Over the last couple of weeks, there has been a lot of discussion over the government funding that was set to expire on September 30th.  Cutting it close to the deadline, Congress reached a temporary agreement that will provide funding until December, when another agreement will still have to be reached.

When asked about how the potential for a government shutdown was handled last week, WJPS government and economic teacher Mr. Mengani said, “I think it’s embarrassing for the US, it’s an unnecessary political squabble.”

He also added, “to my understanding, the spending bill is mostly infrastructure, which we desperately need.  I have a real concern that there is no long-term plan to reduce US debt and the parties inability to work together on this plan.” 

A major concern from many Republicans was spending too much money on a funding bill that would negatively impact US debt; while many Democrats feel that the funding is necessary.  While this debate has been going on for weeks, it is unclear how the final agreement could influence the future.

WJPS social studies teacher Ms. Fong said, “We’ve seen more than a few government shutdowns and it does relate to the fact that you have so many differing opinions…There’s a lot of uncertainty.”

“US Capitol” by Mark Fischer is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0