Jenna Forss | Arts & Entertainment Editor
September 28, 2023
By the Sunday following this article’s release, there is a high probability of a government shutdown. Before your mind flies to a Purge-like society, crawling with newfound criminals and murderers running rampant, it will never be that horrific, but some changes that occur could be just as frightening for certain people.
As of October 1st, Congress’ inability to agree on their budget for the year will most likely trigger a shutdown. Without this agreement, once the current amount runs out, the government cannot spend any more of its funds. Along with many other SCHS students, senior Mika Kuhne stated that, “I barely had any idea this was happening, or what it means.”
This shutdown will cause all unnecessary functions of government to cease, yet some of those necessary parts of our government like military and public safety are forced to work without pay. These groups are included in the over 4 million employees who will not be receiving their pay from the federal government.
Other aspects of this shutdown that are put into question include the inability to receive federal loans, stalled groundbreaking medical research on diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s, and delayed inspections from the FDA. These are only a few of the impacts of a possible prolonged shutdown that impacts Americans daily, from small business owners to simple grocery shoppers. Senior Jordyn Banks said, “It’s scary how much this shutdown can hurt people.”
A direct impact on San Clemente High School could be seen in the pausing of the free and reduced lunch programs. After the pandemic, schools across the nation had an increase in 80 million more meals given to students after the free lunch program was implemented for all. But without this program students that depend on government-funded programs like these are risking a less healthy diet and poorer performance in school, according to research conducted by the CDC.
The insanity of stalled decision-making creates a ripple of fear and uncertainty in the lives of the groups soon to be affected. If the shutdown prolongs itself enough to make it to this point, it appears that Americans will realize that everyone is affected. Hopefully, the government will consider the condition of the general population to win over certain stubborn groups when it comes to this decision-making.
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