On October 1 at 12:01 p.m., the U.S. federal government shut down, hours after the Senate failed to reach an agreement on the 12 appropriations bills for its upcoming fiscal year.
In the days leading up to the standstill, tensions rose between the Republican and Democratic parties in Congress, neither of whom wanted to give up their position on their versions of the funding plans. The GOP suggested extending funding in its current state until November 21, giving Congress more time to come up with a final plan for the fiscal year. The Democrats’ proposal allowed the government to remain open throughout October while adding health care provisions under the Affordable Care Act and limitations on President Trump’s power to deny funding.
In order to approve any version of the appropriations bills, the Senate requires a vote by 60 of its members, meaning that the 53 Republicans in Congress needed just seven Democratic votes to achieve their goals. Yet the parties were left at a standstill, forcing them to continue deliberations past October 1 and triggering a government shutdown.
Broadly speaking, it is clear that the U.S. is currently a battleground of partisan views among the two major political parties. This is fueling the enactment of a government shutdown, and more importantly, it puts the country in a situation of dangerous economic effects on specific government agencies and their services.
What is a government shutdown?
Before the start of each fiscal year, Congress must pass 12 appropriations bills, which are then approved by the president in order to be enacted. These bills determine discretionary spending for many government agencies, specifically those that receive funding from them. However, if Congress fails to pass these bills, the federal government must go into a full or partial shutdown.
During a shutdown, federal agencies must put all functions considered “non-essential” on hold, while only essential functions and mandatory spending services continue to run. When new appropriations bills are finally passed into law, all agencies can resume functioning once again.
Currently, the federal government is in a partial shutdown, meaning that some agencies have already been funded without the passing of the funding legislation. Even though none of the 12 appropriations bills have been passed, President Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” is providing monetary fuel for some agencies, most notably the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. These two agencies, of course, are a crucial part in his efforts to boost military and immigration enforcement spending for the United States.
What agencies and services are affected or still functioning?
While many important functions in the federal government have come to a halt, this does not mean that every function within it has stopped running as a whole.
All mandatory spending programs must continue functioning, as the appropriations bills only pertain to discretionary spending. Programs such as Social Security and Medicare are examples of mandatory spending, so those who are aided by these programs can still receive benefits. However, even mandatory spending can potentially be affected by a government shutdown, as some functions within various mandatory programs are discretionary.
Additionally, many programs considered essential in the federal government typically remain open. A large number of them are considered essential because they uphold safety measures in the U.S. For example, military operations, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, customs and border protection, and air traffic control are security-based functions that do not shut down. But again, they can still be at risk if components of their functions and employment are dictated by discretionary spending. The U.S. Postal Service is also considered an essential function in the federal government.
However, there are many agencies and services that are affected by a government shutdown. If the shutdown does not last for a longer period of time, ordinary citizens may not necessarily feel its effects. But internally, a number of issues arise within federal agencies. One of the biggest effects that occurs is the furloughing of thousands of federal employees. Because agencies lack the funds to pay their employees, many individuals considered essential continue working without pay, while numerous others have their work suspended without pay for the time being. Once government functions resume, these employees are guaranteed back pay, according to a law signed in 2019 by President Trump after the last government shutdown. However, the Trump Administration has alerted people that they may not receive back pay, claiming that the law is not applicable to government employees who have been temporarily furloughed. Another issue of concern is that the Trump Administration is taking this opportunity to enact mass layoffs, furthering its goal in shrinking the federal workforce. It attempted to lay off more than 4,000 employees in mid-October, although a federal judge has temporarily blocked any shutdown-related layoffs.
There has already been a significant number of furloughed employees in the U.S. government since the start of the shutdown. For example, as of October 8, about 55 percent of the Defense Department, 62 percent of the State Department, 63 percent of the Department of Energy, and 83 percent of National Aeronautics and Space Administration employees have been furloughed. Meanwhile, just five percent of workers in the Department of Homeland Security have been furloughed, which could indicate a politically-driven trend in these furloughs.
Because agencies have to furlough employees, their ability to function is severely limited or halted. The agencies that would be most affected by the planned furloughs include the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In all of them, the furloughs would suspend a majority of their workforce.
Additionally, many grants and loans services would be affected, such as loans going to small businesses under the Small Business Administration. This puts such individuals who receive these funds in a difficult situation without the money they need to stay afloat. However, student loan bills and the disbursement of direct federal loans are not at risk and continue to go out. Consequently, students do not have to worry about their own federal aid — borrowers can continue to make payments, and the government will still give out their loans and grants.
What picture is the government trying to paint?
The entirety of the legislative and executive branches are currently controlled by the Republican Party, which has become increasingly obvious in the way the federal government is depicting the events of the shutdown.
Many websites for federal agencies are communicating the same message, framing the shutdown as being led by Senate Democrats. In other words, they are putting the blame on the Democratic Party due to its refusal to approve funding without the health care provisions it is requesting. For example, the websites for the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of State refer to a “Radical Left” or “Democrat-led” shutdown when relaying their message that functioning and services are unavailable. The Department of the Treasury is particularly brutal in its message, explaining that “The radical left has chosen to shut down the United States government in the name of reckless spending and obstructionism. As a result, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s websites will only be sporadically updated until this shutdown concludes.” Ultimately, these types of actions intensify partisanship throughout the government and among its citizens, placing blame on a specific party rather than working toward a bipartisan solution to the issues at hand.
Another important viewpoint that the Republicans are trying to put out is that Democrats’ demands are about immigration — not health care. Vice President Vance publicly stated that the Democrats want to provide free health care for unauthorized immigrants, explaining that by reinstating an Obamacare subsidy for “lawfully present immigrants,” they are therefore trying to give health care to individuals with illegal status.
Why should we care?
When all is said and done, one question remains: why should we as citizens care about a federal government shutdown?
First, this shutdown is an indicator of the contentious political climate within the federal government. Because both major parties are at odds with each other, neither group is willing to give up their positions in passing the appropriations bills. It has become more obvious how polarizing this situation is with the federal government actively pressuring Democrats by putting the blame on them. One such form of coercion by Mike Johnson, the current Republican Speaker of the House, has been to keep the House out of session throughout the shutdown, theorizing that this would compel Senate Democrats to accept the Republican version of the funding bills. Even though both sides play their own role in this standstill, Republicans are making it seem like the Democrats hold all the power to change the trajectory of the shutdown but will not do so because of unreasonable demands. This is only enhancing polarization between the two parties and worsening the state of partisan politics in the United States.
Second, governmental functions that are part of our everyday lives and the operations of the country are being affected by the shutdown. Even though essential programs are still being maintained, they remain vulnerable to the negative effects that come with a lack of funding or employees. And whether or not we as ordinary citizens can fully feel the effects of the shutdown, many businesses, agency networks, and the economy as a whole are experiencing massive repercussions. By the end of this, there will certainly be money lost and irreparable damages throughout the nation.
Third, federal workers are the most vulnerable people during this shutdown. While they are furloughed or working without pay, many are left unable to pay for things that are necessary to their daily lives. Despite the fact that they are guaranteed back pay after the shutdown, this situation is still leaving the door open for President Trump to potentially implement mass layoffs. In his attempts to shrink the federal workforce and limit the power of agencies and people that do not align with his motives, the President has been presented with the opportunity to layoff thousands of people. This creates permanent consequences for federal employees, beyond the temporary furloughing that they are currently experiencing.
As a whole, this government shutdown is important to the entirety of the United States. It severely affects numerous individuals and the state of politics as a whole, deepening the chasm between the two major parties as a result of polarization. This country is constantly devastated by the contentious nature of current politics, and while this shutdown is just one example of that, we can only wonder how far this may go before it is too late to remediate the damages.
Featured Image Source: Politico
