As the U.S government grapples with the shutdown, the Effect it has became apparent within days. Republicans and Democrats have been at loggerheads since the past weekend over a House spending bill. The bill, proposed by the Republicans, did not include legal protection for immigrants, which the Democrats rejected. Immigration is a sore point for this government with President Trump proposing to build a wall to keep them out. According to his immigration speech transcript posted on August 31, 2016 on the Los Angeles Time website, Trump stated that the wall is important " in order to end the illegal flow of drugs, cash, guns and people..."
These sentiments were rubbished by many Democrats and even some Republicans, leading to the rejection of the bill.
The president was left fuming and took to Twitter to air his disapproval. Meanwhile, Millions of lives have already been affected by the shutdown, especially essential services provided by the Trump-led government.
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
How the government shutdown could affect millions
There have been several shutdowns in America's history. The most notable ones were in 1995 over government spending and in 2013 over the repeal of ObamaCare, and now in 2018 over immigration.
If this continues, millions will be impacted and thousands of essential and non-essential employees will be forced to take unpaid leave or work without pay until the shutdown is resolved. Even when confronted with these options, Trump still insists on passing the bill and tweeted that he will use the nuclear option to overrule his opposition if they do not concede.
If this happens, the effect can have serious repercussions. In major government agencies like the IRS, the shutdown is a pain because it is happening in the midst of tax filing season. Only 43% of the workforce will be on the job, causing lengthy delays for those expecting refunds or feedback on tax-related matters. Other entities like the National Institute of Health (NIH) are already feeling the effect and visitors to their website can expect delays due to a "lapse in government funding."
In the event of an outbreak, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would be unable to effectively respond as they would be operating with less than 50% of their staff.
This puts both workers and the general public at risk. The lack of adequate resources to deal with seasonal influenza, food safety concerns, and the steady supply of life-saving drugs would put millions of lives in danger.
The pride of the US military would be bruised as millions of service men, women, and their families go penniless until the government shutdown is over. To add, thousands of visitors to the national parks and Smithsonian museums across the country would also be disappointed as many of them will remain closed.
Next up
As voters continue to blame the Republicans for the shutdown, the impasse over immigrants and border security is at its core. In the meantime, it is sobering to think about what could potentially happen if this shutdown persists, and it does not look pretty.
