A government shutdown is nothing new. In fact, a 35-day shutdown occurred in 2018 under President Donald J. Trump. This time, however, the shutdown surpassed the 35-day mark and finally ended on Nov. 12.

During the shutdown, the Allen community as a whole was negatively impacted due to the loss of SNAP benefits, healthcare and loss of pay for federally employed family members. 

Federal assistance programs that Allen students relied on — such as SNAP, a federal program providing food benefits for low income families — were not available during the shutdown. Those who rely on said benefits were in a worrying position as their ability to get necessary groceries and meals were unavailable. In addition to the loss of SNAP, healthcare programs have also experienced increased costs as a result of declining federal funding, putting many people who relied on this aid at risk of losing essential medical care, according to DREDF. Healthcare workers themselves are also affected during the shutdown due to delays in services such as help desk assistance and insurance claim processing.

In addition to the loss of operations for many federal programs, federal workers themselves were significantly impacted during the shutdown. According to CNN, Summer Kerksick, a federal employee at the U.S. Department of Commerce, had to wait in line for two hours at a food bank to receive groceries. Like Kerksick, up to 1.4 million federal workers were at risk of not being compensated during the shutdown. For Allen students who may have a federally employed parent, the shutdown created major stress and uncertainty at home.

Debates over government policies, as seen in this shutdown, often reveal contesting viewpoints. In this case, the primary issue dragging on the government shutdown were disagreements between the two parties over funding and the renewal of the Affordable Care Act, according to CNN.

The government shutdown finally came to an end when a funding bill supported by both Democrats and Republicans was agreed upon last weekend, from Nov. 8th to Nov. 9th, and finally signed on Wednesday, Nov. 12th. With the lifting of the shutdown, federal employees can now receive their pay, and federal benefits are once again accessible. The shutdown highlights the importance of understanding and engaging with government policies to ensure that families relying on federal assistance are not left in uncertainty.