Social Studies teacher Aubry Wagner’s mother, Vanessa, is an Operations and Planning Analyst at U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue. Her workplace has changed significantly since the government shutdown.
“Operations [have slowed] down considerably,” Wagner said. She is furloughed, while others, deemed mission essential, continue to work.
“Many meetings and planning sessions are postponed, and coordination with other agencies is disrupted. Even for essential missions, there’s a sense of strain because people are balancing the importance of their work with personal financial concerns,” she said.
Wagner is just one of many government workers that were furloughed when the government shut down Oct. 1.
According to Government and Economics teacher Nicholas Kintzle, while there have been times with short funding gaps, this is only the third true government shutdown since the ‘90s.
“This one’s the worst one. It’s very consistent with what the political climate of America is right now. It’s very nasty, it’s very partisan. There is no interest in compromise either way,” Kintzle said.
Kintzle said the government shutdown occurred because, “Republicans want to keep the funding where it is with no new policy riders… and Democrats want policy changes. They want to extend the affordable care act subsidies…”
The affordable care act gives people tax breaks to bring the cost of healthcare down. Democrats want to extend these tax breaks because if they are not extended people’s healthcare costs will go up.
The president is not actively engaged in [the shutdown] process yet, Kintzle said.
“At some point he perhaps will become engaged in this process which will probably be what leads it to end but at this point he’s not interested in it.” Kintzle said.
“Both sides feel like they are winning the shutdown politically,” he said.
The Republicans are blaming the shutdown on the Democrats. Democrats argue that people’s healthcare costs will go up due to a lack of subsidies and would like to make the 2026 midterm elections a referendum on healthcare costs and other issues, Kintzle said.
“Republicans are in control of the government. They have the House. They have the Senate. So it’s easy to pin the inability to keep the government open on Republicans, but shutdown politics are kind of weird sometimes,” Kintzle said.
In the past, a shutdown typically occurs because the president and congress can’t agree.
“The most common reason we’ve had shutdowns in the past is that the federal spending levels can’t be agreed upon or there are policy disputes on [issues such as] immigration or healthcare…” Kintzle said.
Political differences can cause a “partisan standoff” where each side tries to gain the advantage.
“The simplest way to think of it is that [a] shutdown happens when the politics overrides compromise on budget matters.” Kintzle said.
“The legislative branch has the power of the purse, the spending of all the money,” Kintze said. They carry out that power via a budget process that starts in February and goes through October or September. The House and Senate budget committees go through the lawmaking process to pass budgets. They divide the budget into 12 different appropriations bills.
“The appropriations are like cutting the check basically,” Kintzle said. That’s where they receive all the funding requests from the different agencies, hold all the hearings and decide how much each department will receive, he said.
“Both chambers have to pass the bills. The president signs them into law. If the appropriation bills aren’t passed by October, Congress can approve a continuing resolution to keep the government funded which is what’s been going on for a long time,” Kintzle said. The appropriation process usually takes eight to nine months but it has not worked this way for a long time, he said.
Not everything stops when the government shuts down. Things such as the military, air traffic control, border security, disaster response, Medicare and Medicaid, and the postal service continue to operate.
“Anything mandatory keeps going,” Kintzle said.
Organizations that are shut down include national parks, museums, monuments, and many federal agencies like the EPA, IRS, and the Department of Housing and Urban development.
“Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are furloughed which just means they’re sent home without pay,” Kintzle said.
Though the effects of the shutdown are not always felt by the average person, those that are furloughed feel them.
Vanessa Wagner is a government Air Force Civilian and works as an Operations and Planning Analyst at U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). She is furloughed while others at her workplace continue to work without pay.
“That uncertainty can create financial stress and make it difficult to plan ahead. Although the protocol usually ensures back pay, bills and responsibilities don’t pause—so it can create real challenges for families who rely on that income,” Wagner said.
“Traditionally, [government workers], when the shutdown ends, would be brought back and be given back pay. But Republicans have said that they aren’t necessarily going to do that,” Kintzle said.
Wagner is in a different position now than when she experienced the shutdown in 2018.
“I’m older, nearing retirement, and currently going through a divorce, which means I rely solely on my own income. Back in 2018, I was married and felt less anxious because my spouse was employed,” she said. Wagner said she received a small inheritance from her late mother’s estate which is providing her with a cushion of funds during this time.
“Having that small cushion helps, and I’m not panicking yet. But I know some of my colleagues are, and we are fortunate that our health insurance and retirement coverage will not lapse, which is [a] blessing we are thankful for,” Wagner said.
Wagner has seen how shutdowns and sequestrations (government spending cuts) can strain workplace relationships between workers deemed “essential” and “unessential.”
“Those required to work without pay often feel frustrated and resentful about the unfair burden. Those furloughed, like myself, may have time to catch up on personal matters or appointments—but we still share the same financial uncertainty. That tension is understandable, and no one chooses to be in this situation,” Wagner said.
Kintzle said, “Republicans have also used [the shutdown] as an opportunity to continue to trim the government.” They have used the shutdown to say that the government was bloated and that they can cut people out, Kintzle said.
The government shutdown will create lasting impacts.
“…the people that work for the TSA at Eppley [Omaha airport], or people who work at the Federal Government offices around Omaha will not have a paycheck,” Kintzle said.
“There will be economic impacts across the country [because] you have hundreds of thousands of people who don’t have income.”
There will potentially be issues with SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance). Things like passport processing may slow down. The Department of Education may slow down, impacting things like FAFSA processing, said Kintzle.
“Of course there is a continuing loss in people’s confidence in government [and] trust in government… as you watch the dysfunction of the two parties not [knowing] how to do the most basic thing [to fund the government and keep it open]…” Kintzle said.
In order for the shutdown to end, Kintzle said, “Congress has to pass a funding bill, whether it be a short term bill that would maintain the current funding levels or a new funding bill. But both the House and the Senate would have to agree, the President would have to sign it… and then they’d have to hammer out all the details…”
A government shutdown is a no win situation, according to Kintzle.
“It’s usually terrible politics on both sides. No one ever wins [in] these shutdowns… [They are hard] to message from a political standpoint to be like ‘we’ve won’ the shutdown. Most people don’t understand the complexity of funding the government and the appropriations process.”
It’s important to remember that there are actual people impacted by the shutdown, Wagner said.
“I think it’s important to remember that behind every ‘government shutdown’ headline are real people—from military and civilian workers to local businesses that depend on federal operations. It’s not just a political event; it affects day-to-day lives, families, and morale across the community,” she said.
