It's now been 34 days since the government shut down — 34.
At this point, it's as if there's a glitch in the simulation that is the United States under Trump's reign.
In case you're not informed on what the government shutting down technically is, let me explain.
So, whenever Congress fails or refuses to pass enough appropriation bills or continue to fund federal government operations and agencies, or when the President refuses to sign such bills or resolutions into law, the government literally closes and shuts down.
In this case, president Donald Trump announced the government would stay closed until Congress agreed on funding his proposal for the border wall.
So yes, 800,000 people (federal government employees) haven't been paid in 34 days. For a wall.
Trump cut off funding for almost a quarter of the government and has no intention of reissuing it until he gets what he wants.
Now, let's talk about everything that's being affected by this.
Over 80 official (.gov) websites haven't had their security certificates renewed. Among them are the U.S. Department of Justice, the Court of Appeals, and NASA.
Trump even offered the 8,500 Coast Guard civilian employees (who, by the way, aren't getting paid or funded either) a "tip sheet" on ways to get through the shutdown, which didn't really give any relief at all, only a glorified "how to survive unemployment for dummies" sheet.
Now, this one really affects everyone. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cut out all nonessential work- basically not inspecting food anymore and only prioritizing (checking) "high-risk foods" like cheese and seafood.
Even the FDA Commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, told NBC News that business isn't the same as it would normally be; so, watch what you may be putting into your body during this time.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) may be one of the most crucial government-funded agencies and since they have been going without pay, most have been calling in sick or simply quitting for good, according to CNN. It's a record-setting new low for flight traffic controllers to handle flights in and out of airports.
Our National Parks are even at risk, with seven lives lost to long wait times for emergencies due to the understaffed parks during the shutdown. People are even taking advantage of the alarmingly small number of park rangers and talking to the parks to cut down trees and set up illegal campsites.
Another one that affects basically everyone, is the fact that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has postponed all hurricane prep for the upcoming year. Ultimately, delaying year-long preparations for the following year, which considering the catastrophic hurricane season we had this year, is undeniably alarming.
Even national landmarks like the Statue of Liberty are struggling to stay open, forcing the mayor of New York to dip into the state's own funds to pay around $65,000 a day to keep the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island open.
Native tribes are falling victim to serious damage, as they are being kept from the much-needed federal funding that they negotiated for. They are having to use their own funds to keep basic things like clinics and food pantries open. Some tribes are even forced to stay in their homes with no access to food because the roads aren't being plowed.
Federal courts ran out of money by January 13th and now members from all 94 district courts have joined the furlough, as well. This means civil cases will be postponed for as long as needed, having criminal cases prioritized but not necessarily listened to due to the incredibly short staff.
All in all, this shutdown affects more than a lot of us think and for it to be going on for over a month just because a wall isn't being built is quite ridiculous.
People need their jobs back, and the rest of us need to the security of being taken care of by the government like we've been expecting our entire lives.
