The 2025 government shutdown became the longest in U.S. history, lasting 40 days in total. The only shutdown that’s second to this is the 2018-2019 government shutdown, which lasted 34 days.
Both shutdowns occurred during President Trump’s administrations. Military personnel, air traffic controllers, FBI workers, and secret service agents were forced to work without pay until a government funding bill was signed to resume federal discretionary spending.
Those federal employees didn’t deserve to work without pay for that long–they help keep our society safe and organized, more often than not risking their lives while doing so.
Not only was President Trump disadvantaging himself, he was also actively jeopardizing federal jobs, putting Americans in a tense position.
It’s not just federal workers that were being impacted; there were are also low-income families who rely on federally funded food assistance, small businesses that count on the Small Business Administration to grow, and immigrants that must have their passports or visas processed.
Sadly, those families did go hungry for a bit until the shutdown ended, but thankfully not for too long. If the shutdown continued, small business owners might have lost their source of income and immigrants might not have been able to legally enter the US.
As a solution, President Trump signed a federal funding bill into law on November 12th, to keep the government funded until January of 2026.
WJPS teacher Mr. Mengani said, “I am both saddened and disappointed by the government shutdown. I personally believe–and teach my students–that politics is the art of compromise. Neither side ever gets everything they want, and each must be willing to sit down to trade and negotiate. Inability to compromise is a fatal flaw in a political leader and such a person should not be reelected.”
WJPS 10th grader Julianna Geraghty commented, “I think it was irresponsible for them to do it. They could’ve put their time and effort into doing something to help people, but instead they just shut down the government.”
