The Shutdown's Impact On National Security & The Economy

Life is all about weighing pros and cons, deciding if the benefit of something is worth the cost. When it comes to this current government shutdown, the cost that has garnered most of the attention, and for good reason, has been that of the government workers missing paychecks. However, there are costs to our national security and economy that deserve our attention and could cause long-term pain to this country. 

Let's start with national security issues arising from the government shutdown. The FBI Agents Association recently released a 72-page report outlining the variety of ways the shutdown is impacting their ability to do their job and keep America safe. From slowing down counterterrorism and gang investigations to jeopardizing sources, the struggle is real and the consequences could be enormous. 

The Coast Guard, a key player in our fight to prevent drugs from making their way into our country, is under enormous strain as those protecting us continue to work without being paid. Border Patrol agents, those on the front lines of the immigration battle that has led us to this point, are feeling the impact of the shutdown as they too are putting in hard work but not receiving their pay. Former DHS secretaries, including the president's former Chief Of Staff John Kelly, stated in a letter, "We call on our elected leaders to restore the funding necessary to ensure our homeland remains safe and that the Department's critical national security functions continue without compromise." They added that DHS is "facing a real crisis in retaining" its workforce if the shutdown continues. Aviation professionals issued a warning about the "dire risk" we're now facing with our air travel and that a continuation of the shutdown could lead to the "system breaking." 

The fact is, this shutdown has made America less safe. 

Now let's look at the economic impact the shutdown is having. A Trump economic adviser warned that zero percent grown for the first quarter is possible due to the shutdown. This comes after the White House discovered the shutdown could wind up being twice as costly as originally estimated. A business roundtable, representing employers with 15 million workers, warned of the damage being done by the shutdown to the U.S. economy. The Consumer Bankers Association recently stated that the shutdown is hurting small businesses nationwide. 

This all comes at a time when consumer sentiment has gone on a downward spiral and recession concerns keep growing. 

The fact is, this shutdown is putting our economy in jeopardy. 

So when weighing the pros and cons of using a government shutdown as leverage over a policy debate that's centered around an issue affecting 0.1% of the federal budget, ask yourself: Is this worth it? When the cost is our national security, economy and the livelihoods of those protecting us, the answer is no. 

The negotiations should continue, but the shutdown needs to end. 


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