The government was shutdown for 35 consecutive days from December 22, 2018, through January 25, 2019. Although government shutdowns are nothing uncommon, it was the reason why President Trump decided to shut down the government in the first place that has Americans concerned. Trump shut down the government because Democrats refused to supply $5 billion dollars to build a wall at the U.S. border with Mexico.
The federal government’s partial shutdown became the longest in American history on Jan. 12, stretching into its 22nd day to surpass a 21-day record set in 1995 by President Bill Clinton who was fighting for Medicare, education, the environment, and public health in the 1996 federal budget. About 800,000 American workers were forced to work without pay. According to USA Today, nine federal departments and smaller agencies have closed their doors. Employees who were working through the shutdown were guaranteed pay.
The government shutdown was temporarily lifted on January 25th, and if there is no agreement by February 15th, the shutdown will resume.
There was a slight concern on whether taxpayers will receive tax returns if the government is still shutdown by then, and it was confirmed by Trump’s lawyers that yes, we will be receiving tax returns this year even if the government is still shutdown.
Students are also confused about if this will be affecting their FAFSA, Students will still get their financial aid disbursements and this process will not be delayed. The only issue is they are not able to access their tax transcripts from the IRS, which shouldn’t impact students who have their tax papers at home.
The government shutdown cost them a total of $11 billion, which is more than double the amount of what the government would spend on the wall. Delayed paychecks, reduced working hours, and stalled contracts led to a loss of about $11 billion in gross domestic product over the five-week shutdown.
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