Taking the 2025 government shutdown seriously: real people, real consequences

Across the country, federal workers are waiting for paychecks that may never come. This is all because lawmakers are trapped in a political war of their own making, blind to the damage it does to everyday Americans.

The federal government officially shut down in the early hours of Oct. 1 after Congress failed to pass a funding bill. This is the first government shutdown since 2018, which took place during President Trump’s first term in office. An article in this week’s edition of The Record explains how this shutdown may affect CSB+SJU if it continues.

The GOP bill, passed by the House to keep spending at the same levels for another seven weeks, failed in the Senate. Republicans need Democratic backing to get the spending approved. In return, Democrats are asking for an extension of health care tax credits.

The Democrats want to renew the Affordable Care Act, which would reverse the Medicaid cuts that were a part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Affordable Care Act is currently in place and will be until the end of 2025.

The Republicans argue that debates over issues like health care should be addressed later, not in the funding legislation. However, they also added to the bill a section about enhanced security for officials, added after the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. This will cost millions.

However, instead of compromising, this bill has caused even more political polarization in our country. Republicans and Democrats are wasting no time pointing fingers at each other.

As both sides try to gain political advantage, the real victims are the citizens who rely on government services and the public employees paid by them. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, 750,000 federal employees are being furloughed, and essential employees will have to work without pay until the end of the shutdown. Federal employees who are deemed “non-essential” are placed on mandatory unpaid leave temporarily during this shutdown, and military personnel are required to continue working without pay.

For many Americans, a government shutdown could lead to immediate financial hardships. While there is no legal limit on how long the government could be shut down, in 2018 it was shut down for around 35 days. Long extensions don’t just hurt individuals financially; they could also lead to serious issues in the economy as they stall economic activity and growth.

This government shutdown reflects how deeply polarization has infected the government’s basic roles. Instead of negotiating, both parties, especially the Republican leadership, have turned the budget process into a blame game, calling it the “Democratic Shutdown”.

Teamwork and coaction have slowly been diminishing as our government is fighting against each other on opposing views, rather than putting aside their differences and cooperating for the sake of the American people.

As the editorial board of The Record, we believe that this shutdown is more than just a budget dispute. Though many of us are not yet in the workforce, that is what we are working towards. Many of our friends and family are federal employees who are directly affected by this shutdown. They might have uncertainty about their next paycheck or are living on very little savings. These political battles have real human costs.

As future members of the workforce, we refuse to accept a system where political games come before people’s livelihoods. The government is more focused on fighting with their coworkers than caring for its citizens. Until our leaders remember who they serve, Americans will continue to pay the price for legislator arguments.