Government Shutdown More Than Just Political Theater

In a couple short weeks, we will face a political standoff over the debt ceiling and the prospect of yet another government shutdown a few weeks after that. An op-ed from GBTA ran on The Hill’s Congress Blog this week about the lasting and real impact this is having on the economy.

I know the Trump 2016 reality show and the Republican search for a Speaker are what’s captivating viewers right now, but here’s a preview of the Fall political “blockbuster”: fiscal cliff II: the sequel. We’re just two weeks or so away from a political standoff over the debt ceiling increase and a few more weeks before the prospect of yet another government shutdown.

For some this is just political theater, but it has a lasting and real impact on the men and women who work in the government and the economy as a whole.

When a shutdown occurs, it has the potential to affect everything from airport security screening (TSA warned of possible delays in 2013) to passport delays (in 1996 more than 20,000 U.S. applications went unprocessed). But that’s just the obvious.

The real and lasting impact is the time, money and effort lost on contingency planning. Over the last few months, government agencies have had to plan for a shutdown, which means cancelling or postponing travel plans and general disruption.

Head over to the Congress Blog on The Hill’s website to read the full article.