The U.S. government shut down on Oct. 1 after Congress failed to pass a funding bill.
The shutdown, created from a standoff between Republicans and Democrats, has sparked debate and concern over its impact on American citizens. The government has curtailed funding for the foreseeable future. This leaves hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid and vital services disrupted.
Certain federal departments and agencies will shut down, but essential services will continue to operate. These departments will also begin to furlough workers. Furloughed workers retain their employee status and benefits, but will not receive pay until the government reopens.
Services such as Social Security and Medicaid will not be shut down, although they may experience delays.
As of Oct. 15, 750,000 workers have been furloughed, while an estimated 700,000 federal workers will continue to work without pay until the shutdown ends.
Political division has been at an all-time high recently, and Democrats and Republicans are both blaming each other for the shutdown.
“The president and Republicans have a sacred responsibility to serve and protect the interests of their constituents, the American people. That’s why we are backing a clean and nonpartisan funding bill,” said Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, in a press conference on Oct. 6.
Leavitt has referred to the crisis as the “Democrat federal government shutdown” during press briefings, shifting blame toward the opposing party.
“The president and Republicans in Congress chose this shutdown because they would rather have tax cuts for the wealthy instead of health care access for ordinary Americans,” said Carol Evans, vice president of policy at the Democratic organization Common Cause.
Democrats argue that the Republican bill is pushing tax cuts for the wealthy, while Republicans disagree. In addition, many Democrats are starting to point fingers at Trump and attribute the shutdown to him and his administration.
Despite disagreement on the cause of the shutdown, both parties can agree that the shutdown needs to end and that prolonged shutdowns can have detrimental effects.
“The president and Republicans in Congress are prioritizing the wealthy. The second they agree to help all Americans keep affordable health care, we believe this shutdown will end,” Evans said.
In addition, Leavitt asked people to call their Democratic senators into action and vote for the Republican bill.
“All we need are an additional five senators to end this madness,” Leavitt said in a press conference.
This affects the general American public by reducing access to government accommodations and increasing prices.
“If Congress keeps us on this current path, we will all continue to suffer with high prices and a bad economy,” Evans said.
The delayed publication for the next fiscal year can impact gross domestic product growth and have implications for inflation-linked products, including Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities.
“I do believe that when it comes to political polarization, both parties need to be held accountable because at the end of the day, it is both of the parties’ fault if they can’t work together,” said Alina Robinson, a Carlmont sophomore.
Robinson offers advice that promotes holding each other accountable while fostering collaboration.
“In a world in which a lot of political polarization is increasing, we need to make sure that we are collaborative as opposed to just sticking to our political viewpoint and demonizing the other,” Robinson said.
In addition to affecting the country, the shutdown’s impact also extends to Carlmont students.
“It can affect students by creating more stress and distracting them,” said Louise Scherrer, a Carlmont sophomore.
