February 21st, 2019
Written by - Katherine Cassese '21
So, when are they going to turn off the electricity at the White House? That, and a few other answers about the shutdown.
Q: In general, what is a shutdown?
A: The US government runs by passing appropriations bills that are initiated in Congress and then passed by the senate (think: budgeting). If Congress and the President can’t all agree to a spending plan, government agencies just don’t have any funds to operate with and they close.
Q: So, why now?
A: President Trump is demanding that any new spending plan will include $5.7 billion to build a border wall, but there is not enough support in Congress to pass it. Democratic spokesman Drew Hammill explains that they believe the wall is “immoral, ineffective and expensive.” We already have some sort of border covering 650 of the 1,900 miles that make up the US-Mexico border, and Trump is intent on fulfilling his campaign promise of covering about 1,000 more miles to deter illegal immigration.
Q: Is Trump right? Do we need a wall?
A: Most Americans, on both sides of the aisle, are against illegal immigration, contraband getting through our borders, and criminals entering the country. The reason we don’t have a solution is because they disagree on the best way to go about it. Republicans cite a few facts to support the plan.
The wall separating Israel and Palestine has caused a decrease in suicide bombers entering Israel (Palestinians disagree; they say the drop is because of increased security efforts by the Palestinian Authority).
Most of the illicit substances coming into the United States cross the border through either legal or illegal entry points. 90% of heroin is estimated to enter the US through the Southern border.
Finally, though they cite vastly different numbers, everyone agrees that illegal immigration costs the United States money: a low-ball estimate is around $54 billion a year, but Trump has cited numbers as high as $200 billion on his twitter account. The argument here is that if we reduce the economic strain caused by illegal migrants, the wall will pay for itself.
Q: What do the wall’s opponents say?
A: It’s debatable whether we need a wall right now, or it if would even be effective.
We’re experiencing the lowest number of illegal border crossings since 1971. Most illegal immigrants in the United States come on legal visas, but end up overstaying--a group that a wall would not prevent from entering the U.S.
Many of the migrants we see in the media are actually seeking legal status (think: the caravan). Under international law, refugees have a legal right to apply for asylum in the United States and they will do so despite the existence of a wall. Asylum seekers make up about 18% of border apprehensions.
Most of the drugs smuggled through the Southern border are taken through legal points of entry, hidden in legitimate traffic, not through the open border.
Q: Back to the shutdown. What happens if the government doesn’t get funded?
A: About ¼ of government agencies don’t have funding at the time of a government shutdown. In those agencies, all employees deemed non-essential are on leave, while those deemed essential are currently working without pay until the government reaches an agreement. Then they'll get compensated.
Q: Does this affect me?
A: Well…maybe. Here are a few things you might run into:
TSA employees, some of those working without pay, are calling in sick at twice the normal rate. Slowdowns may occur at some airports.
Some of the parks run by the National Park Service have closed until it gets funding.
The Smithsonian Museums and the National Zoo are closed. Unfortunately, the National Zoo operates the 24 hour stream of the Panda Cam, which is canceled until the government reopens.
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