Longest Government Shutdown To Date
As of January 22, 2019, this is currently the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. This period of absence is due to the feud between President Trump and Democratic Politicians over southern border control or in other words DACA and the infamous wall. Due to denied funding from Democrats, the government went into shutdown on the 22nd of December and as of now is currently still in effect. So far, it seems like neither side of the government is backing down.
This Saturday President Trump spoke to Americans and proposed limited legal protections for those under DACA in exchange for money to build the wall he said to be “steel barriers in high-priority locations”. This proposal was to put pressure on Democrats as the shutdown continues even further. He also explained, “There is a humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border that requires urgent action.” President Trump explained the urgent crisis in our southern border to be situations like criminal gangs, drug smugglers, and human traffickers. He then called his plan “straightforward, fair, reasonable and common sense” with “lots of compromise” and then began to list off the details of his proposal which includes the following:
Three years of legislative relief for 700,000 DACA recipients, giving them access to work permits, social security numbers, and protection from deportation
A three-year extension of Temporary Protected Status for immigrants whose protections are facing expiration
$800 million in humanitarian assistance
$805 million for drug detection technology
2,750 border agents and law enforcement professionals
75 new immigration judge teams to reduce the backlog of court cases
But just how long will the shutdown be in effect? Trump ended his speech with this, “This is a choice between right and wrong, justice and injustice. This is about whether we fulfill our sacred duty to the American citizens we serve. When I took the oath of office, I swore to protect our country and that is what I will always do so help me god. Thank you and good night.” What are your thoughts on President Trump’s proposal?
The view of the Democrats is definitely negative towards Trump’s proposal according to Democratic politician Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer. Both individuals spoke of how they believe the wall would be ineffective and a waste of taxpayers money. According to Senator Schumer, “My fellow Americans, there is no challenge so great that our nation cannot rise to meet it. We can reopen the government and continue to work through disagreements over policy. We can secure our border without an ineffective, expensive wall. And we can welcome legal immigrants and refugees without compromising safety and security.” “The symbol of America should be the Statue of Liberty, not a 30-foot wall. So our suggestion is a simple one. Mr. President, reopen the government, and we can work to resolve our differences over border security. But end this shutdown now.” Trump has said that he will not end the shutdown until “true work is done” and that it would last months if it has too. This means over 800,000 Americans will go without pay for who knows how long. These federal government workers are being directly impacted by the shutdown and cannot financially support their families, let alone themselves. These specific individuals have had to resort to looking for other work or even visiting food pantries to survive. How long will this shutdown go on for?