Government Shutdowns for Dummies

By Maggie DeBlasis on October 2, 2013

Midnight struck on the first of October, and with the final toll of the bell, the government shut down for the first time in 17 years. Current college students were too young to remember the last time this happened in 1995 and 1996. It happened twice that year, from November 14 – 19, and from December 16 – Jan. 5, 1996, making them the longest government shutdowns in about two centuries.

But what does this mean, the government’s shutting down? Will chaos descend upon the nation’s capital? Are classes going to be cancelled? Is the end near?

Thanks to the writers of the Constitution, the government can only spend money once Congress and the president approve the spending. These days, a government shutdown occurs when the houses of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives, cannot agree to a budget before the start of the next fiscal year, which started October 1 this year. Once the houses agree to a budget in all its parts, they send it to the president, who usually signs it. In the case of the last government shutdown, former President Clinton actually vetoed the agreement and forced the country to shut down. This time around, the Republican representatives in the House are against the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, while the Senate and Democratic House Representatives are all for it. Until they figure it out, the government is in a catastrophic state.

The government does not actually shut down completely; work still gets done. The government just works on a severely diminished staff, only those deemed “essential,” until Congress approves and the president signs a budget for the next fiscal year.

According to USA Today, Obama usually has 90 personal aides, but during a shutdown, only 15 of them are at work.

However, other institutions shut down completely in order to save funds. All national parks are closed for the time being. Any publicly-run museums in D.C., including the Smithsonians, have closed their doors. The FDA and WIC are still running, but they are limited and, if the shutdown goes longer than about a week, there would be trouble. Most government-influenced and government-run social media, including the First Lady’s Twitter account, have suspended their use until the problem is solved.

Institutions and organizations like the Postal Service and the Armed Forces will still run as usual. Residents of D.C. were afraid that trash collection, among other processes funded by the federal government, would go undone. But, unlike 17 years ago, D.C. will not suffer.

USA Today reported that Mayor Vincent Gray told the Office of Management and Budget that all D.C. employees as “essential.” All these establishments would only be affected if the shutdown went on for an extended period of time.

The same can be said for public universities like Maryland. Though the school does receive some federal funds, alumni donations and our tuition money can run the school efficiently for the time being. The only possible problems, according to the U.S. Department of Education, could be for financial programs that need department staff, like Federal Work-Study and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants. No one knows what or when those effects would happen. We can only hope that these effects are merely temporary, and that this shutdown ends soon.

For more information and perspectives on the shutdown, visit The Guardian, Politico, and this Washington Post article.

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