U.S. Government Shutdown: What is it, and how does it affect us?

By: Colin Daly

With the current U.S. government shutdown officially breaking the record for the longest in our nation’s history, many are wondering what effect this will have on their everyday lives, as well as those they love. 

In case you don’t know what a government shutdown means, essentially, if Congress cannot agree on bills to fund government agencies by September 30th, (the end of their fiscal year) then they no longer have the ability to spend government money on non-essential government workers. Some careers affected by this can include TSA officers, air traffic control workers, national park rangers, and even various military positions. Many of these people will still have to go to their jobs; however, because the U.S. government lacks the authority to pay them, they are doing so without receiving their paychecks. In spite of this, a large frustration for many is that congress themselves are still being paid.

Another large concern with the shutdown has been SNAP (the program formerly known as food stamps) benefits. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 12.3% of U.S. residents were on some form of SNAP benefits in 2024. The reason this is significant to this situation is because, due to the shutdown, most November SNAP benefits were delayed, causing nationwide concerns about how the 12.3% of Americans relying on the program will be affected.
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With these concerns and several others, the entire country has one question: When will it end? Essentially, in order for the government to re-open, congress will need to pass legislation to fund the government agencies that are currently without funding, and President Trump will need to sign off on it as well. Unfortunately, there is not one particularly accurate way to tell when the government will re-open; however, we are told it is being worked on every day.

Sources:
https://carbajal.house.gov/shutdown/#:~:text=To%20end%20a%20government%20shutdown%2C%20Congress%20needs%20to%20pass%2C%20and,can%20sign%20them%20into%20law.

https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/chart-detail?chartId=55416#:~:text=In%20fiscal%20year%202024%2C%20the,12.3%20percent%20of%20U.S.%20residents.