A government shutdown: why should you care? Well, there are a few reasons. It affects the entire country, as key parts of the government come to a standstill. This leaves many workers to work without pay, some having to take leave.
This can happen for several reasons. This includes when Congress fails to agree on a budget or disagrees on specific policies. Both of these can lead to parts of the government becoming inactive.
So, what happened? A government shutdown happened recently for the first time since 2018. This was after Congress failed to reach an agreement on how to fund government agencies. This leads to many people working without pay. This then leaves many important jobs and services inactive.
“While most workers are generally paid retroactively once the government reopens, this pause in paychecks creates real economic hardships for many families,” wrote Brett Heinz, a global policy coordinator for AFSC.
A government shutdown affects more than workers. A big part of the Education Department is looking over the student loan portfolio. This portfolio totals around $1.6 trillion. According to its plan for a shutdown, most student financial aid won’t change. Pell Grants and federal student loans, and loan payments are still going to happen. But the department will stop investigations into schools related to civil rights violations. This also means work on pending cases will stop.
“Federal financial aid will keep flowing, and student loan payments will still be due. But investigations into civil rights complaints will stop, and the department will not issue new federal grants,” wrote Annie Ma, an Associated Press national education reporter
Then, according to the National Weather Service, some delays may occur in maintenance. This may also be true for upgrades and long-term projects for “less critical services”. But important information will continue to the public. This includes daily weather forecasts and extreme weather watch and warning information.
“Ahead of past possible shutdowns, the National Weather Service said it would continue to provide routine forecasts, as well as extreme weather watch and warning information,” wrote Caitlyn Kim, a writer for The NPR Network.
A government shutdown can also affect you if you’re planning to travel anytime soon. Air traffic controllers and most TSA employees are what we call essential workers. These are workers who are important and needed almost all the time. This means they have to continue working, even if they have to do it for no pay. But, due to employees not earning pay, this can cause delays in flights or even passport renewals.
“A ‘slight increase’ in sick leave at two facilities on the East Coast threw some major airports into chaos,” wrote Kim. “If this drags on, travelers could again see more ‘sick-outs’ of key personnel, as workers showed their anger over missing paychecks.”
Not all, but a lot of government services are on hold. This means 40% of government workers, or 750,000 people, are being left to work without pay. They are almost forced to take their sick days off to find work somewhere else to get paid.
A government shutdown can affect us in some ways we didn’t even think of. The news, flights, or complete stops in civil rights cases for schools. A government shutdown affects a lot of people. Stay informed and keep up to date by reading or watching the news to see what may affect you.
