Cost of the Shutdown Is Surpassing the Cost of the Wall

The 800,000 federal workers who have been furloughed and working without pay will be missing their second paycheck today. Sentier Research estimated that roughly 6 billion will be owed to workers in back pay once the shut down is over. Federal workers have received back pay during previous shutdowns, though private employees who are contracted to work for the federal government will not receive back pay, stomaching the now 5-week loss in wages.

On top of that, the damage to the U.S. economy is now estimated to be roughly 6 billion, due to the partial government shutdown. Congress and President Trump have been unable to reach a funding compromise. The partial government shutdown began on December 22, 2018, when President Trump and Congress were unable to agree upon a funding bill. President Trump would like to see $5.7 billion appropriated to fund the building of a Southern border wall, a polarizing proposal that animates both sides of the partisan divide.