During the government shutdown, Transportation Security Officers worked without pay. A trip to Wilson’s Creek Battlefield was quiet, with no access to the Visitor’s Center. First-time home buyers were unable to use certain loans.

 

Differences over finances in the government caused a partial shutdown on December 22, with only essential personnel working. According to National Public Radio, around 800,000 workers missed paychecks throughout the 35-day shutdown. Congress received pay during the shutdown and was trying to come to an agreement on issues like President Trump’s proposed border wall and bills affecting government departments. With the shutdown surpassing the length of previous shutdowns, the president and Congress made a compromise to reopen the government for three weeks.

  

At the Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF), security officers have worked without pay throughout the entirety of the shutdown. In many cities, these essential personnel have called in sick or not been showing up to work. Kristina Ankrom, Transportation Security Officer, says that is not the case at SGF.

  

“We have the regulars that we come to know, and if we don’t show up, those people can’t get to where they’re going,” Ankrom said.

  

Even though SGF has not experienced employees staying home from work, it is still upsetting for the workers not getting their paychecks.

  

“It’s frustrating, and it’s stressful,” Ankrom said. “[When] you mess with people’s money, their emotions are directly tied into that, and I think that the stress level is noticeably different.”

  

There are also departments of the federal government that are considered “nonessential.” Of those is the U.S. National Park Service. Ted Heidloff, a volunteer at Wilson’s Creek Battlefield in Republic, says the shutdown takes away from the educational experience at the battlefield.

  

“Our school groups get deprived of some history that actually happened here in their own backyard,” Heidloff said. “We deprive people of the opportunity to see what took place that particular day in 1861.”

  

The housing side of the United States Department of Agriculture has been considered “nonessential” as well. Casey Cooper, a mortgage banker at USA Mortgage in Springfield, says that 90 to 95% of people who are first-time home buyers use USDA loans. During the shutdown, Cooper’s business turned to alternatives because the USDA loans could not be guaranteed.

  

“First of all we have to wait for the shutdown, and then second of all there is going to be a huge backlog from the shutdown, so we’re looking at another 30 to 60 day turnaround time once the government opens back up,” Cooper said.

  

When the government started its three-week break from the shutdown, Cooper’s business began using USDA loans again. He says the USDA handled the backlog well and have lessened the time it takes to guarantee the loans from 48 days to 5 days. Usually, it takes them between 12 and 24 hours.

  

In Springfield, there is a shortage of houses for the people wanting to move here. This, coupled with the shutdown, has affected home buyers, real-estate agents and mortgage bankers.

  

“If somebody puts an offer in with a USDA [loan] and that house stays on the market, more than likely because of our shortage there’s going to be a different type of loan that comes in, and that’s going to go under contract,” Cooper said. “In our business, being my position and a real estate agent, if we’re not able to get those loans going, that is taking money out of our pocket.”

  

At Glendale, Nicole Hardison, a science teacher, has taken out loans to help pay her family’s bills. Hardison’s husband is a Security Systems Specialist for the Federal Aviation Administration and has worked without pay during the shutdown. It has been difficult for Hardison’s family to plan with her husband’s unsteady paycheck.

  

“We will be getting one paycheck, and then if things aren’t resolved by the 15th, we’ll be shut down again, so just sort of the unknown is not very fun,” Hardison said.

  

To avoid another shutdown on February 15, Congress passed a bill that allocated $1.375 billion toward the border wall, still less than the $5.7 billion President Trump wanted. Also included in the bill was a 1.9% pay increase for federal workers.

  

Without the full funding of the border wall, Trump has declared a state of emergency to get the necessary balance. His action is not without consequence, with many lawmakers and citizens saying conditions at the border do not warrant a national emergency. Many congressman, Republican and Democrat alike, are against the declaration because they say it is not right for the president to declare an emergency to get around Congress. Organizations like Public Citizen and the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington have filed lawsuits against the president.

  

President Trump has said he is prepared to go to court and is ready for losses at the lower courts only to win at the Supreme Court. The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives is starting the process of a joint resolution to stop the state of emergency, outlined in the National Emergencies Act of the Constitution. Both the Senate and the House will have to pass the resolution with a two-thirds majority.