The recent government shutdown is an example of presidential and congressional immaturity and should be ended as soon as possible for the financial well-being of the country.
Congress closed its doors on Dec. 22, making it the longest government shutdown ever in United States history, according to NPR. The shutdown has lasted 24 days as of Monday, Jan. 14.
The motive for this political temper tantrum is a clash over funding for the notorious border wall — President Trump insists on a budget of $5 billion for its construction, while Senator Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi counter-offered with a budget of $1.3 billion for border security.
As a result of President Trump’s inability to compromise, the government began its shut down and took serious national consequences down with it.
According to the New York Times, over 800,000 federal employees are impacted by the shutdown. Thousands of them missed their two-week pay because of a “stop work” contract ordered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency due to lack of funding.
Ironically, according to the Washington Post, the politicians responsible for the shutdown are paid their $174,000 salaries regardless of the shutdown, while federal staffers whose livelihood depends on congressional annual appropriations suffer without their paychecks.
Landmarks of our national identity have been closed since Jan. 2, as well. The Smithsonian Museum, the National Zoo and the National Gallery of Art suspended all visitors and employees until the government begins to do its job again, according to a list of warnings released by the Washington DC Tourism site. That means that thousands of entrance fees will be lost, tourist traffic will diminish and museum employees will not be paid.
Even private businesses face the consequences of an absent government. USA Today reported that, without the foot traffic of tourists or commute of Congress, the number of workers, food and retail sales among many small and family-owned businesses in the area have dropped by more than 60 percent.
That impact on local economies reaches much further than just Washington DC. Kennesaw mountain, along with every other National Park in the country, has been empty of all employees or park rangers, and parking has been completely gated off. This mountain, along with its recreational purposes, is vital to our own local economy.
The Marietta Daily Journal reported that more than 2.5 million people visit the park annually — a large portion of them being out-of-towners — and bring in $148 million to local businesses. Without parking or rangers keeping the park clean and safe, roadside drivers can see its historic battlefield grounds littered with garbage, and insistent visitors dangerously clog the streets with their illegally parked cars next to the visitors center.
The consequences of this government shutdown wildly outweigh the effort by President Trump to get his funding for the wall. Congress must get back to work and hold the responsibility of our nation with more care as national parks grow overrun without supervision and the people of this country suffer without pay.
