By: Serina Gousby
On Oct. 1, the government shut down for the first time since December of 1995, a shutdown which lasted for 21 days. As of now, it has been over two weeks, and we have yet to see if Congress can agree on a spending bill, which will end it. The GOP House (Republican-led House of Representatives) and Democratic-led Senate failed to pass spending bills (agreements on how to fund the country), which left more than 800,000 federal workers furloughed without pay and some government-funded programs suspended. The main cause that delayed a decision was the GOP House constantly attempting to pass a bill that would have delayed the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The Senate and President Barack Obama refused to negotiate on the bill, which resulted in the Obamacare and the government shut down to start on the same day.
The shutdown has affected food and fuel assistance programs, Headstart, public health inspections, NASA, national parks and museums, and more. Social Security, Medicare, SNAP (food stamps), unemployment benefits, and the U.S. Military are not affected. Food assistance programs like WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) are no longer being funded by the government, which has caused stress to many families who rely on the program to feed their children. Boston’s antipoverty agency, ABCD (Action for Boston Community Development) as well as other agencies can no longer receive funds for their fuel assistance program, which helps low-income families pay their heat bills for their homes. Unfortunately, this could mean that many Massachusetts families will be very cold in their homes for the winter. Headstart has a huge effect on parents because they will no longer have a learning environment to keep their young children while working and going to school. Although Medicare, passports, taxes, Social security, and federal loans for buying homes are not affected, the application processes for these services are currently delayed and the IRS toll-free help lines are down.
When it comes to national parks and museums, you will not be able to visit the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Grand Canyon, the Liberty Bell, or Independence Hall. Our very own Faneuil Hall and the U.S.S. Constitution at Charlestown Navy Yard are closed as well. The tourism in popular cities will have a big decrease, especially in Washington D.C. where there are many national parks and museums that are a huge attraction to people all across the country. Boston’s popular places like Franklin Park Zoo, Museum of Science, and New England Aquarium remain open because they are funded by the state.
When I first heard about the government shutting down, my immediate thought was financial aid. Fortunately for college students, there is nothing to be worried about since the funding has already been paid for the 2013 -2014 year. For the future, the shutdown should not last long enough to start affecting the years to come. Hopefully, the House and the Senate can work on an agreement as soon as possible because it is affecting many families who are in need of these programs in order to survive. The fact that all of Congress are still getting paid during the shutdown is a slap in the face to the American people who are left unemployed, hungry, and stressed. What happens if this lasts longer than 21 days? The never-ending catfight between the Republicans and the Democrats is going way too far, and we do not deserve to have our food, heat, education, and health taken away because of it.
