By Lead News Writer Eloise Fischer-Fortney
For the past two weeks, the government shutdown has been slowly affecting people around the world, NNHS senior Ruth Foltz included. Foltz’s father is just one of the many on an unpaid leave at work, creating financial problems within the Foltz family.
“My dad is an Information System Security Officer for the federal government. Since he’s being furloughed, he’s going to start missing paychecks. We’ll have to rebalance our budget and cut back on things that aren’t as necessary,” said Foltz. “Also, the amount my parents pay ahead on our mortgage and home equity line will probably decrease.”
For the first time since 1995, the federal government was officially placed on a partial shutdown at 12:00AM on October 1, 2013. The shutdown occurred because President Barack Obama and Congress were unable to agree on a spending bill, according to CNN.
The House of Representatives, Senate, and president have been unable to agree on funding for the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as “Obamacare”.
Some, like Social Studies Teacher Ryan Hantak, are unsure whether or not Obamacare will be beneficial.
“There are tons of pros and cons, and two different sides that you can look at it from,” said Hantak. “Obamacare is way more complicated than it needs to be, which makes it harder to figure out what’s right.”
The Constitution requires Congress to pass spending bills to fund the government. If Congress is unable to come to a consensus with the President’s approval by the end of the government’s fiscal year (Sep 30th for 2012-2013), then the government must shutdown.
Unfortunately, senior Ruth Foltz is just one of the many people affected by the shutdown.
When a government shutdown occurs, many consequences come along with it. All “non-essential” federal services come to a halt until the shutdown ends. These non-essential services include acquiring a federal loan, gun permit, or passport. Additionally, all national parks and museums will be closed, no trash will be collected in Washington D.C., and hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be on an unpaid leave, or furlough.
In most cases, a shutdown only lasts a few days. However, others, like the shutdown in 1995, can last for weeks.
