During a rally in Michigan on the same night as the White House Correspondents Dinner, President Donald J. Trump took shots at the media, the Democrats, and the usual suspects out to get him or stand in his way.
The most important part of the rally-cry was when he threatened to “close down America” if he did not get the proper funding for the border security. He was talking about the Wall he proposes to build along the border of Mexico, which is to be considered in the upcoming budget reviews by Congress in September. If not the wall, there are rumors that the National Guard could be deployed in order to guard the border
During the campaign, Mr.
Trump pledged that Mexico would, in fact, pay for the wall, but soon began to backpedal when he faced opposition from the Mexican government, and even Congress, themselves.
Trump and a government shutdown
A government shutdown affects many different federally funded programs that a lot of people are not aware of. In 2018, the government did shut down for three days because there were not enough votes to pass a budget that both parties were comfortable with. Democrats urged protection for DACA recipients also known as Dreamers, as well as protection for women, and programs that protect the elderly, of which there were none in the original submitted budget.
Instead, the budget proposed was laden with funding for the military (from the previous $80 billion to a whopping $629 billion) and although that does not affect your everyday life, there are programs that are cut that others can’t live without.
If the government shuts down in September as President Trump suggests, there are certain areas within that are immediately considered non-essential - things like protection for our nuclear arsenals and the American Space Program.
Normal, everyday people are affected
When the government continues to operate without a budget, normal everyday people are affected - everyday citizens like you and I.
The major departments that shut down include the IRS, the FDA, the Department of Energy, Housing and Urban Development, NASA, and the National Parks Department, just to name a few. But the most immediate effect is felt in the pockets of the hard-working people that are employed by these departments: Never mind, the economic effects it has as long as it lasts.
Most American citizens do not want the government to shut down but they also don’t feel as if their taxes or any budgeting should be appointed to a wall that President Trump assured would be paid for by Mexico. It’s hard to understand how this became the American taxpayers' bill to pay, and why people are not more upset about it.
What we do know, as voters, is how important it is for candidates to keep their campaign promises - Democrat or Republican.