I write this blog post while sitting along
East Agana Bay in Guam and looking out upon a calm Pacific evening. This blogger has spent the past couple of
hours contemplating the impacts of the U.S. Congress inability to pass a budget
for the federal government for this fiscal year. The waves hitting our shores tonight are
reflecting somewhat of the image of lawmakers of the U.S Government-in that
they are making waves of their own that have people across our country upset.
While there are much to ponder on how America got to this point, it points to
the direction the U.S. is headed.
Americans on this side of the International Date Line are concerned on
how the next couple of days, weeks and months may progress. We just turned the corner with great booms in
our tourism industry this year and the federal spend was looking optomistic
headed into the first quarter of FY 2014.
So what does our fragile island economy
have left to contend with?
270 civilian
employees working for Joint Region Marianas in any capacity were furloughed hours ago with
the remaining 500 told to report to work with no clear idea on when they will get paid for their public service. 6,000 military personnel on Guam will be
required to show up to work at Andersen Air Force Base and U.S. Naval Base Guam, but they too won't get paid unless Congress can
pass a budget or Continuing Resolution. 140 Guam National Guardsmen and women
are temporarily furloughed. Federally funded programs with Guam's Behavioral
Wellness Center and Department of Public Health and Social Services-closed. Scores of our friends and family at the USDA, NASA, CDC and TSA-also impacted.
I was thinking this
blog post would be partisan to some extent, but the blame really must come from
both sides of the political aisle in Washington DC.
Tickers about how long government has been closed and the various news
stories about what government agency is open and not open really has not helped
frame this issue well across America.
Be concerned-Asian markets rose and fell
fast after it became clear Congress flopped in their 11th hour deal to avert a shutdown
of the federal government. Stocks lost what would have been gains after weeks
of growth and the dollar slid modestly against the yen-our tourists were hoping
for more I'm sure. Volumes in the currency markets surged once European trading
started-it's gonna be a long day indeed.
I encourage everyone
reading this blog to follow this shutdown closely. The impacts will be hard
felt. We are living Where America's
Government Shutdown Begins!
21 days? We'll see if this version of the shutdown-the
last in 1996-outlasts or has more long term negative impacts for Americans in Guam and
across our Country moving forward.