The recent shutdown of the federal government was the longest and most consequential in American history, with approximately 1.4 million federal workers losing their income over the course of 43 days. Included in that figure were many members of the WJ community, whose families have now begun the process of recovery and restabilization.
During the shutdown, a large number of students and teachers saw their family members, friends or spouses be suspended from work or have to work without payment, causing stress for many and financial uncertainty for some.
For students, the shutdown’s effects varied greatly based on their parents’ areas of employment. Sophomore Abby Keehn saw this inconsistency firsthand through the experiences of her mother and father, who work at NIH and Walter Reed Military Hospital respectively.
“My mom isn’t at work, she isn’t getting paid,” Keehn said during the shutdown. “My dad is at his office every day, but he’s only getting paychecks sometimes, whenever Trump approves money going to the military. He’s actually working some worse hours than usual.”
Whether or not a federal employee had to continue working was determined by their classification as essential or non-essential personnel, with all non-essential employees being furloughed. The latter group included freshman Cecilia Roda’s mother, a government economist.
“My mom isn’t getting paid, she’s not even allowed to enter the building,” Roda said.
Since the end of the shutdown on Nov. 12, families have regained income from the government and parents have reentered the workforce. Junior Abigail Friedlin saw her father return to the labs at NIH, where he works in biostatistics.
“There’s an overall weight lifted, at least for the next two or three months,” Friedlin said. “He has a plan and that’s reassuring.”
During the shutdown, millions of families across the country lost access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, causing food insecurity that has persisted for some despite the end of the shutdown. To address this, WJ club Wildcats Who Care has started a food drive with the goal of aiding families who are still struggling to put food on the table.
“We wanted to reach out and help as many people as we could,” Wildcats Who Care president, junior Mia Lepore said. “My parents are affected by the shutdown and I know a lot of my friends are. We want to help in any way we can, small or big.”
The food drive will take place close to Thanksgiving, one of the hardest times of the year for families struggling with food access. Wildcats Who Care hopes to deliver food donated by the WJ community to families in need by partnering with local charity organizations.
The recovery process will continue over the coming months, with government employees easing back into their jobs and SNAP recipients regaining food access. For WJ, the reopening of the government has brought relief after over a month of insecurity and stress.
