Day 28 of the Government Shutdown: How is America holding up?

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Bianca Roman, Reporter

On December 22 of 2018, the government shutdown. A government shutdown is when some of the government services close for a period of time, most of the time it is Federal services.

This shutdown set a new record to be the longest one so far: 28 days to be exact since Uncle Sam closed his doors at the white house. It is very unclear when the shutdown will be lifted.

Many Americans are asking “What caused the government shutdown?”, while others know exactly what happened. President Donald Trump did not want to sign any spending bill unless it was a bill for the wall that he wants to build on the border of the United States and Mexico. The wall will cost around five billion and President Trump wants the fundings for it. He is willing to keep the government shut down for months and even up to a few years if need to.

This decision is affecting nearly 800,000 federal workers in the United States and many other individuals who rely on government services such as those who receive food stamps and any general welfare. Many workers aren’t getting paid and some are being forced to work without compensation. They aren’t sure when their next payday will be and they are stressed due to bills piling up. Some even mentioned getting a part-time job and others have even thought of quitting their Federal job to get one that will pay the bills. It is even taking an effect in airports. It has been reported that in the Miami International Airport, they needed to close a terminal due to security screeners not showing up to work because they are not getting paid.

Another thing that has been affected by this government shutdown is National Parks. There not being enough staff is causing the National Parks to be filled with trash all over the area. Although there have been some people kind enough to clean the areas for free there have been others who went to Joshua Park to cut down trees.

House Democrats have been trying to pass bills that would reopen agencies but Republicans are standing with President Trump’s decision to keep the government shutdown until he gets the fund for the wall.