As of midnight October 1st, our government has shut down. This is not to say that we are entering a purge; merely that all nonessential government-employed workers will be temporarily free of work for a while. Government shutdowns have happened several times before, though rarely. Presidents Nixon and Carter, respectively, saw the most government shutdowns out of all.
So, why do government shutdowns happen? Before I can answer that, it’s important to acknowledge the role that politics play in approving policy. President Donald Trump is a Republican, and both the House of Representatives and Senate have a Republican majority. This means that the Republican Party has what is referred to as ‘control’ over the government. This does not mean that the party makes all the decisions; part of why we are having the shutdown is that neither the Senate nor the House can approve the bill to fund the government.
According to ABC News, the Senate and House have still not come to a conclusion, even after re-voting. The issue at hand is whether to approve the suggested bill that will provide government funding for the fiscal year 2026. If you are not aware what a fiscal year is, it is a 12-month period relevant to the government and many financial disciplines. The Democratic party is holding out because they are attempting to get the Affordable Care Act refunded, while the Republicans refuse to agree with their plan until the Democrats vote for their bill to pass. Until they can come to an agreement, the shutdown will continue. In the meantime, both parties are blaming the other for the shutdown and associated problems.
In order to fix the shutdown, the two parties will need to compromise. Depending on if the situation escalates, this could go on for months, though that is extraordinarily unlikely, as the longest government shutdown in our history occurred during 2018-2019, spanning 34 days in December and January. That particular shutdown was due to a disagreement over funding for Trump’s border wall project, and this is about a budgetary proposal, which is less controversial. However, the Affordable Care Act is a much-debated topic, as it pertains to many Americans, especially those who might not be able to have equitable healthcare access otherwise. According to Kalshi, a betting site, most people (on the app) are predicting a 40.9 day shutdown period, as of Friday October 17th.
This government shutdown will mean that all nonessential government jobs will be put on hold. However, layoffs could be a potential danger in the future, if this bill is not quickly passed. According to CNN, “White House budget chief Russ Vought warned a group of House Republicans on Wednesday that some permanent layoffs of federal workers would take effect in “one to two” days, according to four people on the call.” Unfortunately, this means that some government workers, especially those who are not essential, stand to lose their jobs. For those who continue to work through the shutdown, and even those who don’t, they will receive payment for their work once the shutdown is ended and a funding policy is approved.
Even as we’ve discussed the problems and repercussions of this shutdown, it still isn’t clear to many how exactly this will affect us. Many Cavers stand to be impacted by the potential layoffs or stalled salaries in our near future. Living in San Diego, an important border city with many connections, we have a disproportionate amount of government workers, many of whom are now at risk. From park rangers to border patrol officers to immigration judges, these people and their kids could be facing the consequences.
So, where do we go from here? The truth is, until the shutdown ends and we can’t anticipate the entirety of the changes that will have come from it.
