For the longest time ever, the Trump Administration has shutdown the entire government. Starting on December 22nd and continuing still, the shutdown has left many federal employees without a salary for weeks on end. President Trump has tweeted previously that this shutdown could last “months, or even years.” In 2013, Obama had also shutdown the government, but unlike Trump’s, that one only lasted 16 days, after which everything returned to regular function without horrible consequences.
First of all, the regular functions of the government have all stopped. National parks and museums are left empty; we have delayed health and food inspections; the food stamp payments have been halted, leaving many families in deeper poverty than ever before; federal court funds are declining, which has prevented farm and housing loans from being processed. If the shutdown continues, the economy will decline at a shockingly, rapid pace, resulting in many families in debt.
However, there is still hope for government agencies to do the work they usually do. While each has designed a plan in the case of a shutdown, they know that at some point work must resume in order to ensure public health. For instance, the Food and Drug Administration has a bit of leeway when it comes to the shutdown because if they are not functioning then we put the health of the American people at risk. There are ways to move the sums of money around in the government, giving agencies a bit of discretion even in a shutdown.
What I found most surprising, personally, is that if the Democratic party tries to mitigate the effects of the shutdown, it allows the Trump administration to prolong the shutdown because it has a lessened impact on the people. The more I learn about the shutdown, the more I am shocked at the fact that it is still going on even though it has a clear negative effect on hundreds of families.
Questions:
- Is there anyway to reach a compromise and satisfy both sides of the political divide? What would each side have to give up to achieve a resolution?
- What do you think is the most likely ending to the shutdown? Will either side just give up? Will a compromise be made?
- Do you think that government officials should work to mitigate the effect of the shutdown on the country with the risk of a longer shutdown?
There is no acceptable compromise based on outlined platforms. Republicans and Democrats are directly at odds over the wall, with Democrats wanting to debate it after passing the budget and Republicans wanting it in the budget. One side would have to give up on their views of the wall, and it'll probably be Republicans wanting to restart the government before debating over the wall, although they might seek guarantees that a wall bill is debated. Government officials should not. Frankly it's ridiculous that the government is even considering issuing things like tax refunds during a government shutdown. Noncritical things designed to please crowds is just a band-aid that allows a shutdown to continue without public outcry.
ReplyDeleteAs of right now, I do not believe that there will a definitely resolution that will satisfy both sides of the political divide. With the Democrats being strongly against the construction and funding the wall, although some of the Republicans seemed to be hesitant of the problem. I believe that one side would have to push more to end the government shut down because of the great negative impact. The two parties would have to create a compromise, but I think right now neither side is going to back down first. I believe that the government officials should work to start the government because there are thousand of people out of pay checks, and without government employees there is also a security risk.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there's really a compromise in question because the pieces in play are pretty defined and very substantial: Democrats are helping to withhold funds, Trump is tying up the government. If one side isn't willing to conceded, the shutdown will continue. I think the most likely resolution to the shutdown is Trump giving in and getting the government running again, probably blaming democrats for keeping the debacle up for so long. Members of the senate and bureaucracy should do the best they can to preserve order and keep the country functioning. If they are working without pay, I do believe they should be compensated for their commitment in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think that the most likely ending to the government shutdown is that only minimal compromise will have be made, and that neither Republicans or Democrats will walk away from the situation satisfied. I believe the shutdown is foreshadowing the high levels of polarization and conflict that will continue to exist in our political climate since both Republicans and Democrats are only going to strengthen their views in order to oppose propositions made by the other party. There are fundamental differences in ideology in current issues such as the construction of the wall that make compromise unrealistic. I think the way the government shutdown will come to an end is when it begins to impact the American public more and more. While many agencies, national parks, food inspections, and families have virtually been put on hold, people can only work without pay for so long until they get frustrated and voice opposition. I think that this could help encourage members of Congress to temporarily put aside their differences to help aid the needs of the American public.
ReplyDeleteI do believe government officials should be working to mitigate the effects of the shutdown. This shutdown has lasted longer than any in the Obama administration, and seems to be continuing with no stopping point in sight, therefore thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people are feeling the effect. As the shutdown continues, families in poverty will be less able to get the help they need to survive. On top of that, government officials aren't getting paid, putting their families and themselves at risk for their well being. It's extremely unfortunate that compromise can't seemed to be reached- it makes it seem like our president doesn't seem to care for the well being of many Americans if it means getting what he wants.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that there is a compromise that could be a solution. The parties are too polarized on their beliefs and are too stubborn to compromise, this event is just making tensions worse. The only possible solution I could see in the (hopefully near) future would be for the Republicans to give up and end the government shutdown. There are thousands of people going without paychecks and that causes a major issue within our economy as a whole. Senate needs to do their best to keep functionality and order in our nation.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the very polarized political climate that currently resides in the federal government, I do not believe a compromise will be able to be reached. This combination of polarization and a stubborn president makes it unlikely that the shutdown will end with both sides satisfied. Rather, for the shutdown to end, one side will have to sacrifice something to satisfy the other. For example, in the most extreme (and very unlikely case), Congress would give in to Trump's demands for a budget for the wall. However, although giving in to one side may show some sort of political weakness, I believe it is more important to help the government workers who have been working with no pay and those who have had trouble to pay their bills or any other dues because of the lack of paychecks. Families and having a roof on their head are on the line right now and it is much more important than the loss of some political pride by certain colleagues.
ReplyDelete