US federal government shutdowns due to welfare

The U.S. federal government shutdown went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. It is the first shutdown in 17 years since the end of 1995 under the Clinton administration. It stopped most of federal government functions excluding defense and public order. Around 800,000 to one million out of two million federal government employees must have an unpaid leave. Unless the budget bill passes, the government cannot pay them.

The government shutdown was triggered by the conflicts over President Barack Obama’s health reform plan, or ObamaCare, starting next year. The Republican-controlled House took ObamaCare out of the spending bill for financial year 2014 (Oct. 1, 2013 – Sept. 30, 2014) on Sept. 20 and tossed them to the Senate. The Democrats-controlled Senate put it back and returned it to the House. The House sent a bill with amendment delaying ObamaCare spending for a year but the Senate refused to accept it. The Senate and the House had the ping-ponging of the legislation five times for 10 days until the deadline.

ObamaCare is a policy pledged in 2008 by President Obama, the then Democratic presidential candidate. It mandates the government and companies to cover insurance for uninsured 3.2 million Americans. Republicans opposes the law because it would impose a heavy burden on the government. The legislation passed the Congress in 2010. Republicans filed a lawsuit against the law saying it is unconstitutional, but the Supreme Court of the United States validated it. If the law is implemented, the government should spend 940 billion dollars for the next decade. The astronomical costs must be covered by taxpayers’ money. Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidate who competed with President Obama last year, said, “If I’m reelected, I’ll repeal ObamaCare on my first day at the White House.”

President Obama pledged the plan in 2008 and the bill was passed three years ago. Still, Republicans say, “We’ll never tolerate giving taxpayers’ money to poor people’s health insurance.” It shows how hard it is to increase welfare for the needy if there are conflicts between classes and parties over interests. The U.S. government shutdown shows the importance of a social consensus and cooperation between ruling and opposition parties for the expansion of welfare policies.