Government Funding Fight Threatens Military and Border Security
Washington, D.C. – A new fight over government funding is putting important services for our military and border security at risk. Lawmakers are struggling to agree on how to pay for the government, and this could lead to a shutdown starting February 1st.
The Senate has made a deal to keep money flowing to things like the military, schools, roads, and healthcare. However, they’ve only agreed to a short-term fix for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is in charge of border control and keeping our country safe.
This short-term fix is causing problems in the House of Representatives. They might not agree with the Senate’s plan, which could mean the government shuts down for at least a day. Some worry it could last longer if the House rejects the deal.
This situation is similar to what happened before when disagreements over healthcare led to a shutdown. If the government shuts down, our military members could see their paychecks delayed.
Republicans are voicing their concerns. Representative Scott DesJarlais said that our service members shouldn’t have their pay “held hostage” because of political disagreements. Representative Austin Scott agreed, saying that another shutdown would be bad for those who serve our country.
A shutdown could also affect airport workers, like those who work for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). In the past, when these workers didn’t get paid, there were flight delays and cancellations because they had to find other ways to make money.
Representative Nick Begich is worried about how this could hurt his state, Alaska, which depends on air travel for important supplies.
The fight over DHS funding is happening because some Democrats want to change how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operates. They want to limit ICE’s power and require them to follow new rules.
Republicans like DesJarlais believe there are better ways to talk about these issues without putting important government services at risk. He said that Democrats should find other ways to achieve their goals instead of using tactics that disrupt people’s lives.
