There have been 20 government shutdowns in U.S. history, three of which have happened in the last decade and we are on the verge of another one. Regardless of your political beliefs, this represents a massive failure on the part of our government. A government shutdown is what happens when congress can not agree on funding for the next fiscal year. In the past disagreements over how to spend money and how much money to spend are typically what lead to shutdowns, and sometimes they are necessary to make the best decision for the American people. However, prolonged shutdowns or unnecessary shutdowns can hurt citizens and the economy.
In this case, the Government has overspent, putting us further into debt. While a lot of this money has gone to necessary social programs—in particular COVID-19 assistance—in 2020, 53% of the federal discretionary budget went to military funding. The U.S Government is so obsessed with portraying power on the global stage, that it puts the socio-economic well-being of its people at risk so the military can build more bombs. While shutdowns can be a necessary tool to lend congress more time to go over facts and make a decision, it has increasingly been something political parties use as a threat to force the other side’s hand. The last two occurred in 2018 as a result of filibustering and the inability of democrats and republicans to work together for the betterment of their people. This time is no different.
On Sept. 9, Congress passed a temporary bill within hours of the deadline to decide on a budget before another government shutdown. Pushing the decision so close to the deadline inhibits Congress’s ability to choose wisely, partisan arguments take up so much time that there’s little left to consider the needs of the American people. While it certainly helps to avoid a shutdown immediately, it still rests on the horizon for the new Dec. 3 deadline. Democrat and Republican members of Congress are torn over what to do about a massive problem they have created for themselves—the debt ceiling.
The debt ceiling is a maximum number set by Congress and formed into law that places a limit on how much money the U.S. can owe at any given time. If the ceiling is surpassed without being raised the government will default on its loans–which has never occurred before.
Typically the debt ceiling is raised with a bipartisan vote but this time Republicans are holding fast, claiming it is the Democrats’ fault that we have come this close to the ceiling. Despite President Joe Biden’s claims that “… the passage of this bill reminds us that bipartisan work is possible… ” in a statement after the signing, the ability of Congress to work together is certainly in doubt and putting Americans at risk.
If the government does not succeed in avoiding a shutdown, thousands of government employees are at risk of being furloughed without pay until an agreement can be reached. In addition, more would have to continue to work without pay if they are deemed necessary, waiting until the people in Congress can come to an agreement before they are able to receive a paycheck. People like firefighters and border patrol officers will struggle to get by, potentially affecting the safety of everyday people if the stress prevents them from doing their jobs well. Furthermore, Visa and Passport processing will come to a halt, meaning anyone hoping to travel or work outside the U.S may find their plans delayed. In addition, federal courts would struggle to keep up with cases when operating on a reserve budget. This could mean delayed court hearings due to limited employees like judges and U.S marshals. However, the federal courts have a lot of lee-way as to which employees are “essential” so they may be able to continue operating on a limited basis.
With the financial crisis, COVID-19 has brought on this would be devastating for both the families of government employees and the economy. When workers make no money they have nothing to spend, so if a shutdown goes on long enough it can start a ripple effect that could devastate the global economy. When people don’t spend money companies lose profit and have to lay off employees, who will then also not spend money and send the economy into a spiral. The U.S is a major global market so this would affect people worldwide. In addition, many countries rely on the U.S dollar as a stable form of currency to keep in their treasuries and base currency exchange on, if the U.S dollar was to be devalued due to our inability to pay international debts, the investments and treasuries of other nations would be at risk and likely scare investors. When investors all pull money from the stock market at the same time it can lead to a stock market crash, similar to what happened when the U.S housing market crashed in 2008.
When it comes to DU students and faculty the effects may not be immediate or drastic. Nevertheless, national parks like the Rocky Mountain National park will be closed for the duration of the shutdown, as well as any federal research facilities.
However, there are a number of alternatives to a shutdown. Congress intends to deliberate on the issue on Dec. 3, where there are several options presented.
Firstly, Republicans could get their way. Democrats would give up on the $3.5 trillion spending bill and raising the debt ceiling would be unnecessary but leave us with significantly less money for hurricane aid, Afghan refugee resettlement, and care for unaccompanied minors left at the U.S. Mexico border. Less funding for these humanitarian issues could lead to the abandonment of many Afghan and young Mexican refugees that are relying on the sympathy and promises of the U.S to escape dire situations. Limited hurricane funding would have a similar effect on the domestic level, leaving Americans without clean water, safe shelter, or the ability to rebuild as hurricanes become increasingly destructive.
Secondly, Democrats could convince Republicans to raise the debt ceiling. Republicans feel that the amount of money spent on “human infrastructure” is approaching socialism and should not be included in next year’s budget. Democrats have to persuade Republicans to see the benefits of societal aid, especially at a time when we need so much of it. Raising the debt ceiling would avoid defaulting on loans and keep the humanitarian aid in the budget.
While Congress argues and filibusters over these two choices a dangerous deadline is approaching where there will be no choice left. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warns that if there is no decision before Oct. 18, the U.S treasury will be left with no money to spend and the danger of defaulting on our loans will arrive much sooner than Congress’ Dec. 3 deadline.
With the U.S national debt approaching $29 million, the possibility of other countries requesting what they are owed should the U.S. no longer be financially capable of handling their debts would be economically catastrophic.
There seems to be a clear solution to this: pick a side. Whether you stand with Democrats or Republicans it is clear an agreement needs to be reached before their indecision leads to an economic catastrophe in the middle of a pandemic. The constant filibustering and overall partisanship has gone on for far too long and it is about time Congress remembered who it serves, the American people. Not an arbitrary symbol of liberals and conservatives but people whose livelihoods, homes and education will be affected by their stubbornness. The choice is clear: make a choice. A viable temporary solution is to raise the debt ceiling to make room for humanitarian aid, but in the future allocating less money towards the military and more to areas that directly benefit U.S citizens, like infrastructure and social programs, is a much better way of spending taxpayer dollars that may allow us to start paying off the U.S’s astronomical debt. For now, we will be lucky if congress can come to an agreement at all.
