A disagreement over budget and spending grew into a partial government shutdown that lasted for 16 days and negatively affected the entire United States. Approximately 800,00 Americans were not being paid because of it, which costed the government approximately one billion dollars per week in lost pay.
Marissa Valadez, 10, and her family spent every day wondering how long the shutdown will last. Her mother, as a government employee, had been furloughed – given mandatory time off of work without pay.
“Mom can’t get paid for the days she’s off, but we have so many things to pay for. Rent, bills, food, my pet…..,” Valdez trailed off.
Her mother has been working in US Treasury IRS Field Assistance for more than thirty years, and a government shutdown of this magnitude only happened once, for twenty one days during the Clinton presidency.
No one was sure how long the partial shutdown would last, and breathed a sigh of relief when, after 16 days, a deal was made.”Valdez said. “She [was] constantly on the phone calling her friends,”.“To ask if anything happened yet.”
But the agreement is a temporary truce. The government is deep in debt and the deal made will allow the country to borrow money from the Treasury until January.
Valadez’s mother could have retired years ago, but keeps working so that she can support her daughter’s education.
“I’m trying to get scholarships [and] good grades so that I can grow up and take care of her,” Valdez said. “It’s just my mom living with me, [so] it’s hard when things like this happen.”
