The Shutdown(s): An Opinion

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Jack Farnum-Huelster, Staff Writer

President Trump wants to build a wall on our border with Mexico. You probably already know that because he’s been talking about it vehemently since he launched his bid for President in 2015. It was the issue he launched his bid for President on in the first place. Now, he wants approximately $5,000,000,000 (5 Billion) for it from the federal government.

Getting Mexico to pay for it didn’t exactly work out. Democrats with their new majority in the House of Representatives are staunch to not let him have it, citing that $5,000,000,000 is a waste for wall that they believe won’t work in stopping illegal immigration.

So, as is becoming quite natural with our government when there’s a stand off between the two-parties, the government shutdown. This began on December 22, and went until January 25. At over one month in length, it is now the longest government shutdown in US History. But it’s over now, so why bother bringing it up? Well, because there might just be another one on the way

While the two parties have essentially called a ceasefire for now, the President already has plans to shutdown the government again if he still can’t get funding for the border wall from Congress/The House. The date for this possible 2nd shutdown, as set by the President himself, is February 15. The recent shutdown left over 800,000 Federal workers without pay for over a month. That’s almost a million Americans, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, working an entire month without pay. While federally controlled locations like national parks stayed open for the most part, they were left under-staffed – leaving many riddled with trash as people took advantage of that fact to have a “good time”

Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi believes the Republican Party and President Trump will not initiate another shutdown, believing the two parties can reach an agreement before February 15t.

‘There will not be another shutdown. No, it’s not going to happen” she said in an interview with POLITICO Magazine. Regardless of what happens, there’s only one thing really at stake in the face of another shutdown – Us, the Americans