The United States government is facing major calamity in the future as they battle the federal spending budget and the constant disagreements between the Republicans and Democrats.
Controversy centers on some conservatives who want to defund Planned Parenthood, even if it means potential shutdown in the future.
A similar situation occurred back in 2013 when disagreements between the Affordable Care Act caused a 16 day standstill.
This disagreement is based on Planned Parenthood funding, a relatively small part of the federal budget.
“I feel as though Planned Parenthood is a vital part of our healthcare system, yet we should not be shutting down the government over such a small portion of our funding that goes towards it,” says sophomore Nicole Buchanan.
Agencies are preparing for the possible shutdown by determining which workers are essential and what services to keep operating, based on the shutdown in 2013.
As of now, national parks would close, but facilities like Veterans’ hospitals would stay open.
In light of the congressional turmoil, Republican House Speaker John Boehner has resigned.
On Sunday, September 27, Boehner explained that there will not be a government shutdown, saying, “The senate is expected to pass a continuing solution next week.”
The “solution” is known as a “clean” bill to keep the government funded through December 11 without strings.
In Boehner’s first interview since announcing his sudden and shocking resignation, he added there will be a select committee investigating the controversial Planned Parenthood videos.
“We’ll also take up a select committee to investigate these horrific videos that we’ve seen from abortion clinics that we’ve seen in several states,” said Boehner on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Boehner’s bombshell resignation came as a surprise following the historic address to Congress by Pope Francis.
Boehner, a man known to let his emotions spill over, spoke of being struck by the Pope’s request that the speaker pray for him. He said it was a cap on his rise from bank-keeper’s son to congressman.
Quoting the Bible, Boehner referred to groups of unbending conservatives as “false prophets,” saying, “The Bible says beware of false prophets. And there are people out there, you know, spreading noise about how much can get done…”
According to an analyst from “businessinsider.com,” the chances of a shutdown have plummeted following Boehner’s resignation, but the real disaster could come in December when Congress will run against more deadlines.
Boehner essentially sacrificed his position as Speaker of the House to avoid a shutdown.
President Obama called Boehner a “patriot” and a “good man” who “always conducted himself with…courtesy.”
Government officials passed the “clean” bill in the final hours of the fiscal year, averting a shutdown as of now.
The bill will only fund the government until December 11, 2015.
The bill is expected to create larger battles in the months ahead as it does nothing to resolve the core disputes over fiscal policy between the two parties.
The House voted 257-151 with 186 Democrats and 91 Republicans in favor. All “no” votes were cast by Republicans.
“I think the government needs to step up as a stronger central authority because we have bigger things than this to worry about,” says sophomore Julianna Palmer.
President Obama spoke of the “victory,” saying, “The good news is that it looks like the Republicans will just barely avoid shutting down the government for the second time in two years. That’s a somewhat low bar, but we should celebrate where we can.”
“The bad news is that it looks like Republicans will just barely avoid shutting down the government again for the second time in two years,” he added.
The bill has passed, but our government is in no way stable. With a democratic president and Congress filled with a majority of Republicans, the American government is facing major turmoil in the months to come.
How do you feel about the potential government shutdown?