A Shutdown Isn't Governing. Neither Is Taking the Economy Hostage

Thanks to President Trump and Congressional Republicans, we were subjected to the longest government shutdown in American history. Though it is temporarily over, almost every American government worker must wait on their much-needed paycheck, the federal contractor who will never get paid, the business traveler who waited in never ending airport security lines, the farmer who waited for government-mandated harvest prices to sell crops was affected by this prolonged impasse.

President Trump's motivation for prolonging the shutdown is clear as he demanded over $5 billion of funding to build the infamous wall along the US-Mexico border. Not only is his project not feasible, since neither Congress nor the Mexican government are on board, but also impractical as the annual budget resolution would need to be amended solely for the wall. During the shutdown, Republicans such as Sen. Lisa Murkowski expressed skepticism in negotiation claiming, "If there is something of substance that comes with his wall request, [Democrats] are willing to listen. But you can't keep the government shut down while we work on it." There seems to be room for negotiation now that the government has temporarily reopened, and the House and Senate have already begun to work together on a border security package and avoid another shutdown. President Trump, however, still threatens to declare a "national emergency" in order to move funds toward building his border wall, which would be an unprecedented and a dangerous move.

Economists have suggested that the recent government shutdown may have diminished business and consumer confidence enough to have negative long-lasting effects, even raising the risk of a recession. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reported that the shutdown cost $11 billion, nearly double what President Trump was demanding for his vanity wall. The small businesses that surround government buildings lost customers and revenue. 800,000 federal employees went without their paychecks for nearly a month. They were struggling to pay their rent, afford gas, and even buy food. What was the Trump Administration's advice to them? Wilbur Ross, the billionaire Secretary of Commerce, suggested they take out loans and "didn't quite understand" why some of these workers were forced to visit food pantries. Kevin Hassett, a White House economic adviser, said that the workers were "better off" because the shutdown was like a vacation. This shutdown revealed the true nature of President Trump and his cohort. They're rich, calloused, and out of touch with America. They're modern day robber barons, profiting off of the pain they inflict on the American people. They aren't Making America Great Again, they're making themselves rich again.

We cannot afford the February 15th shutdown that will occur if President Trump and Congress fail to settle on a border security package. Our elected officials, who struggled to reach an agreement, forced thousands of government employees to fend off creditors with delayed compensation. TSA workers could neither receive advanced training in Georgia to move into management positions nor adequately screen passengers at the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, the nation's busiest transportation hub (waiting times lasted up to three hours). The FDA couldn't adequately inspect food; FAA workers had to work part-time jobs before coming into work. This administration claims they want to build a wall to protect Americans, but the biggest threat to our safety is them. The Congressional Budget Office has projected that private businesses, investors, and trading partners have already started to lose faith in continuing a stable economic relationship with our nation. Most importantly, the shutdown has chipped away Americans' confidence in our economy and government in a way that may not be recoverable.

Even though the government is currently open, President Trump is threatening yet another shutdown on February 15th if he doesn't get the funding for his wall. Congressional Democrats and Speaker Pelosi must continue to stand strong and not give into these unreasonable requests. They can't allow President Trump to take the government and American people hostage and then give in to his demands. We need to remind ourselves that this is not acceptable and that normal Presidents don't take the government hostage, because it's not their government, it's ours. We can't keep functioning in a constant state of brinkmanship, with Trump continually threatening to shut it down or declare a national emergency. The only national emergency that I can see is the conduct of the President's administration and the only solution is to vote in 2020, and to again make your voices count.