The government being shutdown in 2013 was somewhat similar to the government being shut down today. The Senate declined to pass the bill with measures to delay the Affordable Care Act. The two legislative houses did not develop a compromise bill by the end of September 30, 2013, causing the federal government to shutdown due to a lack of appropriated funds. 2018 shutdown was due to the fact that President Trump wants to raise 5.7 billion for the wall “To keep the mexicans out” as most will say.

Many local people were affected by this shutdown. Dara Glass is a Reality Specialist, who works for the Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management.  She was on furlough for 34 days and claims she is basically locked out of her office and had to stay home most of her day. “It’s kind of depressing to not be able to do your job and to be basically locked out from your office. All of the folks in my office are in it together. We even have a Facebook group chat and this provides us to at least touch base with one another.”

Those with no savings account had to deal with the fact they did not receive two paychecks during the shutdown.  Glass says she had a pretty good savings accounts while some of her colleagues did not. Employees who work paycheck by paycheck were in a struggle and some had to deal with having to borrow from others putting them into debt. “However, if this continues another couple of weeks I also am going to be in a bad situation, and I’m going to have to make some other decisions, said Glass.”

With no job, Glass has plenty of free time on her hands. Which she filled with doctor appointments and bike riding. She claims she was temporarily assigned to a position in Alaska when the shutdown hit. One week before the furlough, she had accepted a lateral transfer to Alaska, and her paperwork had not come through before the furlough, so they kept her in place for three weeks. They then gave her twenty four hours to get from Ancary to Baker City. Baker City is her permanent duty station, yet she had left behind her truck and also a few of her belongings. Glass flew to Baker City where she has been since.

Glass is now off of furlough and is doing the job she says she loves very much. “I love working for the government.”  Yet it is a fear knowing you can be furloughed any minute at your job, maybe even kicked out of your office. Glass’ says the reason for the government shut down was not what she expected.  However, she added,  “I agree that our border entries and ship harbors need to be improved, all federal employees need to be better trained and properly funded to do their jobs better.”  She says she, and others, are concerned about a possible additional shut down that could happen February 15th if lawmakers don’t come up with a solution to the issues of funding the government while dealing with the issues President Trump is focused on in regards to immigration and the border wall funding.