The shutdown is over. Now it’s time to govern...
Last week the shutdown ended. Spanning 43 days – the longest federal shutdown in history – and impacting more than 1.4 million federal employees, the trainwreck over exactly what taxpayer money would be spent on is over.
Of course, in addition to time and fear, some experts say the shutdown was expensive, ranging between $7 billion and $15 billion in costs.
So, what happens now? Given a little good luck and just a touch of opportunity, there’s hope that members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate will work together to finalize a budget package and keep the government operating.
There will also be debates over policies and a lot of good, old-fashioned, raw politics.
For example, when the shutdown began, lawmakers like state Rep. Cyndi Munson, the Democratic leader in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, said, “Oklahomans were ‘paying the cost’ due to congressional disagreements. Munson, from Oklahoma City, pointed to the impact the shutdown would have on federal employees and on those who faced potential firings and missed paychecks and needed federal services like SNAP.
Munson issued this media statement last week when the government reopened: “Politicians in Washington failed Oklahomans by allowing this shutdown to occur and cutting off resources for hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans. The President had multiple opportunities to fulfill his duty of serving the American people by funding SNAP, and he continuously chose not to. That is not something we should forget. Even with the shutdown ending, Oklahomans are going to continue to face higher health care premiums and costs of living. We cannot forget that the Republican-led government in Washington purposefully caused needless stress for Oklahoma families with this shutdown.”
On the other side of the aisle, House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, a Republican from Bristow, applauded the end of the shutdown, but blamed Democrats for all the problems.
“The end of this shutdown is a relief for hardworking families, but it should never have happened in the first place. Democrats played political games with essential services while Republicans advanced responsible funding bills to keep government open and accountable,” Hilbert said in a media statement. “Oklahomans expect leadership that puts people over politics. As we move forward, I urge federal leaders to focus on responsible budgeting, accountability and long-term solutions that ensure vital programs operate efficiently and hardworking Americans do not miss another paycheck.”
Granted both sides are happy the turmoil has ended, but they still haven’t figured out how to work together and that’s the problem.
Governing this country is difficult at best. And when our elected leaders think of nothing but politics, while at the same time ignoring policy, we have serious problems.
Somehow the American public must insist that its government operate and function. We must have better ways to hold accountable those who only want power and we must be honest enough to recognize there will always be differences.
Take for example, food. We must not forget the debate on supplemental nutrition funding. Beginning today, we must have a concentrated effort to stabilize the Sup-plemental Nutritional Assistance Program so millions of Americans and the 680,000 Oklahomans will be able to put food on their tables.
This country can’t claim to be a democracy while its poorest residents go hungry.
There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution or its sibling, the Oklahoma Constitution, that bases government representation on income level. Everyone – no matter what their race or income level – should be protected and served by their government.
We’ve gotten away from that and it’s time to change.
The shutdown is over. It’s time to govern.
M. Scott Carter is an award-winning political and investigative reporter covering federal and state government and politics in Oklahoma.