All About the Government Shutdown

Today marks the 35th day of the partial government shutdown. Although it's been going on for than a month, many still don’t know what exactly a government shutdown is. Here’s a quick rundown of all you need to know about the state of our government.

What is a government shutdown?

Every year, Congress has the responsibility to sign bills that will fund departments of the US. These bills must be met by a certain deadline, otherwise those parts of the government will run out of money. On December 22, 2018, Congress failed to meet this deadline.

Why couldn’t Congress pass a bill?

To pass a bill, Congress has to send it to the President so it can be approved by him. The president has the right to veto the bill. Right now, Trump is rejecting every proposal for funding bills until Congress includes funding for the Border Wall.

Who is affected by the government shutdown?

Currently, a quarter of the government is shutdown. This includes national parks and funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Workers like park rangers are considered non essential employees, meaning they won’t have to show up to work. Workers like TSA agents at the airport are essential employees and have to continue working. Workers will not be receiving a paycheck regardless of whether they go to work or not.

Why is this a partial government shutdown?

Only a fourth of the government needed this bill to continue functioning. The rest of the government has different deadlines. For example, if the shutdown continues until September, public schools across America will lose their funding.

How do we get out of a shutdown?

Unfortunately, our role in whether a government shuts down is very limited. Until President Trump and Congress can come to an agreement over a funding bill, we will remain in a shutdown.

What can we do?

Because we are in the beautiful country of America, our democracy allows for us to voice our concerns. Ways we can try to pressure lawmaker and the President is protesting and contacting your representative. With our many voices together, we can take a stand and force the government to end the shutdown.