The Longest Government Shutdown Ever: A Recap

Credit: Alex Wong / Staff

From December 22, 2018 to January 25, 2019, the United States government was partially shutdown as Congress and President Trump could not come to an agreement over a spending bill. Looking for a recap of what happened? Want to know the real impact of the shutdown? We’ve got you covered.

What Is a Government Shutdown?

During a government shutdown, federal agencies must cease operations on all “non-essential” programs and send workers home without pay. Essential operations like law enforcement or airport security must continue and federal workers must work without pay. Shutdowns last until Congress approves new funding and the President signs the bill into law. This shutdown has closed more than nine agencies, affecting everything from National Parks to immigration courts.

Recap of This Government Shutdown

• On December 22, the federal government partially shutdown, with nine of 15 agencies closing their doors to business after Congress and President Trump could not come to an agreement on a spending bill.
• The issue at the heart of the disagreement was border security. Democrats offered $1.3 billion in border security enhancements, but President Trump stayed adamant for $5.7 billion to be allocated toward building a border wall.
• Over 800,000 federal workers were impacted, missing two paychecks during the span of the shutdown.
• President Trump agreed to reopen the government for three weeks while border security negotiations continue, hours after LaGuardia Airport in New York began turning away incoming flights due to a lack of air traffic controllers staffing the airport.

The Shutdown’s Impact

• More than 40,000 immigration hearings were canceled due to the shutdown.
• Young people across the country were unable to pay their college tuition and schools were worried that they may not have been able to provide healthy, nutritious meals to students.
• Funding for research at universities was tied up by the government shutdown and could take weeks to resolve and start new projects.
• Roughly 800,000 federal workers will be receiving backpay for the time of the government shutdown by mid-week. Federal contractors, including everyone from janitors to security guards, however, will not receive pay.

What’s Next

Congress and President Trump have three weeks (until February 15) to negotiate a deal that satisfies both parties or risk another government shutdown. Trump administration officials have indicated that President Trump might declare a national emergency to build the wall and bypass Congress if he is unable to get a deal.

Several Congressional representatives have introduced bills that would stop government shutdown from ever happening again by automatically guaranteeing funding until lawmakers reach an agreement.

Take Action

Millions of Americans and young people were affected by the past government shutdown and if our government doesn’t come up with a solution by February 15, we may be doomed to repeat it. Congress and President Trump should not be playing with the lives of young people and their families to advance political objectives. Call your representatives today to demand that they find a solution that will keep the government open.

Call this number: +1 202-851-9273 and you’ll hear from me. I’ll give you some quick tips and then connect you to your elected officials in Congress so that you can make your voice heard. Let’s Do This!