No progress being made in Congress

by Devin Cloherty and Theo Lichoulas

At midnight on October 1, 2013, the federal government officially shut down for the first time since 1996.  Since a deal could not be reached regarding the universal healthcare law, all “unnecessary” federal government agencies will be postponed until further notice.  This will leave an estimated 800,000 Americans out of work until this issue is resolved.  So why exactly is this happening?

Each year, the fiscal year begins on October 1 and runs until September 30 of the next year.  It is illegal for the government to spend money without a budget being agreed upon by the start of the fiscal year.  Since a budget could not be agreed upon by the two houses, the government ceased all unnecessary federal operations.

            The problem arose due to staunch partisanship between the Democratic and Republican parties.  As long as neither of the parties can agree on a resolution on the budget, the federal government will remain unable to operate.

            Many Americans believe Republicans to be at fault since they are not budging on their decision to not support the Affordable Health Care act signed into law on March 23, 2010.  Even though the bill had been previously passed and signed into law, it is still being met by very strong opposition by Republicans in the Senate and the House.  In order for the budget to go into effect, both houses of Congress must approve the budget for this fiscal year.  Once the budget is approved, the order to cease “unnecessary government operation” will be lifted and work will return to normal. 

            Many congressmen, as well as President Barack Obama, believe that it is unjust and unfair that the government effectively shut down, putting hundreds of thousands of Americans out of work.

            On October 1, during a speech at the White House, the President displayed his displeasure with the government shutdown and the evident lack of effective communication and problem solving that Congress displayed when he stated, “one fraction of one party, in one house of Congress, in one branch of government, shut down major parts of the government, all because they didn't like one law.” 

            He later stated, “this Republican shutdown did not have to happen.”

            In his speech, the President appeared unpleased that one party would willingly shut down the federal government knowing that it will temporarily put an estimated 800,000 Americans out of work as well as ceasing to provide life saving benefits to veterans and others who receive them.  The shutdown will also have many unknown negative repercussions on our barely stable economy.  The President also insists that a federal government shutdown will have no positive outcome other than a solution to the issue which should have never arose.

            To many, the government shutdown seems quite childish and irresponsible.  Woburn Memorial High School teacher, Roseanne Glaser, shares her thoughts.

 “I think the government shutdown is immature.  The President and the houses of Congress have to work it out like adults to end this situation.” said Glaser.

On October 1 Woburn Memorial High School sophomore Joe Risser was shocked to hear that the government was actually shut down. 

“A federal government should not be able to just shut down! This is not a city or state government; this is the whole federal government for the United States of America.  This is unacceptable,” said Risser.

            Bentley University freshman, Jenny Gaffey, whose father is out of a job for the time being, believes that the government needs to reach a decision. 

“I think it’s sad that the leaders of the government cannot figure out a more practical way to handle the problem.  They are acting like children,” said Gaffey.

            Most Democrats believe that the only way for order to be restored is for the Republicans in the House of Representatives to stop their bickering and simply accept the fact that this bill has already been passed and signed into law.  Even many Republicans believe that they are being represented improperly in Congress and wish for the situation to be promptly resolved. 

            This is not the first time a government shut down in the United States has occurred, nor is it the first time the Legislative Branch has been to blame.  In 1995, a similar situation occurred because of the two political parties and their agendas in Congress.  Republican Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, made a “Deal with America” promising lower taxes as well as lower government spending.  This was not possible due to Democrat President Bill Clinton’s missions to improve education, protect the environment, and better the American Medicare and Medicaid systems.

The Legislative Branch was unable to reach a resolution by October 1, the beginning of the fiscal year.  Therefore, it was illegal for the federal government to continue to spend tax money on all nonessential federal services and agencies.  A very brief shutdown occurred in November, followed by a month-long shutdown beginning in December.  President Bill Clinton would later criticize House Republicans who he said made more money during the month-long shutdown than a minimum wage worker makes in a year.  Despite this, these congressmen continued to refuse social programs to help the lower class.  Speaker Newt Gingrich disagreed that these provisions were necessary and wasted American taxpayer money.  In the end, the situation was resolved and a budget was passed.

            Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of fierce partisanship for years to come.  Luckily for Americans in the 1990s, the Clinton administration along with the two houses of Congress engineered a successful economy.  With the help of the dotcom boom and raised tax rates, Clinton left office with a surplus of money for the United States.

            Today, however, the stakes are higher.  While this government shutdown may not directly affect our everyday lives, it is certainly a bad omen.  Americans, especially those elected to public servant positions whose job it is to ensure American prosperity, must remember to put their country first, not their political views.

            However, other politicians, such as Speaker John Boehner, continue to stick by their guns.  Remarking on this shutdown, as well as the one of the 1990’s, former House Speaker Gingrich said that this shutdown was, “not a crisis”. 

            Hopefully Congress is able to reach a deal agreeing upon budget.  It is tragic to see such a sharp divide between the two major political parties.  Such a rift is venomous to the fluidity of the Legislative Branch and the federal government as a whole.  Only time will tell if these congressmen can reach a bipartisan agreement and end this nonsense.