It’s now been over a month since the longest government shutdown in US history began.
So what’s it all about, and what impact is it having?
Every now and then Congress has to pass bills that approve spending for the federal government.
Whenever the current bill expires, they have to pass a new one, but if they don’t
the government is shut down, meaning many agencies close, or run at a reduced capacity.
So when the latest spending bill deadline approached on December 21, 2018,
President Donald Trump included a request for $US5.7 billion to fund
the rest of his infamous wall at the US-Mexico border.
There have to be 60 votes in the US Senate, and the Republicans only have 53 on a strict party basis,
to pass a spending bill to reopen the government —
a spending bill which also has to be approved of by the president, and he must then sign it.
So this is forced compromise, not just between the Democrats and the Republicans,
but by the members of congress and the White House.
The wall was one of Trump’s biggest election promises,
and he’s desperate to follow through with it.
Since that’s not happening, Trump now wants the US government to pay.
But the Democrats, who control the House of Representatives, are refusing to give in.
We’re not doing a wall, does anybody have any doubt that we are
One way or the other, whether it's through you, through military or anything you want to call,
I will shut down the government. Absolutely. / Okay, fair enough, I disagree. We disagree.
And I'll tell you what, I am proud to shut down the government.
The shutdown has affected operations at nine of 15 Federal departments, and many other
bodies including NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Some of the most visible impacts have seen many museums and national parks closed without
any maintenance, increased security lines at airports due to TSA workers calling in sick,
the food and drug administration has stopped routine inspections of many foods
at high risk of contamination, and funding for food assistance
programs could run out at the end of February.
Essential services are still running, like the military, social security, Medicare and
Medicaid, the postal service, veterans affairs, border patrol, and air traffic control.
Overall, 800,000 workers have been left unpaid since the shutdown started.
More than half of those have had to continue working, while the others who were deemed “non-essential”
have been put on forced leave, or “furloughed”.
They’ve all been guaranteed back pay once the shutdown ends,
but this doesn’t help the nearly half a million contractors who work for the affected agencies.
And many are seriously struggling to keep up financially,
turning to food banks to get by.
I have a mortgage, I have two children, my wife is also a federal worker.
It affects our retirement, it affects — just everything, health insurance.
I feel like kind of a pawn in a political game, and totally powerless.
Imagine that you didn't get paid for a month. How would that affect you?
The shutdown stalemate has turned into a bitter public stoush
between three key protagonists: President Trump, House speaker Nancy Pelosi,
and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer.
He asked Speaker Pelosi, “Will you agree to my wall?”
She said “no”, and he just got up and said, “Then we have nothing to discuss”,
and he just walked out.
Again, we saw a temper tantrum.
President Trump must stop holding the American people hostage, must stop manufacturing
a crisis and must re-open the government.
I'm very proud of doing what I'm doing, I don't call it a shutdown.
I call it doing what you have to do for the benefit and for the safety of our country.
There are a few ways the shutdown can end:
President Trump could re-open the government without getting his way.
Or he could cut a deal with the Democrats.
His latest offer asks for full funding for the wall in exchange for several proposals,
including the extension of existing protections for around 1 million immigrants.
Democrats have rejected this, meaning another option is for Republicans to join with them,
and pass a spending bill without Trump’s approval.
Or he could use special powers only held by the president to declare a state of emergency,
which would end the shutdown, and theoretically let him go ahead and build the wall.
I have the absolute right to declare a national emergency, I haven’t done it yet.
I may do it.
If this doesn’t work out, probably I will do it, I would almost say definitely.
He’s since backed away from that option.
But the tit-for-tat from both sides has continued.
If we haven't already reached it, now we have reached the point of absudity with this government shutdown.
Open up government. Open the government.
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