Well, yet again, we have barely avoided a government shutdown. Another stopgap 45-day bipartisan delay for funding has been passed. But how much longer can we continue down this cycle of delays? So many things are at risk from these political games. If the shutdown went through, this would have left federal workers, as well as military personnel, without pay. This government shutdown also could mean potential delays in service for those who need Medicare and Social Security. Though  narrowly averted, if the shutdown had happened, it would have led to both economic and physical risks for people nationwide. Despite the risks, those in Congress would have still been paid despite the fact that the government supposedly no longer has funding. Fortunately, we have avoided this… for now. Congress has protected itself in the Constitution specifically for shutdowns; in Article I, Section 6, it states that Congress must be paid even if no other parts of government are. Even if Congress does not do specifically what they were elected to do, it means the rest of America faces the consequences of their inactions. 

In a surprising turn of events, Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy left his conservative holdout and relied on the Democrats for their support, as the Republicans would oppose any short-term funding measures. His reasoning for this was how the shutdown would “give power to Biden,” and that “it wouldn’t pay our border agents; more people would be coming across.” The truth of this statement is debatable, political unrest does not positively correlate to immigration into the country nor does a direct non-funding of the government particularly help any party. After this, he was ousted from office by Republican Matt Gaetz, in which the aforementioned conservative holdout essentially forced him out of his position. It has also been alleged that former President Donald Trump has aligned himself with the far-right politicians, who prefer to see a lapse in funding rather than compromise with the Democratic Senate and White House. 

Politics aside, it is simply unethical and irresponsible for Congress to host governmental grudge matches at the direct endangerment of the American people. Having such a divide in government, leading to decisions simply out of spite for their opposing side only serves those in Congress, not the American people nor the rest of the American government. Causing such a rift will only increase political tensions and serve to radicalize those who already dislike one side. Nothing good will come out of millions of federal workers losing their pay and government services slowing down due to lack of funding. We can only hope that in 45 days, we can come to a true resolution.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Matthew Du at [email protected].