The government has now been shut down for 36 days, with no end in sight and is now known as the longest shutdown in American history. As this shutdown stretches on, pressure continues to build on the Senate to reach a budget agreement, but little progress has been made, leaving the general public in a state of incredulity. So, what does this mean for the average American and government workers?
According to npr, around 42 million Americans rely on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), a food assistance program provided by the USDA, but after November 1st these benefits end due to the shutdown, if the government does not tap into its contingency fund. Furthermore, 1.4 million government workers are currently without pay, with over half of them still working without pay. Additionally, active duty military personnel are also at risk of losing their next paycheck if nothing is done between now and their next pay check on November 14th. Thankfully, the October payroll was taken care of by relocating 8 billion dollars from other sources, but the current issue still stands. All of these issues have a detrimental negative effect on the economy, but also things such as flights and airports are affected. This is because of the lack of TSA and air traffic controllers still working. Overall, the shutdown is having a huge negative impact on millions, so what is the government doing to end it?
The Senate is in a tough position with the budget bill. The center of the issue is medicare and rising healthcare costs. 24 million Americans rely on tax credits to help pay for their health insurance, but as of December 1st, these credits end. The Republicans have proposed a bill that does not include extending these benefits through the next year, and that is where the democrats have drawn the line, voting 54-45 on the most recent bill in the Senate. Past this, not much progress has been made. The Democrats do not have enough members of congress to comfortably pass a bill of their own, so they are forced to try and negotiate down the Republican bill.
The government shutdown is continuing to pile stress on more and more Americans, and many are still questioning if it will ever end. It illustrates modern political polarization, as well as displaying the democrats current weakness in the government. They seem fully unable to win anywhere, and its effects are devastating to many. This is a constantly evolving issue, so more information is revealed every single day. Hopefully the shutdown will come to an end soon, but until then we must sit tight and hope for the best.