The Casualties of the Government Shutdown

Author: Mathias Silva

As of writing this, the government has been shut down for 32 days. In comparison, the longest government shutdown in US history lasted 35 days. A record that's dangerously close to being broken, what began as a standoff over budget priorities has catapulted into a nationwide halt to several crucial services, disrupting the lives of millions in America.

The government shutdown will cause Federal workers to work without pay until the government reopens. To put it bluntly, this will screw over people’s lives if this continues. Small businesses with federal contracts will face steep losses, National parks will remain closed, routine operations like passport processing and food inspections have slowed to a crawl. TSA employees are calling in sick as their savings run out, and Coast Guard families are starting to rely on food banks to get by.

For those who are living paycheck to paycheck the government shutdown will make any sort of stability out of reach, Economists warn that every passing day compounds the damage, draining billions from the economy and eroding public confidence in the government's ability to function effectively. Communities across the nation are witnessing how fragile this system really is being brought to halt because of political inaction.