A short-term resolution was made yesterday, ending the 3-day government shutdown. The vote held on Monday was a short compromise as members from both sides urged their party leaders to find a resolution and get federal employees back to work. However, the vote came late in the work day, after hundreds of thousand federal workers were put on furlough. The resolution was passed with a 266-159 vote in the house and 81-18 in the senate, but with some contingencies. The Democrats agreed to stop the shutdown if the republicans agree to hold a vote for a legislative fix to DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). But the resolution is on a running clock.

The resolution, which was signed by President Trump on Monday evening following the votes, will only fund the government until February 8th. Now there is a 17-day timer for the senate to hold a vote on DACA as promised. But if the vote gets filibustered by the Republicans, it may be that the democrats will once again hold the government funding which may lead to a second shutdown early in 2018. But it is not a temporary fix that we need. The possibility of federal workers being put on furlough after February 8th is still there, and when federal workers suffer, so does the US economy. What we need right now is not a 17-day resolution, but an actual resolve that will keep federal employees working every day. Government shutdowns can really hurt the economy, and this time we were lucky that the shutdown only lasted 3 days. But before February 8th the house and the senate must come to an agreement before we face another shutdown, that may last even longer this time. In 2013, the 16 day shutdown cost the US economy $20 billion dollars. Businesses suffer as federal workers are put on furlough and cut spending and stop contributing to the economy. Businesses will have to be resourceful, and continue to operate normally if a second shutdown occurs following the Feb 8th deadline.