Weeks Into the Government Shutdown

From the beginning of his campaign, Republican president Donald Trump had an interest in building a wall to separate the United States of America and Mexico. While the House of Representatives is democratic and the Senate is Republican, difficulty rises when coming to the conclusion on funding for the wall. Trump asked for an estimated 5.7 billion dollars for part of the bill. This price has since gone up from the original 1.6 billion dollars in mid-2018 due to Mexico’s unwillingness to help with the cost. This complication led to Trump shutting down the government until his budgetary demands could be met.

The Washington Post released an article containing the amount of federal workers currently without income. 800,000 employees worry as many begin to live paycheck to paycheck. With the longest government shutdown in history, many financial advisors are encouraging people to consult consumers on the best way to minimize personal damage.

Those outside of government jobs are also frustrated about our government’s current state. A non-partisan poll showed that two out of three American voters wanted to reopen the government.

“I think they should re-open the government because some people aren’t getting paid,” sophomore Chloe Hampson said. “Not to mention, it’s not getting us anywhere.”

Although Congress has recently approved a motion to pay back the many workers that are affected by the shutdown, the consequences go past those currently in government. Native American tribes are being refused millions of dollars in funding and airport security workers have begun to stop showing up for work due to lack of payment. The officers and many others, are currently working without pay and there is nearly nothing they can do about it.