COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — The U.S. government shutdown hits its one-week mark, creating widespread disruptions that are affecting everything from essential services to students' ability to pay for their education.
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As the political standoff continues in Washington D.C., the effects are being felt far beyond the nation's capital, reaching into communities and classrooms across the country.
"It's very disconcerting because the disruptions can cause interruptions in daily lives as well as for those people potentially not working," said Raymond Robertson, professor of economics and government at Texas A&M University's Bush School of Government & Public Service.
15 ABC asked Robertson how this shutdown came to be.
"What's happening is that the amount of partisanship in the government, on both sides of the aisle, have been increasingly unwilling to compromise in order to get the nation's business done," Robertson said.
The impacts range from government services and benefits that people rely on to students who depend on federal employment to fund their education, like several at The Bush School of Government & Public Service.
"We have a number of people who are working part time for the federal government who are now furloughed, but they're relying on that income to pay their tuition," Robertson said.
Robertson tells 15 ABC that this current reality is also shaping how students view careers in public service.
"So they want to improve their skills, they want to invest in productivity, they want to become better public servants, but now with this climate, I mean, people are really starting to think about that again — what that really means and how they're going to afford to make those investments," Robertson said.
The uncertainty extends beyond individual hardships, potentially affecting broader economic factors.
"That's what the economy, you know, relies on in many ways, right, is continued consumer spending, consumer confidence, and this is being shaken up by this. So these short term shocks can have long term consequences, so it's important that we work to resolve this soon," Robertson said.
As each day passes, eyes remain fixated on Washington.
"On the positive side, I mean, I know that there's bills being debated in the Senate at this moment, right? So they've already voted on a number of bills. They're trying to get things through," Robertson said.
Robertson tells 15 ABC that the current shutdown affects approximately 750,000 federal workers.
For comparison, the 2019 government shutdown lasted 35 days, cost about $11 billion and furloughed about 800,000 people, according to Robertson.
Robertson noted that previous shutdowns have ended through compromise, suggesting both parties must find some common ground to restore government operations.
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