Most American’s are aware of the promise Donald Trump made in 2015 at the start of his run for the presidency about the immigration control strategy of building a wall along the Mexico-America border. This is something that a lot of Republicans have been pushing for, and something that most Democrats are very against. This clash inevitably led to a shutdown within the government over funding for this wall lasting longer than any previous government shutdown and left millions of Americans without pay for weeks on end until Congress could come to a consensus about the funding. Although there has yet to be a true consensus concerning the border, legislators decided to put an end to the shutdown on Jan. 25, in total lasting 35 days.  

This shutdown had lasting repercussions on not only American citizens, but also national parks and recreational sites, federal organizations such as NASA, FBI, FDA and many more federally funded programs. (Check out this article from BBC that goes further in depth about the various impacts the shutdown has had on America https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46739180.) 

Although Congress has yet to come to a decision about funding for the border wall, which could potentially lead to another shutdown, a lot of Burke High students don’t know much about the topic. “It doesn’t affect me, so I don’t pay attention to it,” senior Makayla Pollock said.  

Some students at Burke know of the severity of the shutdown due to their own personal struggles or from the hardships of those around them. “A lot of my temple was affected because we have a bunch of people who work in the government and/or receive financial support through the government and because of the shutdown a lot of people have really been struggling to get back on their feet,” junior Destiny Howard said.  

Others are more informed about what is happening in the political world due to their own interest and personal beliefs. “I know that President Trump shutdown the government to get funding for a border wall to increase national security, decrease crime and limit the drug trafficking illegal immigrants bring to our country,” senior Will Jewell said. “I know he has been harshly criticized and the Democratic party has opposed him at every turn, not because they disagree with his policies, but because they would rather have a money-stealing president rather than a job-creating-economy-improving president.” 

Overall, the repercussions of the government shutdown have been felt by many Americans, and although a spending bill is being discussed that is meant to prevent another shutdown, most students still agree that coverage over current news should be discussed more at Burke. “I think it would be beneficial to kind of break down hot and poppin’ news to the students, so we know what’s happening in our country,” senior Caitlyn Croft said.