On Wednesday, October 1st, the United States government shut down due to Congress’s inability to reach a consensus on the 2026 budget. Since 1976, the government has shut down twenty times, the most recent being during the first Trump administration in 2018, which lasted for a record thirty-four days. The latest shutdown has effectively suspended the work of 750,000 government employees, placing them on unpaid leave indefinitely. As communications between the two parties continue to fail, Americans are grappling with the possibility of a new shutdown record. So what does this shutdown truly entail?
The conflict, arising over a failed budget dispute between Democrat and Republican majorities, means that the White House technically has no money to continue fiscal operations. As of recently, the Republicans have proposed a bill first to reopen the government, and then talk over future changes. However, Democrats have expressed worries that the Republicans will not remain true to their promises. The left intends to hold out for guaranteed healthcare funding for programs such as the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, a position staunchly opposed by their conservative counterparts. As long as policy makers remain in a stalemate, the shutdown will continue, and there will be no further action for negotiations.
Internally, many workers from the Internal Revenue Service, National Parks, and Transportation Security Administration have been furloughed, while workers deemed “essential”, are required to work without pay for the duration of the shutdown. Luckily, there exists protective frameworks for these groups, such as the 2019 Government Employee Fair Treatment Act, which ensures that all government employees will be appropriately reimbursed when the shutdown ceases.
More crucial, are programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which feed impoverished groups across the nation. For these funding-reliant organizations, they will only be able to sustain operations for a maximum of two weeks. Should the government remain closed for more than fourteen days, the WIC food program will be forced to turn to individual states for monetary contributions. For many, food safety in the following weeks is filled with uncertainty.
While the government remains immobile, it is likely that America will experience a decrease in spending. For our already rocky economy, this means that numerous contractual agreements between government and business will screech to a halt. The ramifications of this sudden loss stand to take off as much as 0.2% of the United States’ economic growth for each additional week of shutdown. In addition, the congressional budget office estimated that an average of $8,757,143 per day will be deducted from the GDP.
In our own community, areas like Fort Sheridan — where a large percentage of residents are military families – will be impacted. Whether a parent is deployed or currently stationed somewhere in the United States, many active military members will be expected to continue their duties without pay. Due to this, families may temporarily find themselves under a level of financial strain. Fortunately, many preexisting military aid societies can help relieve that strain, as well as some financial institutions that offer zero-interest loans.
Whether or not you’re directley impacted by the government shutdown, there are undeniable social and economic complications that affect the broader scope of our nation. While both political parties claim that they are open to further solutions, neither side appears currently willing to compromise, leaving the government’s agenda open ended.
