im not at like #politicalscience knowledge level when it comes to how the country works, but as a citizen of the u.s.a., isn’t it bad that the government is shut down. and on top of that, i’m finding it kind of weird how no one seems to care
specifically: politico says that 400,000 are being furloughed - mandatory time off without pay - and another 400,000 were deemed “essential” and have to work without pay.
“Essential employees who continue to work during a shutdown are guaranteed pay for that period, but those checks are not paid out until after the shutdown has ended. Furloughed employees are not necessarily paid for the shutdown period, and any paychecks for them must be appropriated by Congress.” - politico, january 8
none of these employees are being paid right now.
“Trump is the only president to furlough employees while his party controlled both chambers of Congress.” - business insider, january 8
“Real-life consequences of the shutdown are already beginning to seep in. In one example Friday, union leaders said hundreds of Transportation Safety Administration workers at major airports nationwide are off the job because they can’t afford to get to work, although a TSA spokesman said the absences aren’t enough to affect airport security operations. Millions of Americans also face delayed tax refunds and cuts to food stamps if the standoff drags into February.” - washington post, january 4
“Still, roughly half a dozen rangers are available to patrol Yosemite National Park, for example, which is about the size of Rhode Island.” - washington post, january 5
“The government shutdown has left America’s national parks largely unsupervised. No one is at the gate. No one is collecting a fee. The visitor centers are closed… People are streaming into the parks, enjoying the free access, but they’re finding trash cans overflowing and restrooms locked. Vault toilets are not serviced, and there’s hardly a flush toilet to be found anywhere.” - washington post, january 1
“The raises, for hundreds of appointees, including ambassadors, appear to be a consequence of the shutdown: When lawmakers failed to pass bills Dec. 21 to fund multiple federal agencies, an existing pay freeze lapsed. It was enacted by Congress in 2013 for top executives and was renewed each year since then. The raises will occur because that freeze will expire Saturday without legislative action, allowing the increases that accumulated over those years to kick in.” - washington post, january 4
Philip DeFranco, @feminismandmedia, and many others have also covered all of this. Government shutdowns are supposed to force the parties to work together, but when offered 2.3 trillion (iirc), Trump decided to up the amount he was asking for.
He’s negotiating like this is a business he can afford to run into the ground (like his university, his steaks, his casinos, various other businesses, he’s declared so many companies bankrupt and claims to be a successful businessman?), but this is an entire country and economy and he can’t win over Congress by throwing a tantrum. He’s currently saying he doesn’t want to declare a state of emergency but insists he can and is going to have to prove legally that the immigration “problem” and border security warrants military action to get anywhere close to the funding he wants. He’s abusing his position outright, refusing to negotiate with the House, and can’t even keep his own party in line because even Republicans know that half the stuff coming from his people is deliberately misleading to fear monger.
And yet Congress thinks they’ve earned a raise at the same time that they’re threatening 800,000 people with potential homelessness (failure to pay rent could result in eviction), food insecurity, and more.
You’re not over exaggerating. You’re not too sensitive. You’re not too much. If it hurts you it fucking hurts you. If it makes you angry, then it makes you angry. There’s nothing wrong with you for feeling.
