After political bickering and fighting failed to yield a new budget proposal, parts of the U.S. government shut down Tuesday at midnight.
As a result of the shutdown, National monuments like the Statue of Liberty and the Lincoln Memorial were closed, according to the Los Angeles Times.
In addition, more than 800,000 federal workers could be affected by the recent political impasse, according to the New York Times.
“It does cast a very significant pall over America’s credibility with our allies when this kind of thing happens,” Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel told the New York Times. “It’s nonsensical. It’s needless. It didn’t have to happen.”
Although one side is not entirely to blame for the government shutdown, it is clear that Republicans are mostly at fault.
After House Republicans sent budget proposals to the Senate that did not include funding for the Affordable Care Act, Senate Democrats continually vetoed the measures.
Debating on what programs should be cut is one thing.
Continually sending a bill to the Senate that defunds the Affordable Care Act, an act that was signed into law in 2010, is another.
Although some of the Republicans may disapprove of the Affordable Care Act for financial reasons, it seems that many are opposing it just because they can.
One conservative member of Congress expressed his views on the political ordeal.
“Because we’re right, simply because we’re right,” Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) told the New York Times. “We can recover from a political squabble, but we can never recover from Obamacare.”
Continually trying to defund the Affordable Care Act is counter-productive.
Americans, through their elected representatives, supported the Affordable Care Act in its initial stages. The act passed through both houses in Congress and was signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Clearly, its passing took place through the appropriate democratic process.
Why are Republicans so upset about the Affordable Care Act?
The Republicans had their voices heard back in 2010 and were unsuccessful in their attempts to prevent the Affordable Care Act from passing.
Trying to repeal or effectively curtail a law that passed years ago is ridiculous.
Is it the job of Republicans to try and repeal every law they don’t agree with, even if most other Americans do agree with it?
If Republicans bickered with Democrats over the issue of government-mandated healthcare, then it would be understandable.
To say that a budget won’t be passed in the House unless the Affordable Care Act’s implementation is delayed or repealed altogether is foolish.
As some government agencies begin to close, it is appalling that members of Congress will still get paid, according to CNN.
It seems as though government has never been more disjointed.
Political rhetoric and delays have major impacts on the American people, including the more than 800,000 federal workers who won’t get paid.
Instead of representing the voice of reason, the Republicans seem to represent the voice of ignorance and stupidity.
Shane Newell is a junior journalism major and the opinions editor at the Daily 49er.