss in valuable jobs.

Why did it happen this year?

So, what was this year’s shutdown about? First, let’s make it clear that this was not one side’s fault. BOTH PARTIES failed to come to an agreement due to poor negotiating and stubbornness. The appropriations bill that Congress was supposed to bring to President Trump by January 19th didn’t make it to his desk, and therefore, the federal government closed its doors.

Democrats and Republicans were unable to come to a settlement on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), Trump’s border wall, and military spending. The bill Republicans had previously crafted suspended several healthcare taxes, temporarily re-authorized CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Protection), and didn’t resolve the ongoing issues with Dreamers. Democrats, unhappy with its lack of any permanent solutions, voted against the bill (along with a few moderate Republicans) and the bill fell ten short of the required sixty votes.

Where does the government proceed from here?

On Monday, January 22nd, the Senate passed a bill that reopened the government temporarily; however, this argument will once again reach the Congress floor February 8th, and if the debate is anything like the last one, the government will once again shut down because the issues remain unresolved.

All of this reveals how toxic and volatile immigration policy has become in American politics. With neither side able to agree, the economy, people, and democracy suffers.

Works Consulted

Image: https://www.politico.com/gallery/2018/01/26/the-nations-cartoonists-on-the-week-in-politics-002778?slide=0

Bouie, J. (2018, January 19). How Republicans Created the Shutdown Crisis. Retrieved January 29, 2018, from https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/01/how-republicans-created-the-shutdown-crisis.html

Berenson, T. (2018, January 19). What Is a Government Shutdown? Here's What Happens. Retrieved January 29, 2018, from http://time.com/5109899/government-shutdown-explainer/

Amadeo, K. (2018, January 23). Government Shutdown Postponed to February 8. Retrieved January 29, 2018, from https://www.thebalance.com/government-shutdown-3305683

US government shutdown: How did we get here? (2018, January 22). Retrieved January 29, 2018, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39698546

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