The US Government Shutdown is Over, or Schumie Schumie Doo, Where Are You?
And lo, there shall be an ending...to the US Government shutdown! As of tonight, the longest shutdown in US history, 43 days, came to a close in the House of Representatives. The vote was purely along party lines, with the Democrats voting against reopening the government. As the Republicans have a slight majority in the House, its passage was a foregone conclusion. It was the Senate that had been the problem for the last forty-three days. While the Republicans hold a majority there, it was not enough to pass the bill to reopen the government and then to send it onto the House. The Democrats shot down the bill 14 times. As a result, federal aid to SNAP and WIC were curtailed and federal employees were either furloughed or working without pay. Airline Controllers were working extra shifts to keep air traffic flowing, but many of them stopped showing up for work, which has resulted in a total disruption of flight schedules across the country, with delays or downright cancellations occurr...