Shutdown!

Last night, time ran out for the federal government.

The House of Representatives and the Senate could not agree on the wording of a temporary funding bill that would help pay the federal government’s financial obligations and was forced at midnight to declare a shutdown of some parts of the federal government. This shutdown will affect approximately 800,000 federal employees who jobs are viewed as “non-essential”–not critical to the necessary function of the government itself. Large portions of government agencies, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Labor Department, the Commerce Department, and even about half of the Defense Department are being placed on leave without pay.

Why?

The possibility of the shutdown on October 1 has been brought up several times in the last year, as Congress has struggled to agree on several different types of financial obligations. Mixed in with these budgetary calculations are political disagreements over the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (sometimes called Obamacare), the president’s widespread health care system. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) aims at eventually lowering the rising costs of health care by requiring every family to purchase a minimum amount of health care insurance.

Families that are below a certain income level can receive financial assistance from the federal government to help them pay for health care. These subsidies are paid, in part, by others who can afford to purchase their own care and from penalties paid by those who do not comply with the insurance purchase requirement. By implementing this requirement, the overall cost of medical services is spread more evenly throughout the country. This prevents costs from rising when uninsured people cannot pay for the medical care they need.

Some of the most important mechanisms in the Affordable Care Act were scheduled to begin on October 1, especially the health insurance marketplace, where families can investigate the different cost options of government-packaged health care plans. Many Republicans in Congress have disliked the Affordable Care Act and have tried several times to prevent the law’s implementation. Critics say that this refusal to agree on the funding legislation last night was another attempt to weaken the Affordable Care Act.

What’s Next?

Neither Democrats or Republicans seem very willing at this moment to negotiate on a compromise. Neither the president nor Congressional leaders believe the other wants to solve the problem. It is not clear how long this financial disagreement will last or which side will show a willingness to compromise first. Expect many speeches and angry rhetoric from both sides of the political spectrum as everyone tries to convince the voters that they are doing what is in the American people’s best interest.

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