The US government became officially shut down on Wednesday, the first such closure since 2018. This move came on the heels of congressional Democrats’ rejection of a Republican proposal to fund federal departments out to the end of the year. The new fiscal year started, but a long-term funding deal was far from being reached. This stalemate between President Donald Trump’s Republicans and congressional Democrats threatened to furlough 750,000 federal employees each day.
Deep schisms along partisan lines kept the two parties from being able to come to an agreement on funding. Trump and the Democrats were deeply entrenched in a toxic standoff. The shutdown would stop most regular federal government operations. It begs the question of whether it’s worth endangering access to our most basic services and public amenities, including our treasured national parks.
The Impact of the Shutdown
The upcoming shutdown would bring massive furloughs at the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development. The Department of Health and Human Services will have to furlough around 41% of its almost 80,000 workers. This is a dramatic change from the roughly 4,100 employees the department had when Trump was sworn in, in January.
As federal employees prepare for these layoffs, the impact goes beyond their livelihood. Agencies that depend on federal funding to maintain service see their operations come to a critical halt. National parks, which can’t operate without any costs, are especially susceptible during these shutdowns.
As was the case during the 2019 shutdown, national parks suffered tremendous damage and distress due to prior shutdowns. His proposals included dealing with overflowing sanitation, staffing shortages and sadly even led to three deaths. Reports indicated that Joshua trees, some over a century old, were chopped down at Joshua Tree National Park due to inadequate management. Equally tragic, at Big Bend National Park, prehistoric petroglyphs were defaced through vandalism.
“National parks don’t run themselves. It is hard-working National Park Service employees that keep them safe, clean and accessible.” – 40 former superintendents
The ongoing shutdown continues to interfere with federal operations in a staggering manner. It equally defines the mood of the country towards executive authority and accountability.
Political Tensions and Accusations
Aspects of the political climate around the federal government shutdown have gotten highly inflammatory. Republicans accused Democrats of attempting to leverage the stopgap funding bill to introduce government healthcare subsidies for immigrants in the U.S. illegally. Earlier this week, the likely Republican nominee held congressional leaders at the White House to cut such a deal. Unfortunately, this very constructive meeting concluded without any clear way forward.
Trump’s chosen to air out his frustrations in public, blaming Democrats wildly for his predicament. His announcement was the full-throated victory lap that the party needed after orchestrating the shutdown of SHUTDOWN. He pointed out that they were advancing policies that were anathema to him.
“No country can afford to pay for illegal immigration, healthcare for everybody that comes into the country. And that’s what they [Democrats] are insisting.” – Donald Trump
In a statement, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett denounced Republican leadership for what she termed their “abysmal failure” to meet their duty in providing a fully funded government. Her op-ed focused on House Republicans’ lack of presence during key negotiations in the days and hours leading up to the shutdown.
“Make no mistake: Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House. This is THEIR shutdown.” – Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
Crockett’s comments are indicative of a growing concern among Democrats. Most importantly, they’re worried that the continued stalemate will harm Americans and their lives in the real world.
Consequences for Federal Employees
Federal employees, meanwhile, are preparing for indefinite furloughs. Labor leaders are lamenting the damage these cuts have caused all year under Trump’s watch. For AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler, the visit spotlighted the plight of public workers. They have barely survived tremendous odds posed by deep cuts to the federal workforce.
In the face of these challenges, some Republican leaders have been making the case that a government shutdown would be advantageous.
“A lot of good can come down from shutdowns.” – Donald Trump
Trump’s comments suggest a belief that such measures could allow for a reevaluation or elimination of programs he views as unnecessary or overly liberal.
The future of 9,000 federal employees hangs in the balance as negotiations continue to be at a standstill. This failure to find middle ground illustrates a systemic failure in governance and priorities that will continue to define funding conversations going forward.