On January 25, President Trump agreed to restart the government after 35 days, the longest shutdown in history. During the shutdown over 800,000 federal workers were furloughed, or working without pay, including many residents of eatern Santa Cruz County.
In a recent online survey put out by the PRT, local residents responded with a range of impacts when asked, how the government shutdown affected them.
“I work with federal employees and many are furloughed, making my job more difficult. My employer is not getting paid by federal government and has had to get a loan to pay me.”
“I’m a federal employee, still working (and getting paid), but my office is running on a skeleton crew, I’ve had scheduled travel for training cancelled, and there are long waits (days, weeks) for IT support.”
“Directly: Grant that pays my salary is federal money; haven’t stopped receiving yet, but if, as president has vowed, it goes on for months…I don’t know how it will affect my healthcare coverage…”
“I work for a non-profit that has to wait for payment from government contracts, which impacts our cash flow and ability to plan and apply for government funding opportunities. It has also impacted our ability to experience the national parks and historic sites.”
When asked who was to blame for the current shutdown and what can be done to resolve it, a majority of the respondents blamed President Trump and/or the Republican Party.
“Mostly the president carries the responsibility for this shutdown…and he said he would own it. The solution should be bipartisan, ideally. I think Congress should step up and do the right thing…, if the president vetos it, then override the veto. Since this hasn’t yet happened, I feel Sen. Mitch McConnell is also responsible for the shutdown along with the president. Anyone who is supporting holding the government ‘hostage’ until an agreement on immigration is reached is “to blame”, responsible or complicit. Immigration or any other issue should be negotiated separately from funding the government. Responsible deliberation takes time.”
Many respondents hoped to see a bipartisan solution, and considered it to be a bipartisan problem.
“I think both Congress and the White House are to blame, as are both parties. $5B is a fraction of a drop in the bucket of Border Patrol’s budget. We need that money to maintain what fence we have and patrol the border. I think both sides will compromise and hopefully soon.”
“Every ‘side’ has a responsibility. Not reducing the amount WH is asking for is NOT a compromise (especially when initially had agreed to a lower amount and Senate passed that bill). Sitting there pointing fingers at each other will get us nowhere, but more stress and heartache, bankruptcies and losses, grief and division. Sen. McConnell needs to let the Congress do its job; he has abused his power for too long.”
Many respondents did not know that the community had made efforts to support furloughed and unpaid federal employees and their families. Many local businesses and organizations stepped up, including the Sonoita Café, which offered open tabs until the shutdown ended, the Mini-Mart in Sonoita which gave free coffee to federal workers who were not receiving pay checks and the Patagonia and Elgin Schools which provided free lunches to students whose parents were affected by the shutdown.