For what was the longest shutdown in history, federal employees were without pay for 43 days due to the 2025 government shutdown. This was more than just a political standoff in Washington. The shutdown highlighted the extensive reliance of federal systems on political coordination and the miscommunication of service agencies and corresponding transactions.
Statistically, 1.4 million federal employees, a number comparable to Philadelphia’s population, went without pay. Most affected were the Environmental Protection Agency and the Education and Health departments. Although not as crucial as air traffic controllers, their absence caused ripple effects on their respective sectors. Offices closed, response time lengthened, surveillance stopped, and support and research slowed. The dependence on America’s two major political parties for such an urgent, necessary funding is astounding.
The economy should never be so connected to politics.
The economy, while booming, yearns for consistency. Predictions show the GDP, which highlights economic development, slowing down its growth this quarter and reversing the decrease in the new year. The Federal Reserve releases its employment and market data weeks late, and rate cuts loom in the background—all of which are economic and stock market indicators. Backlogs of data and payments do subside, but the headaches will remain.
The economy should never be so connected to politics.
Another topic of interest is how exactly workers would get compensated. President Donald Trump, in a post on his Truth Social media platform, claimed “docking” payments for FAA and ATC aviation workers who did not show up to work, an argument which seems unhelpful and unjustifiable to growth or motivation, considering an increase in flight accidents and other supporting factors and a decrease in overall labor.
The largest program affected was perhaps the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides nutrition to millions of Americans, most of whom are lower-class and more elderly. Delays are not uniform across the nation, but rather separated by state discretion, which complicates resumption day by day for many households and families. States are also increasingly under pressure to share program data, and eligibility continues to be reduced. These so-called “efficiency reductions” are to save spending; however, stubbornness to reassess adjusting larger programs, like the Department of Defense, which requests a $1 trillion budget, ultimately shoulders the consequences on not only the population of our nation, but also our federal employees, who must deal with the constant changes these alterations press on them.
While it is easy to speak about budget and efficiency, it is far harder to recognize that the people working behind each paycheck are people whose responsibilities cannot wait forty-three days to resume.
It is worth asking why there is not more respect dedicated to our federal employees. Those who, despite having to significantly reduce their living environment, still choose to endure the long hours of maintaining security, updates, and other duties. We put “America First” as our agenda, but what happens when we can’t even support the backbone of our government? At that point, we should ask again: what value and respect do we have for the systems we depend on? The shutdown highlights how deeply woven federal workers are into daily life. Their actions are not to be taken for granted. While it is easy to speak about budget and efficiency, it is far harder to recognize that the people working behind each paycheck are people whose responsibilities cannot wait forty-three days to resume.
The repercussions of this shutdown will not vanish. Citizens will lose trust in politicians. The federal system will seem ever so more vulnerable to political drift and adversity. Fragility in one can become fragility in the lives of millions.
If this shutdown taught anything, it is that our nation cannot function on resilience and words alone. The brotherhood and stability of the country must be built. If we hope to move forward, we must confront whether we can accept a system that allows millions to be placed at risk.
You must be logged in to post a comment.