Government reopening is temporary, and its effects seem to be miniscule

BY JOSEPH STURGEON

On January 25, President Trump signed a bill to reopen the federal government for just three weeks. For these three weeks, national parks will be staffed, government workers will be paid and government-run websites will no longer be down, as some have been.

The 35-day government shutdown was the longest in U.S. history and it cost the country’s economy $11 billion. Paychecks were stopped for 800,000 federal workers, and Trump’s border conflict still has yet to be resolved. Despite this, President Trump is still actively pursuing his steel wall plan and doesn’t plan to let congressional disapproval deter him.

National parks are facing extensive damages and hundreds of thousands of citizens have been forced to go weeks without pay.

“We really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier,” Trump said. “If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on Feb. 15, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and Constitution of the United States to address this emergency.”

Democrats in the House of Representatives are adamant— no matter what happens, each of them vows not to let President Trump proceed in building a wall. Instead, many Democrats are dancing around the wall with the term “border security,” suggesting that upgrading technology at mail-processing facilities will better tighten border security.

Regardless of political affiliation, the government shutdown left many of the country’s citizens disgruntled. National parks are facing extensive damages and hundreds of thousands of citizens have been forced to go weeks without pay. On matters of the economy, 55 percent of American citizens disapprove of Trump, while 44 percent continue to support him.

“We shouldn’t have another [government shutdown],” junior Sandra Garcia said. “Our country was vastly affected during this past one. National parks, airports, our national defenses— the effects are endless. We should avoid another shutdown as much as [possible]. I’m not even sure if the shutdown was even worth it.”

“With the shutdown, [Conner] has to work at the station, go to his apartment and they automatically pull [his bills] out,” Jones said. “His credit’s going to be negatively impacted. To avoid that, everyone’s pulling together from the family to deposit money in his account.”

The government reopening may temporarily set things back into place, but as far as federal workers and their families go, the reopening doesn’t really change much. Dr. Claudia Jones, a teacher at CCHS, has two sons active in the U.S. Coast Guard. During the government shutdown, Jones and other family members pitched in to financially support her sons.

“With the shutdown, [Conner] has to work at the station, go to his apartment and they automatically pull [his bills] out,” Jones said. “His credit’s going to be negatively impacted. To avoid that, everyone’s pulling together from the family to deposit money in his account.”

The length of the government shutdown was undoubtedly its worst aspect. Those 35 days allowed the national parks to be in such a state that’d it take years to recover from, and prevented federal government workers from paying for basic necessities such as rent and food. And as for the beneficiaries of the government shutdown? There doesn’t seem to be any.

Photo courtesy of  National Public Radio Inc.