How long can a government shut down last in America?
Until Congress passes a funding bill, and the President signs it, the part of the government that is unfunded will continue to remain so, there is no “upper limit.”Eventually, employees who are furloughed (told to stay home) and those who are forced to go to work without being paid (like air traffic controllers) will quit and find jobs that actually pay them. If it gets to that point, and our infrastructure begins to suffer, someone is going to blink.(By the way, President Trump isn’t keeping the government shut down. The majority of votes in the House and Senate are in favor of funding both the government and border security, it is Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat, who is blocking the bill to do so. It is the Schumer Shutdown.)
As an American, are you aware of the Yellow Vests movement taking place in France right now? If so, what does that mean to you?
I’m an American, and I’ve been keeping an eye on the Yellow Vests protests. However, I’m studying International Relations at university, so it’s my business to follow events like that. I probably know much more about international news than the average American.With that being said, American’s aren’t as ignorant of events like this as many people suggest. Many Americans are at least aware of the Yellow Vests movement, but it has no bearing on their daily life. To them, it’s just a headline on their news app, or a banner at the bottom of CNN’s screen.A big reason why many Americans aren’t paying attention to the Yellow Vest protests is because we have bigger problems at home right now. As you may know, our government has been shut down for 13 days due to a lack of funding stemming from a dispute over President Trump’s proposed border wall. Trump refuses to sign any funding bill that doesn’t have money included for the wall, and Congress refuses to allocate any such money. Because of this, many federal services have been halted, with many employees ordered not to come to work. Those that are continuing to work are either working without pay, or getting paid with what little leftover funds there are. As the shutdown continues with no end in sight, the state of things gets steadily worse, and Americans pay less attention to the rest of the world.Now, for a minority of Americans, mostly those who are involved with politics, the Yellow Vest protests mean something more. People on the far left see them as yet another theater of class struggle. Many “Trump style” conservatives see them as part of a global movement against the liberal elite.Me? I see them as a warning sign. Our planet is facing massive threats, foremost of which is global climate change. In order to counter these threats, we’re going to have to take actions which are much more painful than Macron’s fuel tax increase. If the Yellow Vest protests are any indication, the reaction from an exasperated and angry populace to these measures will be violent, and it will be bloody.
What does a federal government shutdown mean for people really, on a practical basis?
In the case of the pending (at this writing, really unknown) shutdown, there will not be any immediate/short-term effect felt by most Americans. Federal employees engaged in critical work—air traffic control, border patrol and other federal law enforcement under DHS, Centers for Disease Control, NASA, for example—will not be sent home. There will be some furloughs (the employees are, usually, reimbursed after the shutdown is resolved). The Departments and agencies that will feel the full or partial effects of a shut down are: [1]Department of the TreasuryDepartment of AgricultureHomeland Security DepartmentDepartment of the InteriorDepartment of StateDepartment of Housing and Urban DevelopmentDepartment of TransportationDepartment of CommerceDepartment of JusticeKeep in mind, that most of the government has been funded by prior legislative action; the partial shutdown would hit about a quarter of the Executive branch’s departments and agencies.Americans on Social Security will still get their checks; veterans will still get their health care; our borders will still be secured; airlines will still carry passengers safely; vital interstate commerce will continue; banks will not close and locusts will not swarm across the country. However, some phone calls from citizens to government offices may not be answered, national parks may close (but the Smithsonian may be open at least until January 1).Now, Americans who are non-essential federal employees and who are either furloughed or told to work without pay, will feel a pinch if their bi-weekly checks are withheld. In general, the average American citizen will not feel any direct effect in the near-term. However, as I write, it’s Friday evening, with 6 hours of congressional and White House conferencing still going on. So, let’s see what happens today, and then go from there. Bottom line: don’t worry too much, but be very concerned that this process is happening at all.Footnotes[1] Here's who will be affected if the government shuts down
Donald Trump is now saying that Democrats own the shutdown. Can he so quickly transfer his proud ownership claim that is now playing 7/24 on cable news? Will this change public opinion?
Whether he can get away with using the same tactics the Democrats use remains to be seen. I haven’t seen a whole lot of hysteria over it yet from a bipartisan point of view yet so he might just pull it off. Consider this:Everything Trump does seems to piss off both sides, Republicans and Democrats.Look at what he decided to do in Syria. This involvement was started by Obama, backing ISIS! Trump is simultaneously getting us out of two wars now (Afghanistan and Syria) but both sides suddenly say this is a bad idea. Many of them used to say why are we staying but now suddenly becoming critics for us leaving.Both sides have campaigned on limiting illegal immigration. Now both sides wont “walk the walk.” Trump is fighting both sides.Yes, he can do it, and he will get away with it because it is quite possible that 49% of the people approve of his presidential actions. The other 51% apparently don’t all disapprove of this action. When they do we’ll know because congress will be forced to do its job and legislate this matter.
Why is the US Government shutdown such a big issue?
The ‘shutdown’ reveals the hypocrisy of politics to anyone paying attention.Look, if you shut down your business, all your customers and employees would be upset, and you’d have economic troubles real quick. But look around Washington D.C. this morning, and what do we see?The Congress is open. All the politicians are getting paid, and so are their staffs.The lights and water are on at all government buildings.The FBI, CIA, State Department and so on are all doing their normal routines.Etc.In fact, only a very small part of the government is really ‘shut down’. Tourist locations, some customer service, basically the things that don’t affect the politicians.You can be sure that the Democrats and Republicans would avoid a real shut-down if it mean hurting their own bank accounts or making them uncomfortable.The shut down will therefore end when it occurs to the politicians that ordinary Americans have begun to notice that the career politicians never pay for these things. Sacrifice is for the common man. And when the common man finally gets angry, only then will the politician get off his/her butt and do their job.
Why aren't Americans extremely angry with the 2018 government shutdown? Isn't it just complete hypocrisy when a $17 trillion economy shuts down due to a $5 Billion funding? Also, keeping in mind in FY2017 the federal government spent $3.9 trillion.
The vast majority of Americans wouldn’t even know the government was partially shut down (emphasis added) if they didn’t hear about it on the news. Most of the things we depend on the government to do, it’s still doing. Some government employees will be furloughed for a day or two, and a few paychecks might be delayed for a short period of time (but full pay will be forthcoming despite the delay). Once the shutdown ends, things will go back to normal, government workers get their back bay, the nonessential government functions that were shut down get restored, and the markets shrug it off and go back to waiting to stalking the Fed or obsessing over the next earnings season.As far as the “hypocrisy” part of the question goes, I wonder if the person submitting this question knows what hypocrisy means. If he did, he would know that asking about shutting down an economy over $5 billion in funding is a completely incoherent question. It makes no sense at all. The economy still works. People who aren't employed by the government are going to work, paying taxes, and living their normal lives. People who obsess over the gossip and drama in Washington DC might lose a bit of sleep, but most of us either don’t care because we’re not impacted or don’t care because we know it’s eventually going to get resolved.Why am I going to be angry about something that (1) doesn’t have any impact on my life, (2) will get resolved in a matter of weeks, and (3) will likely have a minimal impact on the country? How is that worthwhile? It’s not. It would be ideal if the adults in the room on all sides could get it together to prevent us even having to deal with this gossip and drama, but it’s not going to matter once February comes around.