Annenberg Classroom - Speak Outs - What will happen if the federal government shuts down?

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What will happen if the federal government shuts down?

The U.S. budget process is a collaboration between the executive and legislative branches. The president proposes the budget, Congress votes on it – often with modification – and the president signs it into action. This is not always a smooth process, and if the president and Congress cannot come to an agreement by a certain date, what’s known as a government shutdown may occur. This means that all government business stops until a budget can be approved; it most recently happened in 1995 and 1996 during the Clinton administration.

Last week we told you about the federal budget, and what a headache it is to put together.

How much of a headache? So much that Congress never passed a budget last year.

President Barack Obama, the Senate and the House of Representatives could not agree on how to plan its spending for fiscal 2011. It missed the October deadline, which is when the budget for the following year goes into effect. The only reason the government is operating today is because of what are called “continuing resolutions.” Those are mini-budgets that keep things running for short periods of time; the current continuing resolution expires on March 4. So before lawmakers start really thinking about next year’s budget, they have to finish their work on last year’s.

The House has already passed its version of a bill that will keep the government funded for the rest of the year. Now the Senate and the president have to come to an agreement with on the House bill. If they don’t, we face something that has not happened in 15 years: a government shutdown.

What does this mean for you? The Washington Post reported this week about some of the possible effects of a shutdown:

Veterans might not receive military benefit checks.
Americans won’t be able to apply for Social Security.
The State Department won’t issue new passports.
National museums and national parks would close.

This extends across the board – your local post office might temporarily close or cut back hours. Trash removal might stop along an interstate highway through your town. The Post also included a rather disgusting example from the 1995 government shutdown under President Bill Clinton: Animal caretakers at the National Zoo began piling up elephant dung in the parking lot because there were no government employees to ship it out for composting. The shutdown lasted 20 days, and the zoo parking lot probably smelled ripe by the time it was over.

While Tea Party groups have said they want to see Congress force a government shutdown so the spending cuts they’re looking for get made, lawmakers and government officials say they don’t want this to happen.

Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said, “We’re not looking for a government shutdown. We want some real spending cuts.” White House budget director Jacob J. Lew told the Post that agreements on those cuts are being hammered out. And President Obama says he’s not looking for a shutdown either, because of its “adverse effect on our economic recovery.”

What do you think?

What will happen if the federal government shuts down? What ways can you think of that it might affect you? How can the government avoid a shutdown? Join the discussion!

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Comments

9/23/2011
Phoenixville, PA

Marissa
Renaissance Academy
If the federal government shuts down the entire nation could potentially fall into a downward spiral. We wouldn’t be the only ones affected; feature generations would be as well. Not directly at first, the change would over time. Our country would literally be at a standstill for everything thing that was provided with government funding in the past would be stopped or the programs would lose a good deal of money. Not only would this affect smaller organizations such as privately owned companies and businesses but it would have a huge impact on bigger institutes like, educational institutes, heath care and social security providers, and even, like the article suggested, our postal system. The government needs to find a solution; however, the people have an influence too. What we don’t realize is that we have a bigger say then we think. If the government is proposing to cut government spending, us, as citizens can suggest what we think is the most and least important. There has to be another way to solve this problem without taking away funding from any organization we just need to figure it out before it’s too late.

4/17/2011
Irving, TX

Mauricio N.
Bradley/ NImitz HIgh School
If the government shuts down, there will be a number of ways it will hurt our American society. I will not be able to receive my letters from the colleges I have applied to. In other words, it will hurt the teenagers future. Big Bend and Grand Canyon National Park could be a thing of the past. A shut down pretty much calls for the self-destruction of the United States. It is a good that Congress and President Obama do not want this to happen and want to avoid this catastrophe. The Republicans should have control of the "Tea Party" since they are just hurting the rest of us (I am on the republican side). This is their opportunity to make themselves look great and be a big part of the federal budget. President Obama can look for conservative solutions that do not involve increasing the deficit spending.

4/16/2011
Irving/TX

David B
Bradley/Nimitz High School
The Government shutting down would mold the lives of several people working for the government. It would not allow Americans to apply for social security (wouldn’t matter, Obama took that away from us), post offices would temporarily shut down and soldiers in the army would receive only half of what they deserve. Though it may not drastically affect everyday people, soon you will see little changes over the next few months like important mail not being delivered and maybe gas prices skyrocketing.

4/13/2011
Irving/Tx

Lisa P
Bradley/Nimitz
The government shutting down would affect a lot of people with government jobs, such as the army, the post office, and congress. Their paychecks would be put on hold, making some situations worse for families who are already struggling. The effect of the government shut down would eventually trickle down to states with federal grants for projects improving cities and public education. Shutdown should be avoided at all costs so that the economy crisis will not worsen.

4/4/2011
Indianapolis/IN

Geoffrey
Singleton/Ben Davis High School
Shut Down should not happen because it will make big effect on our economic system and it would make worse than what we have now. Cutting the budget is only way to avoid the Shut Down as we know it now; there might be another way to solve problems such like this.

3/22/2011
Irving/Tx

Baldemar M.
Bradley/Nimitz High School
I believe the government should never shout down and the economic struggles of are country should not be centrally blame in the competition for jobs with other citizens. I believe its time for the government to tax its citizen a little more and tell them in the past you had it good but know where in a struggle and you're in the ditch with use, along with many of your benefits. We the unites states citizens are partly to blame for our economic down fall its not one central problem. If thing do not shape up the republican and democratic parties might not see themselves in the future as part of our system of government because the do not get along. The united states government was built as a union with each level of government contributing to the National governments existence and keeping the government moving. Each level of government and its parties have to learn to give up something major to help contribute to American society; then maybe our governments an our benefits will live to see many other days. What they give up will exist in the future in comparison with a future that has nothing!

3/19/2011
Irving, TX

Bailey M
Bradley/Nimitz High School
I would never want the government to shut it's doors forever. I don't want to find out what life is like without certain things that are accustom to us such as trash day, post offices, and Social Security checks. As someone that is currently paying into Social Security I want to know that I will one day receive that money back. I think that the government should not spend more than it receives in tax money. The government is only digging itself into a bigger hole by continuing to spend over what it receives.

3/11/2011
Irving/TX

Brittany P
Bradley/Nimitz High School
Although I know this would affect me in some ways, I doubt my everyday life would be drastically altered because of a government shut down. The majority of the government related offices which affect me daily are more involved in with the state government, so I would not see a change right away. Of course, in the long run of things I would start to notice the disgusting trash laying around the streets, the rising of gas prices or the shutting down of gas stations completely, and I would not be able to order anything online anymore considering the post office would also shut down. The majority of these issues seem minor, but when they government does agree to work properly together again then

3/11/2011
Philadelphia PA

Leonard
Ms. Agnew Overbrook High School
If the federal government would end, every one would be effected. Look at the job they are doing now, and the things they are accomplishing. If the government shuts down what is happening to this country would increase. With no federal government you could possibly call this era possibly the next great depression.

3/10/2011
Irving/Texas

Aaron M
Bradley/Nimitz
I think that only federal services would temporarily close during a shutdown. Most of our everyday lives depends on the State more so than the National government. I believe that in the long run, taxes may go up to cover for the shortage of funds. The shut down may affect me in the terms of services provided, such as the quality of national highways among other national services. To avoid shutdowns, the national government needs to be more efficient in the spending of tax dollars and needs to cut back on "needless" spending.

3/9/2011
Irving/TX

Josh J
Bradley/Nimitx
The lack of the budget being created makes me feel like the taxes that we pay to the government are not being put to the best use that can be possible. Even if the House and Obama could not come to an agreement, they should have set something that would help benefit the country, instead of not providing one at all. The lack of the budget sends panic to many of the people of the United States because all nationally funded programs will not be provided for 100%. This being said, citizens of the United States receiving payments from the government will not be paid, which would cause possible uproars. Furthermore, if the entire federal government shuts down, a worldwide panic would occur. Such a

3/1/2011

Nate
Winter/ Schuylerville, NY
The effect of the government shutting down would be disastrous on our already unstable economy. Thousands of government jobs would be terminated, and unemployment would raise to an all time high, since the Great Depression. The Government, if it lets the budget get the best of it, would be suffering an all time low, and it would have ceased activity for the second time in 15 years. Our government shutting down would be the worst thing for us, and the negative press this would create throughout the world would greatly discount us in the eyes of many foreign investors and nations.

3/1/2011

Richard L
Bradley/Nimitz, Irving/Texas
If the federal government shuts down, America will suffer badly. America will slowly dissolve like cotton candy. Just like the article said zoos and post office will close down, leading people to receive their mail late, and causing animal caretakers to stop caring for the animals. Not to mention that the police departments are ran by the government. Think about what would happen to America when the police department shuts down. I don’t think it would be a pleasant day. If the government really shuts down, teenagers like me and teachers will be affected because schools will shut down. So, the president, the Senate, and House better start agreeing with the budget cuts or it would be an unpleasant day to live in America.

2/28/2011

Hector
Bradley/ Nimitz, Irving TX
There could be many complications if the government were to shut down, government would not be able to collect taxes and many of the government sponsored programs would shut down. People won't recieve income taxes, teachers and police officer's would have there budget cut and they would lose there jobs.

2/25/2011

Kelsey
GAHS, Greencastle, PA
I do not think the federal government should shut down. If the federal government shut down then it would change the lives of Americans in many ways. This occurred in 1995 and 1996. According to money.cnn.com a government shutdown occurring would mean that all national monuments and parks would close, along with new passports not being processed, and the stopping of toxic waste clean-up. These are all things that American take for granted, but with a government shutdown they would lose the ability to do things on their everyday agenda. Overall, a government shutdown would not be a good thing for America and our economy.

2/25/2011

Gabe
Greencastle-Antrim HS, Greencastle, PA
I am furious, honestly. The people of this nation elected these congressmen, assuming they could do the job they were running. It is terrible that we are running on an emergency short-term budget for this fiscal year. Come on Congress, get your act together. This shouldn’t have been a problem, because last year was when the budget should have been passed for this year; and at that time the Democrats had control of the Senate and the House of Representatives, not to mention that the President is also a Democrat. So, this should have passed without a problem. In 1995, when the government actually shutdown because there was no budget; most of the federal government shutdown. This resulted in losses of approximately $400 million in the form of payments to furloughed federal employees who did not report to work. Some effects of the shutdown would include the postal service shutting down, national parks shutting down, welfare and Social Security and unemployment check not being sent to the people in need. I assume that the only important parts of the government would still operate. The President and Congress just need to work this out (now).

2/25/2011

Rex
Greencastle-Antrim High School, Greencastle, PA
The elected officials of our Federal government could not follow one of the requirements of the Constitution as stated in the United States Constitution, Article I, Section 9, “…and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.” Congress is required by law to establish a budget for the Public, but the 111th Congress did not do it and now politicians and Congressmen are calling for a government shutdown to happen again. Does any politician or Congressmen read the Constitution or understand that not following what is laid out in the Constitution is a violation of the law? Should Congress fail to pass a budget again, then Congress itself will have broken the law, it would have failed to do what it is required to do by the Constitution again. A government shutdown would be a disaster. Twenty-five percent of the nation’s workforce is employed in the public sector, which includes local, state and federal government. Hundreds of thousands, even millions of people will not be paid, social security checks won’t be mailed out, parks will close, the economy will grind to a halt. If a government shutdown were to happen our economy would grind to a halt and perhaps even a collapse could happen. I know that if this happens Post Offices will shut down and mail will not be delivered. As a senior in high school waiting for letters to come from college and letters to come from scholarship foundations and funds the shutdown of the Federal government would prevent me from receiving those letters. Furthermore, I also drive and with oil companies receiving millions if not billions in subsidies from the Federal government the price of gas would sky rocket making driving painful and even possible that my car will be staying in the driveway. The government can avoid a shutdown by working together and denouncing the calls of activists and Tea Party members for a shutdown of the Federal government. Congress and the Federal government can avoid a shutdown by doing their job, by not failing the Public and by not violating the law.