Politics & Government

'I Wouldn't Be Surprised to See this Drag on for Weeks' and Other Local Reactions to the Government Shutdown

How will the shutdown impact local families?

Federal government workers in Westminster and across the region woke up Tuesday morning and went to work, only to be given furlough instructions and be sent home for an indeterminate amount of time, thanks to the first government shutdown in 17 years.

Congress' inability to come to a consensus has left thousands of government workers—including some Carroll County residents—with uncertain financial futures.

Marta Cruz-Alicea said that the shutdown is "affecting our family directly and enormously." She said her family relies solely on federal employment income and with her husband out of work for an indefinite period of time, she is uncertain how they will get through it.

"This is very upsetting, frustating and worrisome. I can't believe how politicians forget who they are working for," Cruz-Alicea said on Westminster Patch's Facebook page.

Kevin McIntyre, a professor in the Economics Department at McDaniel College, said that Maryland residents will be especially impacted by the shutdown.

"Given how exposed the Maryland economy is to the public sector, any fallout from from the shutdown is  going to be felt most strongly here," McIntyre said. "So we may be looking at residents or family members of residents being laid off or furloughed and the spending disruption that may come along with that."

McIntyre said it's likely that some federal employees have been preparing for this sort of situation.

"Federal employes have likely been expecting this day for a long time," McIntyre said. 

How long will the shutdown last? McIntyre said he couldn't predict but added that, based on the current political climate, it could drag out for some time.

"I do seem to remember that the political climate now is a lot more vitriolic than the last time there was a serious government shutdown in '96 so I wouldn’t be surprised to see this drag on for several weeks," McIntyre said.

The shutdown came after Congress was unable pass a Continuing Resolution Monday to fund the government. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives attempted several times Monday to push through a bill that tied the CR to a delay in the Affordable Care Act.

Those bills were roundly rejected by the Democrat-led Senate, which repeatedly stripped any ACA delays from the House bills before sending them back for reconsideration.

McIntyre noted that essential government services are still being provided.

"This isn’t a full on government shutdown," McIntyre said. "Essential services are still being provided, essential employees are still working, the volume of folks that are furloughed is much smaller than the actual government payroll, social security checks are still being mailed, the IRS will still continue to collect taxes from our paychecks and things like that."

"But it will be interested in to see how all of this plays out," McIntyre said.

What do you think of Tuesday's government shutdown? Tell Patch in the comments.







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