How the shutdown can affect you
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[객원 에디터 10기 / 김예슬 기자] Conflict happens when people disagree with each other.. The way people solve conflicts is called a resolution. This resolution can happen in various forms. The two sides can come to a consensus; one side can get what they want over the other; or the situation might end without a clear answer. The United States deals with conflicts in a unique way, through a government shutdown.
At 12:01 a.m. on October 1, the U.S. government shutdown began. Many U.S. government services are being suspended, “and 40% of the federal workforce – about 750,000 people – are on unpaid leave.” The shutdown, triggered by a budget dispute, was intensified by President Donald Trump’s policies and demands. Ever since he took office, he has suggested that the current impasse is to make further cuts and drastically reduce the size of the national government.
The U.S. government is singular in a way that two conflicting sides work together to fuel the nation. These two sides are the Republicans and Democrats. They hold contrasting stances on how the government should be ruled. Thus, there always exists tension in the air on whose claims and ideas to adhere to. Most of the time, Congress uses majority votes of the representatives of each side to come to a resolution. However, there are occasions where both parties are strongly polarized on their ideas, “neither side appears willing to blink.” When matters are left hanging without the cohesive voice of both parties, the government declares a shutdown.
In this period, nationally funded organizations, services, and activities are put on a temporary hold. “Some of the most visible expected closures are museums and monuments… Federal workers will see their paychecks stop for the duration of a shutdown – even if they have to stay on the job.” Although a plethora of workers are likely to be furloughed, those “expected” and vital workers must stay on their jobs even though their salaries will be zero at that time. This brings an air of confusion and laziness to the citizens, whether their salaries are affected directly or not.
How long this may drag is dependent on “how bitterly opposed the two parties are – and how willing each side is to dig in for the long haul.” The current issue centers on health care. The Democrats are demanding that Republicans agree to extend “Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year.” They also adhere to President Trump’s ideals on tax and domestic policy law. On the other hand, Republicans are shifting the frame as an immigration matter, assuming that the Democratic side is using the federal government to give unauthorized immigrants free health care.
The effect of the court’s decision reaches across the continent, all the way to Korea. The U.S. government shutdown has injected deep uncertainty into the global supply chain and undermined Korean investor confidence in exporting to the U.S.
Even before the shutdown, Korea and America gradually became sceptical of their relationship with each other. Namely, the Korean president felt “bewildered” when more than 300 South Korean workers returned to Incheon after being arrested and deported in the U.S. state of Georgia. The deportation, carried out at the Hyundai-LG battery plant construction site – “the largest single-site immigration operation since U.S. President Donald Trump resumed office and pledged to intensify crackdowns.” The people and the Korean President caused deep outrage among the public. President Lee Jae-myung warned that this incident could deter further investments with the U.S., expressing his anger over the issue.
With the uncertainty among the U.S. citizens and Koreans abroad, the U.S. government has requested several conditions to end this chaos in a short period, preventing more chaos. The Senate voted multiple times against the shutdown. Far left and far right Senators were open to discussing taxes and prices to stop the shutdown.
If and only if Congress passes an appropriation bill will the shutdown end. Yet, this will take the compromise of both the Republicans and Democrats, which may take weeks to come.
