Jumat, 18 Oktober 2013
On October first the U.S. Federal Government shut down all of its non-essential activities. The shutdown represents about 17% of total government work and has left thousands of people without work, and millions of others in a state of uncertainty.
The shutdown is the result of an impasse between the Democrat administration and the Republican controlled House of Representatives. The House has passed several bills intended to defund the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) which was rolled out on October 1st. Additionally, the federal deficit has reached 16.7 trillion, and the House is resistant to raising the debt ceiling even higher.
On the other hand, President Obama and the Democrat controlled Senate want to raise the debt ceiling higher and continue funding Obamacare. In order to pass a law it must be approved by both the House, the Senate, and the President. Since there is no agreement between the three branches, the government has been shut down until an agreement can be made.
However, the term “government shutdown” is mostly deceptive. In reality, the government is still operating, and all essential services remain untouched. For this reason it would be more accurate to call it a partial shutdown.
Has the shutdown affected you? How do you think it should be resolved?
