The Longest Government Shutdown Ever....The Longest Government Shutdown Ever....The partial government shutdown began on Saturday of December 22, 2018 and continues. This article is not about the partisan problems from which the shutdown originated; rather, a look into what and who it is effecting. Sadly, the shutdown appears to have no solution in sight.

Workforce

The first and most obviously hurt group are federal workers whom are either furloughedor working without pay. As it stands, around 800,000 federal workers are effected by the shutdown with many still working without pay in essential positions like the T.S.A. and the D.O.C. Other agencies such as the I.R.S. having to recall 46,000 unpaid employees for filling season. Many of the unpaid workers are growing discontented with the increasingly partisan shutdown. One example of this comes from the large amount of T.S.A. agents calling off work, resulting in a terminal at the Miami International Airport being closed down. While it was just recently put forward by the President that backpay would be offered when the government reopens, this does not really help these workers pay the bills now.

Problems with lack of funding

The lack of funding is not just affecting federal workers. This also hurts the abilities of departments like the D.H.S. and the F.D.A. from performing essential functions. For example, the F.D.A. has announced it will no longer be doing safety inspections on domestic products because of manpower problems. Although this should not harm foreign food inspections, this is a huge issue given that these domestic food safety inspections screen for diseases like salmonella and e coli. Another example is the D.H.S. offices of Civil Rights and Liberties being mostly shutdown as well alongside the advisory council that helps support policy decisions. Overall, this partial shutdown has led to countless federal workers being essentially unemployed or volunteers while our elected representatives sort out issues that they disagree on. The domestic produce we consume is not being monitored and the I.R.S. is unable to support the taxpayers. As this shutdown continues with no end visible, the reason of the shutdown will start to pale in comparison of the real frustrations of the American people, regardless of their politics.