The partial US government shutdown caused by Trump’s demand for the funding of a border wall has continued longer than any in American history and left many federal workers without a paycheck. A total of 800,000 workers have not been paid since the shutdown began on 22 December. The number is including 380,000 who are furloughed and 420,000 who are working without salary.
Trump decided to shut down the government after his demands for funding to build a border wall was rejected by Congress. The president claims that America needs a wall to deal with the crisis at the border with Mexico. In a national address in early January, Trump said that a wall was needed to stem illegal immigration. He has also claimed that 90% of heroin comes across the southern border and that a wall would help the fight against drugs.
More than 1,500 appeals have been set up by federal workers on crowdfunding site GoFundMe, seeking a financial lifeline to pay rent or feed and clothe their children. Of the workers who own a home, their total mortgage payments add up to $249 million per month. Of those who rent, their payments come to $189 million. That is a grand total of $438 million workers owe for housing just in January.
President Trump did sign legislation on January 16 that promises back pay for workers furloughed or working without pay during the shutdown. Others, like contractors who are not performing duties, could be left out.
With no end in sight and no serious talks with Democrats on Capitol Hill underway, the shutdown is entering its fifth week. That is multiple pay periods for people who are not rich. Those who aren’t left on furlough, but rather working, can’t collect unemployment and they can’t find side jobs if they’re doing their day jobs.
Mechelle, 26, is a security officer at Atlanta Airport. Despite the prospect of no pay, Mechelle is still required to work. So are all 57,000 employees of the Transportation Security Administration. But with no savings, the commute to work is eating into the little money she has to pay for bills and for the medication that’s keeping her mother in good health. Last week, she applied for food stamps, a food-purchasing assistance program run by the US government.
“It’s scary, I don’t know how long we’ll last and I don’t know how bad it’ll get before it’ll get better,” Mechelle told BBC.
What is a shutdown?
Many federal government agencies rely on annual funding approved by Congress. Every year, these agencies submit their requests, which Congress must pass, and the President must sign budget legislation for the next fiscal year.
If agreement is not reached by the start of the fiscal year on October 1, then two things may happen: one, they agree on temporary funding based on the previous year’s requests through a so-called continuing resolution, with the assumption that this will end as soon as the annual budget is agreed; two, where even this is impossible there is a shutdown where all non-essential discretionary functions are discontinued.
Congress has already passed a budget covering three-quarters of funding, but not for nine government agencies employing about 800,000 people. Of them, about 380,000 have been furloughed, the rest are working without pay.
What now?
On January 19, Trump offered “compromises” in exchange for funding for his security wall along the Mexican border, the issue that has caused the shutdown. In return for $5.7 billion of funding for a border wall, some undocumented migrants would get three years additional protection. Democrats called the proposals “unacceptable”, a “non-starter” and “hostage taking”.
The Democrats insist they will not negotiate until government is reopened. The party took over control of the House this year, while Trump’s Republicans still have a majority in the Senate. The federal budget funding would have to be agreed by both.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a statement saying: “The President must sign these bills to reopen government immediately and stop holding the American people hostage with this senseless shutdown. Each day he prolongs this needless crisis, Coast Guardsmen, FBI agents, border patrol officers, TSA agents, and hundreds of thousands more workers are forced to live without knowing how they can feed their families or pay their bills.”
“The President has taken pride in shutting down government. Now, he must take action to open up government.”
The protracted government shutdown is starting to take a toll on Donald Trump’s standing among voters. His approval ratings have dropped in recent weeks as a majority of voters blame him for the shutdown.