By Joseph Cunningham
Screenshot taken from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website
On Wednesday, Oct. 3, there was a federal government shutdown due to Democrats and Republicans in the senate being unable to agree on a budget bill. Because of this, nationwide around 40% of the federal workforce will be placed on temporary leave, Including food safety inspectors, NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency. Government websites are also no longer available, with a message blaming democrats for the shutdown.
Some essential workers such as customs, workers for the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration staff members will all still work, however they won’t be paid until the shutdown ends. Also, due to President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” ICE and Border Patrol will continue to be paid and carry out operations according to two administration officials.
But how does this all affect Tucson, Ariz.? Thankfully, many areas of Tucson’s federal workforce remains, however parks such as Saguaro National Park are not open to be driven though. Rangers posted around the park are telling visitors to enter on foot or bikes, however vehicles have been restricted. Maintenance has been put on pause and any special events will be halted as well.
Air travel may also be delayed at the Tucson International Airport. While FAA workers such as air traffic controllers, and TSA agents are declared essential workers, in 2018 the last time the government shut down under the Trump admin, it was reported that many workers simply wouldn’t come in or the number of sick calls increased.
Why come into work if your check won’t be on time? This adds on to already existing staffing shortages happening in recent years. Air traffic analysis and oversight will be significantly decreased, which could lead to further delays in landing procedures, and takeoff.
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly hopes to end the shut down soon, however he wants to be sure that it doesn’t mean thousands of people will be left unable to afford healthcare. Senator Kelly said he wants republicans to remove the healthcare cuts proposed in the budget bill.
“And what that means in Arizona is we could see 100,000 or more people not being able to afford their health insurance,” the senator told KGUN9. “So they drop their health insurance, and then they wind up in a situation where, if somebody gets injured or sick in their family, that leads to bankruptcy.”
It is still unclear when lawmakers will pass a new spending bill, with the last shutdown under Trump lasting for 35 days, and when this one ends, we can only hope it is not with the compromise of thousands of Americans’ healthcare.