Every year
Congress has to agree on a budget to fund the government. The fiscal year ended
on Monday Sept. 30, but Congress was unable come to an agreement about the best
way to use federal funds. Without a budget, essentially a law passed by both
the House of Representatives and the Senate to pay employees and fund programs
for the new fiscal year, the government effectively shut down at midnight on
Oct. 1.
“The Republican-dominated
House passed two spending bill amendments Sunday morning -- one that would
delay Obamacare for a year and one that would repeal the Obamacare's medical
device tax. The bill went back to the Senate, where Democrats who control that
chamber have consistently said any changes to Obamacare would be a
deal-killer”.
Republicans
are refusing to vote to fund the government unless Obamacare is
repealed/defunded.
Democrats
and the Administration are unwilling to peel back their biggest achievement
over the last five years to appease Republicans.
Differences between Democrats and Republicans are
deepening over virtually every issue and federal spending is the biggest one of
all.
How The Shutdown is
Affecting Services
·
About 800,000
federal workers furloughed
·
The military's
1.4 million active-duty personnel remain on duty, their paychecks delayed
·
NASA is
furloughing almost all its employees
·
Air traffic
controllers and screeners staying on the job
·
Federal courts
continue to operate
·
Mail deliveries
continue since U.S. Postal Service is not funded by tax dollars
·
Most Homeland
Security employees continue to work
·
Most veterans'
services continue because they are funded in advance
·
National Parks
and Smithsonian museums closing
A government shutdown will
not affect Obamacare though. Most of the money for Obamacare comes from new
taxes and fees, as well as from cost cuts to other programs like Medicare and
other types of funding that will continue despite the government shutdown. Obamacare is supposedly meant to
benefit many uninsured Americans, but it seems like it has become an even
bigger problem due to the shut down. The government could
lose an estimated $200 million
a day and could see more than 700,000 jobs take a financial hit if the federal
government shut down. In addition to the economic impact, area residents could
also see cuts in federal services.