On Jan. 25, 2019, the second government shutdown to occur during Donald Trump’s presidency was temporarily ended. What exactly was the shutdown? Why did it happen? Will our politicians allow it to happen again?

The government shutdown for the United States of America took place from Dec. 22 – Jan. 25. During this time, over 800,000 federal employees were not being paid, and many of them were forced to work without said pay. As the shutdown dragged on, many people had to dig into their savings account to pay for their daily activities. However, once the government has reopened, every employee will receive the pay that was withheld during the shutdown. Oddly enough, our Senators and other Representatives were still being paid…

During the month of December in 2018, Republicans and Democrats engaged in heated debates over funding within the federal government. Republicans and Donald Trump were primarily advocating for $6 billion for a wall to be constructed along our southern border with Mexico, while the Democrats fervently opposed said wall. Both parties’ versions of the funding for the federal government included funds for government departments, but the main issue was the funding for a border wall. Thus, when the final day for possible funding arrived, both sides were at a stand still, unwilling to budge on their proposed bills.

This past week, President Donald Trump announced from the White House Rose Garden that the government will be temporarily reopened and funded for three weeks, but without funds for a border wall. The goal for this reopening is to continue discussion between the Republicans and Democrats while both parties work toward a compromise on a full funding bill. Whether or not these negotiations will be successful is hard to tell, but H.L. Mencken describes it as such: “Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.”