Federal Government Shutdown Causes Furloughs, Certain Operations to Cease
Courtesy of Business Insider
By: Alexander Santana
While the U.S. Senate is taking up two bills on Thursday dealing with the longest partial federal government shutdown in American history and President Donald Trump’s $5.7 billion request for a physical barrier at the southern border with Mexico, over 800,000 federal workers are either working without pay or on leave without pay. The 34-day shutdown has caused several government agencies and departments to cease certain operations. Certain routine inspections at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have been halted and many national parks, memorials and all 19 Smithsonian museums are closed. Most of the operations at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have come to a halt as well. The U.S. Department of State announced on Tuesday that the 16th International Export Control and Border Security Conference in Scotland had to be postponed because of a lack of funding. Federal workers missed their first paycheck on January 11th and may miss their second one on January 25th if no deal is reached by then. Federal courts are expected to run out of funding on February 1st. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are not affected by the shutdown. Trump was supposed to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week but canceled the trip because of the shutdown.
Both bills require 60 votes to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate. With 53 Republicans and 45 Democrats along with two independents who caucus with the Democrats, Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Angus King (I-ME), it is unlikely either will pass without bipartisan support. Republicans would need 7 Democrats to cross the aisle and support their bill while making sure no Republicans defect. 13 Republicans would have to vote for the Democratic bill, which looks unlikely to happen. The Democratic crafted bill would fund the government through February 8th but not provide any funds for a southern wall which was one of the President’s most famous and divisive campaign promises in the 2016 election versus former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) stated on Tuesday, “People are saying isn’t there a way out of this mess, isn’t there a way to relieve the burden on the 800,000 federal workers not getting paid, isn’t there a way to get government services open first and debate what we should do for border security later?”
In addition to the $5.7 billion for the president’s border wall, the Republican crafted bill includes funding for 750 new border patrol agents and 375 new customs officers. The bill also includes three years of “provisional protected presence” status for Dreamers and those living under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The Dreamers are 700,000 people currently living in the U.S. who entered the U.S. before the age of 16. The majority of the Dreamers are from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras where thousands are suffering from crime, drug and human trafficking, poverty, and government corruption. Also covered under the bill’s protections are 300,000 people with TPS. These people with TPS are mostly from Haiti, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) tweeted his support for the bill he helped write saying “The proposal outlined by @POTUS would reopen the government fully. It is the only proposal currently before us that can be signed by the President and immediately reopen the government.”
In order to persuade Democrats to support the bill, McConnell, who is running for re-election in 2020 after 35 years in office and is now the longest serving Republican leader in Senate history, added funding for disaster relief. In terms of natural disaster aid the bill gives states and territories $12.7 billion to recover from wildfires, earthquakes and hurricanes, among other disasters. Californians suffered from devastating wildfires in 2018 that claimed over 100 lives while Hurricanes Irma, Harvey, and Maria caused significant damage and loss of life in parts of Florida, Texas, and Puerto Rico. McConnell also included in the bill an extension of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
Matthew Gage, a sophomore politics major, believes “until Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer make legitimate concessions – along with the President – this shutdown has become theirs to own and bare in the face of the American electorate.” He added, “We’re all waiting the end of this stalemate, but both sides of the spectrum need to be seated at the table.”
Also surrounding the shutdown is Trump’s planned State of the Union address on Tuesday, January 29th. On Wednesday Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) stated Trump would not be allowed to give his address in the House of Representatives chamber at the U.S. Capitol Building until the government reopens. Presidents are not mandated to give the address in the House chamber, the U.S. Constitution only states that the President “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union.” Presidents gave the state of the union in writing during the 18th, 19th, and part of the beginning of the 20th century until Woodrow Wilson resumed the practice in 1913. Presidents have used this opportunity to convey their domestic and foreign policy vision and goals for the nation and report on its economic and social well-being. Since he is not required to speak in the House chamber, members of the press have speculated that Trump could give his third address in places such as the Oval Office or another room within the White House, the Senate Chamber, at the southern border, or at a campaign-style rally in a conservative congressional district.
