26 Days of Shutdown and Counting
On Dec. 22, President Donald Trump shut down the United States Government because House Democrats refused to pass a bill funding Trump’s proposed border wall.
Once dead set on having a concrete wall between Mexico and America, Trump is now considering a ‘steel barrier’ which would cost American taxpayers $5.7 billion.
When asked how long this shutdown will last, Trump said, “Whatever it takes. I mean, we’re going to have a wall, we’re going to have safety. We need safety for our country.”
MSNBC reporter, Steve Kornacki, claims there is “No end in sight,” since this is currently the longest shutdown ever recorded in US history.
Under President Bill Clinton, America witnessed a 21 day shutdown due to conflicts over funding for Medicare. This lasted from Dec. 5, 1995 to Jan. 6, 1996.
With every Government shutdown, all Government funded buildings are closed and their employees go without pay.
As scary as it sounds, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has stopped the inspection of both food and medication.
This also means the TSA agents you saw over winter break haven’t been paid since before Christmas.
Along with government buildings, all National Parks are closed without further notice unless they’re being maintained by volunteer rangers.
Even though the number of visitors hasn’t changed, the number of employees have, which is causing an overwhelming pile up of trash amongst the National Parks.
Fortunately with tax refund season around the corner, the White House decided the IRS will be able to issue tax refunds, which they previously said they wouldn’t last year. How the IRS will do this without paid employees? No one currently knows the answer.
On Tuesday, Jan. 8, Trump addressed the nation from the Oval Office. He stressed how important border security is since “meth, heroine, cocaine, and fentanyl,” enter this country through the southern border everyday.
However, according to Customs and Border Protection, an 80% majority of those drugs are detained at legal ports of entry.
Trump also reminded the nation during his address how Democrats had caused the shutdown.
But when Trump previously held a meeting with Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, he was recorded saying, “I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. I’m not going to blame you for it,”
Without a clear solution to reopening the government, 800,000 American workers are continuously going without pay.
The average American family has 4 members which means 2.4 million people are being affected by this shutdown. Children went without Christmas gifts, sick family members are living without their necessary medication, and families continue to live without proper groceries.
Unfortunately, no change has happened and a clear answer is yet to be discovered by either party.
