The shutdown of our federal government on Tuesday is an embarrassment, and it sends a clear message that ”“ just in case anyone had doubts ”“ Washington is broken. The divide between the Democratic-controlled Senate and Republican-controlled House has become so deep that no one seems willing to cross it, not even if it means a grinding halt to several federally funded agencies and facilities.
There is a time to stand your ground and a time to compromise and work together. Our current legislators seem to only understand the former. Sept. 30 marked the end of the federal fiscal year, and enough Republicans decided not to do their job of passing the spending bill that would have kept things running through this autumn.
Their main reason is opposition to the Affordable Care Act, which they want to see defunded or cut back before they’ll OK any spending. The ACA was passed into law back in 2010, but some Republicans have continued to fight it right up to the last minute, as implementation of coverage was set to begin Tuesday: The Senate rejected the House’s funding bill very early Tuesday morning, 54-46, because it included a provision to start formal negotiations that would make changes to the Affordable Care Act and delay the insurance coverage requirement by a year. The House Republicans refused to put forward a spending bill without this provision.
It probably seems patriotic and admirable to this group of “tea party” Republicans, led by freshman Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, and to Democrats who support the ACA, to show their mettle by shutting down the government, but we and anyone who depends on the federal services that are being impacted, have to disagree.
Whatever one thinks of the Affordable Care Act, deemed “Obamacare” by its detractors, this is no way to run a government and no way to express opposition. This partial shutdown, which went into effect Tuesday, has resulted in the closure of national parks and museums; left NASA and the EPA barely functioning, and put thousands of workers on furlough. For now, those such as air traffic controllers and food inspectors are still on the job, thankfully, but they won’t work for free for long.
It affects us all: In Maine, employees with the Maine Army National Guard will be furloughed, and the tourism industry around Acadia National Park is bracing for the financial hit they could take if the park remains closed. Visitors who hear that it is closed are likely to change their plans, which will cut into Maine’s biggest industry right at the peak of the fall foliage season.
The shutdown also affects our credibility as a nation worldwide, as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel noted Tuesday. To put it bluntly, our government looks like a bunch of stubborn toddlers who can’t work together to get the country’s business done. How does that speak to our ability to work with other countries? Not well.
Most notable, however, is what the partial shutdown didn’t do: affect enrollment in the new health care options of the ACA. A special contingency plan was made to keep that program up and running, since a shutdown was largely expected, so it’s not even having the intended effect of stalling implementation of the law.
This isn’t the first time the government has been shut down due to disagreements in Congress, but the problem seems particularly acute this time. Obama won re-election based largely on his efforts to make health care available for all to purchase, and it’s time for these far-right Republicans to recognize that. People want better access to affordable health care that is not necessarily tied to their workplace. That much is for certain.
We understand that they believe some of the details, such as whether it should be required of everyone to purchase it, are inappropriate at best, or worse, unconstitutional, but all of that was up for discussion years ago, and the law ended up being passed. That’s how our government works, and the process should be respected.
Shutting down the government with obstructionist tactics does not keep the law from going into effect and it certainly does not endear these legislators to anyone.
What will it take to eliminate this poisonous, adversarial atmosphere in Congress? Many have mulled this question, and long-time public servants such as former Sen. Olympia Snowe have said they’ve never seen it so bad.
Whatever happens, we as voters need to get the message across that while we appreciate our representatives standing up for their beliefs when it comes to legislation and budgeting, we ultimately elected them to work together and get the job done, not to shut down the system.
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Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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