The country has found itself just short of chaos as a government shutdown has turned from a matter of days to now weeks and quite possibly months. The longest ever U.S. Government shutdown began at midnight on Dec 22.

President Donald Trump and U.S. lawmakers have remained in the deadlocked standoff after President Trump presented his demands for the allocation of $5.7 billion to build a wall at the U.S. – Mexico border. The president has expressed that he would prefer to ‘strike a deal’ with congress but is not afraid to declare a national emergency. If the president chooses to invoke a national emergency he will be turning over dozens of specialized laws to himself that will also give him access to funds he previously was unable to access.

When the shutdown began it was uncertain as to when everything would be up and running and since that fateful initial day, there has been a plethora of events that have led to the continual shutdown.

On Jan. 3, the Democrats gained control of the House and attempted to pass various bills that would have reopened the federal government. The main component the bills lacked was funding for a border wall, which ultimately led to the bills being squashed leaving the government in a stalemate. On Jan 9, President Trump walked out of a meeting with Democrats after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi once again rejected a new plan to include Trump’s request for border wall funding.

“I asked what is going to happen in 30 days if I quickly open things up, are you going to approve Border Security which includes a Wall or Steel Barrier? Nancy said, NO. I said bye-bye, nothing else works,” Trump said.

While these events occurred the president was busying himself mulling over the shutdown and possible alternatives. After a warning that the stalemate between himself and congress could keep the government shutdown for years to come, Trump offered a suggestion of a steel wall instead of concrete. On Jan 8, the president gave the first Oval Office address during both his presidency and this shutdown where he once again remained firm in his position. Following the address Senator Chuck Schumer called for the reopening of the government.

“There is an obvious solution: separate the shutdown from the arguments over border security. There is bipartisan legislation – supported by Democrats and Republicans – to re-open the government while allowing debate over border security to continue,” said Schumer.

With the continuation of the shutdown many Americans have raised concerns about what happens next. Fortunately some major government sanctioned organizations have remained open and running, such as The Postal Service, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). On the unfortunate side of things, all national parks, Smithsonian Museums and the National Zoo are now closed. Immigration courts are also closed which has led to an extensive backlog of cases.

With the stalemate of congress putting an ominous energy throughout America it will continue to remain uncertain as to when the government will reopen and when we will reach compromise.