Government shuts down

On January 20, 2018, the government began a shutdown that continued for almost three days. Many aren’t sure what it means and why it happened, but it left thousands of Americans enraged for different individual reasons

The primary reason for the shutdown was that a spending bill had to be passed by Congress and signed by Trump by midnight of January 19. That didn’t happen, so the government followed protocol and shut down. The bill was supposed to extend spending until February 16, but Republicans could not get the last 60 votes they needed because many Democrats  wanted the bill to protect DACA immigrants, and some Republicans had concerns over spending.

When the government shuts down, parts of the US government that are deemed non-essential are temporarily shut down until the government can decide on a spending plan.

Departments involving national security, electricity, and air traffic control continue during shutdowns, but some others like visa and passport processing will shutdown with the government. Because of this, hundreds of thousands of government employees go on leave, often without pay.

Government shutdowns, however maddening, are not uncommon. The most recent government shutdown occurred in 2013, during the Obama administration, when fiscal plans over the Affordable Care Act could not be worked out. Government shutdowns have happened more often than one might think since the congressional budgeting process took effect in 1976. Since then, 19 separate government shutdowns have occurred. What makes this specific shutdown so particular though is the fact that this is the first legitimate government shutdown to occur with a single party controlling the White House and Congress.

“During the Obama administration, I didn’t really understand what a shutdown was, and didn’t care that much either,” said Cleo Mills, 11. “ But now that I understand what’s going on, I can see why people would be mad.”

Following the shutdown, President Trump took to twitter to rant about the shutdown and blame Democrats. He stated “This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present. #DemocratShutdown” – Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018.

He may have received backlash but it did not stop there.

He went on by tweeting, “Democrats are far more concerned with Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous Southern Border. They could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead. #WeNeedMoreRepublicansIn18 in order to power through mess!”- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018.

Many are criticizing Trump for his lack of professionalism.

On Jan 22, the senate approved temporary spending bill that funds government operations without resolving the DACA issue.