Students react to gov't shutdown

A government shutdown occurred during December 2018 and January 2019 and was notorious for affecting a large amount of the population, particularly people who work for the federal government and/or receive federal aid or benefits. The reason behind these millions of people’s struggles all come down to the government not agreeing with the national budget, specifically the funding of a wall along our southern border. The struggles connected with the shutdown somewhat affected AHS students.

Two students interviewed were aware of the shutdown and were informed by the news and a teacher respectively. The shutdown did not directly affect them but a student who preferred to stay anonymous stated, “My parents weren’t getting paid, [and] money was a little tight.” His parents are one of the millions of government employees going through this struggle. Both students also said the shutdown was not reasonable. Isaac M., a Senior here at AHS, said, “It hasn’t gone anywhere or lead to anything productive.”

The initial reaction of Isaac was “confused” as he didn’t know why or how it happened, while the anonymous student was “shocked." When asked if the shutdown worried them in any way Isaac stated, “Not the actual shutdown does, but the effects of it do.”

“No," responded the student who wishes to remain anonymous, "because it happens pretty often for multiple reasons.”

Both students said they would find a compromise if they could stop the government shutdown. “ I would tell Congress to give President Trump the money before he does something stupid,” is what Isaac had to say when asked if he could tell Congress one thing what would it be.

“I would tell Congress to find a compromise with the president,” the anonymous student had to say.

When asked what would you tell President Trump Isaac stated, “ Stay your course and fulfill your promise to your voters,” while the other student said, “Just find a compromise.”

The effects of this shutdown have not only affected millions of government employees, but also their children and families. The real question is, what will we do if it happens again during Trump's two years left in his presidency?