GOVERNMENT
March/April 2019
3
Vol. 58 Issue 2
Amy Dundon Contributing Editor
Photo Courtesy of Amy Dundon
What is a government shutdown? Does this mean we do not have a government during this time? Many of you might be wondering what this term that has been blasted to you via news media might be about. Simply, a government shutdown is a disagreement on funding. In the American system of government, there are three parts with equally unique jobs. 1) The Legislative BranchThis is where Congress (House of Representatives and Senate) resides. These institutions oversee writing laws and dictating where funds are deposited throughout government. 2) The Executive BranchThe President and his Cabinet reside within this branch. The President is the law enforcer, meaning he actually oversees making sure the laws are being done. The President
does this by employing the bureaucracy. The bureaucracy (which literally means desk government) is also formed here. The funds decided by the legislative branch are the funds used to pay members of the bureaucracy. 3) The Judicial Branch- The Supreme Court of the United Branch lives. Their main job is to judge the laws being made by the legislative branch and enforced by the executive branch on whether they fall in line with the Constitution and the lives of everyday Americans. As stated above, the most important part of understanding a government shutdown, is understanding the funding part of it. The President and Congress must agree on a budget for government within the next fiscal year. If the President and Congress do not agree on said budget, the Government is forced to essentially stop until an agreement is met, because
The Washington Monument in D.C., which serves as a tribute to our first President, George Washington. One wonders what he would think of the recent government shutdowns.
Photo Courtesy of Amy Dundon
What’s the Deal with Government Shutdowns?
The Capital Building of the United States. It is within these halls that Congress decides the budget for the government on a yearly basis. These budgets can cause the government to shut down if not agreed to by the executive branch.
money to pay the people within the bureaucracy isn’t there, and people don’t work for free. Government workers within the bureaucracy are then divided into essential versus nonessential. Those workers deemed nonessential are forced to forfeit their job, until as stated above a budget is agreed upon. So, what happened during the last shut down? A budget was not agreed upon. President Donald Trump did not agree to the proposed budget by Congress- due to the lack of money set aside for construction of the prosed border wall during the 2016 election cycle. The Congress, however, did not feel it was pertinent to put money aside for this, due to the newly formed Democratic House of Representatives. Many different agencies were affected by the shutdown, which as of right now, was the longest government shutdown in history. David Ruppert, veteran on campus who served in the United States Marine Corps and was involved in two tours in Afghanistan had opinions to share on the issue. “No, my branch was not affected by the last shutdown. I’m half and half on how I
feel about shutdowns. I’ve been through two of them myself. When it comes to them, as in the military, I signed an oath to follow and protect the constitution. As well as following all lawful order from the commander in Chief. I am for them when the president is sticking up for their ideals…” Ruppert went on to explain that the military is affected by the shutdown in a couple of ways. “They (shutdowns) do affect the military in the sense that we are “essential” personnel,” he said. “Therefore, we would work for free, however usually the military banks that we use give phantom loans to the military service members.” What is a phantom loan? “This means that the regular check that I would get every two weeks would be paid by the bank interest free,” Ruppert said. “Then when the government opens again when those delayed checks come, they go right to the bank.” Ruppert has some insulation from these political struggles, though it still affects his life. “So, in a way the active duty military isn’t as affected by the shutdown,” he said. “Whereas reservists and national guard as well as DOD
(Department of Defense) personnel are affected adversely.” Ruppert sees enduring the hardships of government shutdowns as part of his service to his nation. “Overall as I tell my friends and other service members, we know what we are getting into,” he said. “To which we signed that contract and we know who we are serving whether that is good or bad.” All in all, the thing most people need to remember about the government, is that it is a living breathing entity. The government has all different types of people with all different types of opinions within it. People are always bound to disagree on things when it comes to running a country. I think as Alvernia students, and Americans, we should work on understanding the issues that are representatives are passionate about and become passionate about them ourselves.
