Explained: What Is the Government Shutdown?

Credit: Al Drago / Stringer

Lately, you’ve probably been hearing about the partial-government shutdown. Confused about what’s going on? Want to take action? We’ll get you up to speed.

UPDATE: Friday, January 25

• The government is still partially shutdown, now for 35 days, making this the longest government shutdown ever.
• Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have re-started negotiations in the Senate. Two proposals were brought up for a vote and both failed to pass.
• House Democrats are unveiling a border security proposal of their own today, which is expected to include at least $5 billion for border protection. The $5 billion could not be used to build a wall.
• President Trump indicated that he would be open to a continuing resolution, which would re-open the government for 3 weeks if there was a down-payment for the wall.
• The Trump administration is preparing to declare a national emergency to bypass Congress to build the wall.
• President Trump agreed to hold off on delivering the State of the Union address until the government is re-opened.

TAKE ACTION

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 re-open the government and have the conversation around border security only when the government is no longer shut down.

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.

UPDATE: Monday, January 21

• The government is still partially shutdown, now for 31 days, making this the longest government shutdown ever.
• President Trump has attempted to re-start negotiations by offering temporary protections for DACA recipients in exchange for border wall funding. Democrats have largely rejected the proposal, since it doesn't provide the permanent solution for DACA recipients they had asked for.
• If the government stays shut down, federal workers will miss a second paycheck.

UPDATE: Friday, January 18

• The government is still partially shutdown, now for 28 days, making this the longest government shutdown ever.
• Negotiations are still stalled. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has asked President Trump to postpone his State of the Union Address until the government is re-opened. President Trump has cancelled a scheduled trip for Pelosi to Brussels and Afghanistan until the government is re-opened.
• New reports are coming out everyday of the impact this is having on millions of young people and their families. Schools may no longer be able to provide nutritious, healthy meals to all students. Students are unable to pay their tuition for college. And so much more.

UPDATE: Tuesday, January 15

• The government is still partially shutdown, now for 25 days, making this the longest government shutdown ever.
• Negotiations between House Democrats and President Trump have largely stalled and no end to the shutdown is in sight.
• Some agencies have re-started certain operations, calling back workers to work without pay, like the FDA and critical food inspections.
• In a sign of support, Canadian air traffic controllers sent pizza to American air traffic controllers who are still working without pay.

Thursday, January 10

On December 22, after Congress and President Trump were unable to negotiate a compromise on a spending bill, parts of the federal government shut down. Today marks day 20 of the partial government shutdown, making it the second longest shutdown ever, and the effects have been felt far and wide.

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.

What’s happening because of the shutdown?

Since December 22, 400,000 federal workers have been sent home without pay and hundreds of thousands more continue to work without pay. Stories of families penny-pinching and depleting their savings illustrate how this shutdown affects ordinary, hard-working people across the nation.

• The Department of Agriculture has assured that food stamps will be provided in full through February
• The Food and Drug Administration has stopped routine inspections of high-risk foods that keep consumers safe
• National Parks and museums have closed their doors
• The Department of Housing and Urban Development has sent letters to over 1,500 landlords asking them not to evict residents in housing assistance programs for which funding has lapsed.

If the shutdown continues past January 11, many federal workers will miss a paycheck. By January 15, members of the Coast Guard will also miss their paychecks. And by January 18, federal courts will run out of money, disrupting thousands of cases.

Why hasn’t a spending bill been approved?

The impasse between Congressional Democrats and President Trump comes down to funding for border security. As of January 3, our country entered a period of divided government with Democrats controlling the House and Republicans controlling the White House and Senate. Essentially, in order for a spending bill to pass and be signed, it must be approved by both parties and President Trump.

President Trump has demanded $5.6 billion for a “steel barrier” at the Southern border, while Democrats have agreed to a maximum of $1.3 billion allocated to border security. Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have had many talks with President Trump, most recently yesterday where the meeting ended with President Trump marching out after Democrats refused to agree to a border wall. Today, Trump heads to the US-Mexico border in Texas to bolster his case for a barrier. No further meetings between Democrats and the President have been scheduled.

Meanwhile, Senator Lindsey Graham and other Republican Senators have been working on a counter-proposal that would include money for the wall, but also important immigration reforms to appeal to Democrats, like helping DACA recipients. They plan on proposing it to Democrats today to see if it is a viable option to ending the shutdown.

How can you Do Something about it?

The government shutdown affects us all, and especially our most vulnerable who rely on our government to provide services and improve our quality of life. Your representatives work for you. Make a call today to your elected officials and advocate for the change you wish to see from our government.

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 representative and senators so that you can make your voice heard. Let’s Do This.