The Milwaukee Common Council unanimously approved a resolution Monday urging President Donald Trump to end the government shutdown now.
The current partial government shutdown, which began on Saturday, Dec. 22 and is currently the longest shutdown in U.S. history, has been impacting people all across the Milwaukee region. From government employees to private businesses—the political tension in Washington D.C. can be felt right around the corner.
That’s why the Milwaukee Common Council decided to unanimously approve a resolution Monday urging President Donald Trump to end the shutdown. The resolution was originally sponsored by Alderwoman Milele Coggs.
“The longer this shutdown goes on, the greater the impact will be on populations of people that are really dependent on these federal programs to feed their families,” said Ald. Coggs. “I feel as a city, it was important that we allow our voice to be heard. Not taking a side politically, but taking the people’s side, and just suggesting and urging both the President and the Congress to come to some sort of resolution.”
Nearly 800,000 federal workers have been furloughed or are currently working without pay due to the partial government shutdown. Many veteran’s and senior citizen’s services have been suspended. Many local businesses can’t hire new employees because the E-verify system, a system which checks the eligibility of workers, is down. Tourism is taking a hit, as many national parks and monuments have limited services. Local breweries right here in Milwaukee are being impacted as well, as the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, the agency which approves licenses for new beers, has been on hold—meaning some breweries can't brew new beer.
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There is also the concern that the shutdown, fueled by the border wall debate between President Trump and Congress, could cause Department of Agriculture-run programs, including SNAP and WIC, to run out of funds as soon as February. Overall, nine federal departments and many smaller government-run agencies are closed, totaling one-fourth of the entire federal government.
However, maybe the most visible impact of the shutdown is at our airports, as airport workers are calling in sick as many federal employees are not getting regular paychecks for the work they are putting in—meaning longer lines and delayed flights for some airports across the country.
A federal employee at General Mitchell International Airport, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because management prohibits talking to media, has not received a paycheck since Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018. “I am okay right now, but I will eventually exhaust both of my savings accounts,” they said. “I have just enough to cover the month of February.”
They also have a child who is also being impacted, as they are having to pay for childcare when they are at work. “I would normally have the funds to pay all my bills on time, but due to the shutdown I may receive late fees,” they said. “A working individual shouldn't have to contemplate what bills need to be paid and which bills can wait.”
Alderwoman Chantia Lewis said she hopes the community will help each other during the shutdown, urging citizens to pull together resources for others who are being impacted. “It’s very painful to see that hard-working Americans can't even make ends meet because of something they didn't decide to do,” she said. “This (shutdown) could totally be avoided by rational thinking.”
As day 26 of the shutdown looms, city leaders are urging national leaders to come to an agreement. “I remember the days when government jobs were the best job out there you could get,” said Ald. Coggs. “I think situations like this make those same workers who work so hard to get these positions feel like, ‘Who cares about them?’ So this is also a way of saying we hear you and we care.”
