For the longest time in U.S. history, our government’s shutdown has lasted the longest since any other time. While this may seem far from us, a shutdown of this size and this long can really affect some of our lives. Students who rely on finical help for groceries, students planning on going on a vacation, and even nearby national parks, both locally and nationally, were impacted.
The Start
To understand how this began, we’ll need to go back to the first of October, under President Trump’s second presidency and at the start of the 2026 fiscal year. Congress failed to pass appropriations for the 2026 fiscal year, so critical services essentially shutdown because of the limited staffing. For 43 days, workers in these affected areas have only been promised to be paid when the shutdown is over – essentially waiting on something that could never happen.
What’s Affected
Students who use EBT cards, or SNAP have been impacted due to their impartial or no funds for this moth, possibly causing problems to those who rely on them.
Near us, Yosemite National Park, many people who went could only report that the park was, “unsafe’, with videos of squatting, drones, and even dangerous and or illegal stunts. Restrooms, visitor centers, and trash collection. Not only that, but it is estimated that local economies around the park lost up to 80 million dollars in visitor spending each day the park is closed.
Additionally, students who planned to go on vacation will have a hard time traveling. TSA and Air Traffic Control, a main component of air travel, have been affected by the government shutdown. TSA is the important airport security who check everyone’s bags to make sure they don’t bring anything bad, and Air Traffic Control are the people who help pilots takeoff, land, and for any assistance they may need in the sky. With both of these critical aspects off pay, many staff decided to stay at home, with a reported 10% of them staying home instead of working.
Aftermath:
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history ended Wednesday, November 12th, with Trump sitting down to sign the bill to end it. Congress is working to pay all the effected services and workers with reimbursement because of the shutdown.
