by Emmy Kirkham
New Prairie High School senior Callie Metzger’s family was affected by the 2018-2019 government shutdown.
As of January 12, the government shutdown made history, by surpassing twenty two days and becoming the longest shutdown in United States history.
The government shutdown began when President Trump asked for $5 billion to further the funding for the wall on the United States and Mexico border, which Democrats rejected.
“The Senate failed to break an impasse over the president's demand for more funding to build a wall,” explained The Independent, a worldwide news source.
Although it has been reported that negotiations have been made, there has not been an agreement, and the government could remain shutdown. An agreement to end the shutdown would need support from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
As of January 25, the partial government shutdown ended, but the end is temporary. Neither side has come to an agreement about the border wall. The shutdown lasted 35 days in total.
Government shutdowns can last as long as it takes for the congressional leaders from both parties to come to an agreement. As of January 21, the current shutdown has reached the one-month mark.
The federal government is forced to shut down “non-essential services,” which would mean people who work at national parks, monuments, and museums are all on an unpaid leave.
On January 15, the Trump Administration called about 50,000 of the 380,000 “non-critical” employees back to work without pay.
The Postal Services, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and Air Traffic Control are considered essential service, so the employees continue to work during the shutdown. There are around 420,000 “critical” employees who are reporting to work without pay, according to thebalance.com.
Senior Callie Metzger explained how her mother is a United States Marshall and is considered a critical employee.
“The government shutdown personally affected my family because my family relies heavily on my mom’s consistent income,” stated Metzger. “Not receiving that for over a month impacted our ability to pay bills, and other expenses.”
Metzger added that her family did not suffer too much hardship because of savings, but other families who did not have those savings were put into a worse situation.
The employees will still get paid, eventually. The paychecks will not come on time and they receive them after the government shutdown ends.
“Every agency has their own contingency plan in the event of a shutdown,” reported Fox News Online.
Americans can still receive benefits, such as Social Security, Medicare, and food stamps, while VA benefits, unemployment benefits, and tax refunds may be delayed.
There have been four major government shutdowns in the past, with two between 1995 and 1996, one in 2013, and the current one. The main purpose for all shutdowns is “when Congress fails to appropriate funds,” as stated by thebalance.com, an economic website.