By SHANIKA ISAACS
According to an article written by Josh Haufner for USA Today, the partial government shut down became the longest in history both breaking and setting a 34-day record. Anticipation for the Republicans made itself comfortable in the White House as doubt and fear started to trickle in.
Even though the government is up and running again President Donald Trump promises for a next partial shut down if the Democratic Party does not provide ways and means of funding his $5.7 billion budget for the country’s boarder wall.
The stakes are high as many Republican supporters became aggravated with the president upon signing the government back into operation. Ann Coulter, a known Trump supporter, bashed the president by calling his efforts “whimpy” over Twitter. The president responded to such a comment at the first White House press briefing on Monday and said “I heard she’s become hostile. I must not have returned her phone call or something.”
Approximately 800,000 government workers officially resumed work on Monday. Half of that number was furloughed and the other half had to work at their necessary agencies for security reasons. Many government workers still struggle financially as they recover from the backlashes of the partial shut down even though they received their paychecks this week.
Partnership CEO Max Stier told WBUR news that working for a federal agency feels even less rewarding especially for those workers with a sense of mission.
He continued “Yes, it had real financial implications, but even more than that, it disrupted the core value proposition of the job, which is to be able to make a difference, to work for a purpose.”
Comments like these permits one to sit down and truly consider the odds as we look into both scenarios. Was the partial government shut down really for a positive cause or did we allow it to move us 10 steps backward? Or are we to be angry like Coulter and blame the president’s efforts for failing us? Exactly what are we to be thinking when considering all circumstances?