Typically, we have the two main political parties butting each other in the head, but now it has escalated into something else; a government shutdown. Before I explain my position, I am first going to explain what a government shutdown is and why politicians are at a standstill. A government shutdown is when non-essential federal programs are closed, including programs such as the Internal Revenue Service, State Department services, and the Food and Drug Administration. Those are just a few of many programs and services that are closed.
The Senate and President Trump cannot agree on a budget plan for this year so the government shut down for 35 days. The House of Representatives and the Senate passed a budget, this budget included $1.5 billion for the border services, but not for a border wall. According to Forbes, President Trump said he would not sign any budget that did not include a $5.7 billion plan for border security and for a border wall. So, this all boils down to one huge concept that President Trump has been preaching on since he began running for the presidency, “The Wall.” Now you may think that a shutdown for a wall is an awful idea, but I think it is something that is needed for this country.
According to the Customs and Border Protection, the U.S Border Patrol apprehended 361,993 people trying to come into our country illegally. That number may not seem huge, but those account only for the illegal immigrants who were apprehended. Thousands were able to sneak pass our current border security and into our country. It is not just people that are coming into this country, sometimes illegal drugs are moved passed the border on a daily basis. According to the Washington Examiner, more than 99.8 percent of drugs shipped to the U.S come through the Mexican border, yet opponents still do not believe that we need tougher border security. People cannot open their eyes to this issue.
Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi even called the idea of a wall “immoral, ineffective, and expensive.” How can building a wall to shield our country be immoral? Keeping people and drugs out of the country has now somehow become immoral? We don’t know the intentions of the people who are illegally entering our country or taking asylum. The focus of keeping our country safe is becoming an idea that is irrelevant, and if it is a wall that does the job of keeping us safe, then I am all for it. So, I believe that Washington needs to come together and put aside their differences and create an appropriate budget that includes money for a U.S/Mexico border wall. It is time for egos on both sides to be thrown out the window. Our government will get nothing accomplished if they cannot work together.
