How Government Agencies Are Keeping Spirits High After the Government Shutdown

By Thomas Curry

December 22, 2018 marked the day President Donald Trump shut down the government due to lack of agreement between Democrats and Republicans on the issue of building a wall between the United States/Mexico border.

After the shutdown reached the one month mark, Trump made an agreement with Democratic lawmakers to temporarily reopen the government for three weeks on January 26, 2019 in order to pay the 800,000 government workers who were going to work with no pay.

Despite the government reopening, there is still some backlash from the 35-day shutdown that leaves federal workers coming back to work with much on their plate. Along with that, families of workers and others become affected.

The shutdown continues to affect the National Park Service, starting with trash pickup that had accumulated over the 35 days NPS workers were absent at their respective parks. Additionally, certain parks have to plough multiple feet of snow to make the walkways and paths safe for residents and tourists.

As a result of this, tourism in the Washington, D.C. area took a major plunge, with the Smithsonian museums closing and creating an obstacle to tour groups, local students and their families who rely on the National Park Service for much of D.C.’s sites and activities.

“We were allowed to go to the Holocaust Museum or one of the Smithsonian [museums] but all of the Smithsonian was closed, so the people that planned on doing that had to go to the Holocaust Museum or find something else to do,” explained University of Pittsburgh freshman Michaela Dunleavy, who came with 100 other students on a weekend trip to Washington, D.C.

The trip which took place January 26 — the day after the government temporarily reopened — inhibited the itinerary and the usual flow of the city. “If you had never been there before, you definitely didn’t get to witness the normal energy of the city,” Dunleavy said.

“I’m just glad my family didn’t make plans to come down to the city. The National Mall is definitely D.C.’s primary source of visitors,” said sophomore, Emily Cournoyer when talking about tourism in the city. D.C. locals and students say that they agree with tourists and visitors.

The National Park Service is not the only government agency affected in Washington. The National Transportation Safety Board must inspect over 100 plane, railway, and major highway crashes that occurred during the shutdown and have yet to be inspected.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), also returning from furlough, must train their employees to adapt to changes made in the tax codes and hire people at the wake of tax season.

Democratic and Republican congressmen are continuing to disagree nearing the end of the temporary reopening of the government.

“It’s a sad state of affairs, coming at the expense of America’s federal workforce,” Catholic University sophomore Matt Gage said. “We’re all awaiting the end of this stalemate, but both sides of the spectrum need to be seated at the table.”

While there are talks that an agreement has been made between both sides, many still remain hopeful awaiting whether or not there is a shutdown come tomorrow.