Just before the holidays began in December 2018, President Donald Trump declared a federal government shutdown.

A government shutdown occurs when there is a disagreement over a bill between the President and Congress. Often times it is due to the majority of Congress being a different political party than the President.

During a government shutdown, there is legal restrictions on the payment of some government workers. Shutdowns have occurred in the past. There were several during the term of President Obama, yet none were as long as this one.

Trump proposed a budget bill that allotted $5.7 billion for the southern border wall. As a concession to the Democrats, Trump’s bill would then allow Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients to remain in the United States for three years with funding for education. Congress declined the offer because his deal concerning DACA was already established.

The shutdown was caused by the disagreement between Trump and Congress on his proposal. In total, it affected around 800,000 people all over the United States. Many were unable to work their jobs or if they had vital careers such as airport security, they worked without pay.

Families suffered from the lack of income and struggled to pay the bills. Some argue that federal workers are well-paid and should be fine for a month without pay, but that is not entirely true. There are many positions which still require employees to live paycheck-to-paycheck. These employees were drastically affected by not being able to work, which is, in part, what made the shutdown so detrimental.

Despite all the hardship it brought, Trump did not budge and refused to back down until he received the desired amount for his wall.

Locally, the government shutdown has tormented citizens of Lancaster County. A few thousand federal workers were temporarily unemployed during the time of the shutdown.

As with people all over the country, many rely on each paycheck to get food on the table and to cover bills.

Jan. 25, the President and Congress were able to agree on a temporary end to the shutdown. For the time being, the government has reopened without funding for the border wall.

Student Poll Responses:

Expert Corner: Dr. Kyle Kopko, Associate Dean of Institutional Effectiveness Research and Planning and Dr. E. Fletcher McClellan, Professor of Political Science

Dr. Kyle Kopko, associate professor of political science and Associate Dean of Institutional Effectiveness and Research at Elizabethtown College, summarized the shutdown as a large problem for many citizens and their families. He mentioned how difficult it was on people located all over Lancaster County. The unemployed federal workers were using every method possible to make ends meet, such as relying on credit cards or bank loans.

Most likely this government shutdown lasted longer because “there is much distrust between the Democrats in Congress and President Trump, and both sides are unwilling to budge on the issue of a border wall or barrier,” stated Kopko.

Kopko highlighted there will have to be a compromise at some point to satisfy both disputants. He feels the matter of the issue will one way or another impact the election of 2020 for both the Democrats and Republicans.

Another political science professor, Dr. E. Fletcher McClellan, recognizes it is a huge problem, although most government officials were still working for pay. In truth over 50 percent were unaffected. However, for the fraction that was unemployed or working without pay, the effects were drastic. For some families, it created financial hard times, leaving vital bills, including rent, unpaid.

McClellan explained there are other options if President Trump was that desperate to get funding for his wall. He could claim National Emergency as an attempt to receive the money, but that would mean it would have to be taken up with the court. There would be no evidence of a National Emergency and the case would be void.

The whole situation could go both ways: it could harm the country or heal it. McClellan suggested, “it could be a good thing. Spending 20 billion on a wall is foolish, but to use it towards fixing immigration would be beneficial.
However, it could go the other way and end up terrible with more people getting hurt.” At this point though, it is impossible to tell which way the situation will end up going and whether or not it will fix the problem at hand or create more issues.

Having the government temporarily reopen does little to help, for the issue still remains unresolved.

“Jay Talk”
Quotes from Around Campus

“It is incredibly frustrating that a border wall has bogged down the most powerful nation in the world. Young children have better communication and cooperation skills than the Congresspeople, or so it seems from my perspective.”
~ Anonymous

“Our country is all about having your own opinion, but President Trump is all about ‘my way or the highway,’ at least on this wall.”
~Victoria Young, sophomore

“I think that Pelosi and Trump should have compromised way sooner than they did because they’re not thinking about the people. Pelosi wants what she wants, Trump wants what he wants and they’re not thinking about anyone else except for themselves. I think they need to compromise a lot sooner for the good of everyone else.”
~Anonymous

” It is keeping many hard working Americans from getting paid, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck. The shutdown has gone on for too long over an insignificant issue.”
~ Anonymous