A recurring gag on The Simpsons – the longest-running prime time animated series in the U.S. – revolves around the slothfulness of Homer Simpson as a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant.
Across its 36-year run, without his bosses knowing, Homer’s been replaced by a chicken, a dog, a pig, a brick, and a scarecrow. His work ethic is regularly under fire. In one episode, his boss chastises him saying, “You took the Hamburglar’s birthday off last Monday and Wednesday. Which is it?”
Skeptical and cynical taxpayers might be wondering these days if Congress and workers in Sector 7G of the Springfield plant have some things in common as the government shutdown approaches the beginning of its fourth week. Are they being missed?
While both parties may be animated – the federal bureaucracy is no fictional, laughing matter.
As of this week, upwards of 750,000 federal civilian employees have been furloughed during the shutdown. Another 1.5 million are being told to report to work but not getting paid.
Similar to the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), both groups will eventually get their paychecks once the budget mess is settled. For perspective, keeping those 750,000 workers home costs the taxpayer $400 million – each day.
At this point, while the vast majority of Americans have yet to feel any significant pain from the fiscal standoff, there is growing impact.
From reduced staff at National Parks to various closed tourist sites, travel plans have been upended.
Plenty of other people who are relying on government services are experiencing delays. Whether waiting for a passport, a small business loan or a question to be answered by the IRS, many things are taking longer than usual.
Last week, the White House announced plans to lay off 4,000 federal workers across numerous government agencies. Russ Vought, who is the director of the Office of Management and Budget, says that number is likely to rise to more than 10,000.
The Department of Health and Human Services is expected to lose upwards of 1,200 employees. More than 400 are scheduled to be cut from the Department of Education and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“We want to be very aggressive where we can be in shuttering the bureaucracy,” Vought said. “Not just the funding, but the bureaucracy, that we now have an opportunity to do that.”
A federal judge has blocked a portion of the firings, but the Trump administration believes they will eventually prevail.
Not surprisingly, Vought is unfairly criticized and even demonized for working tirelessly to ensure that taxpayer money isn’t being wasted on ineffectual and even immoral things.
It was Ronald Reagan who famously observed, “No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth!”
Active duty military personnel are still getting paid after President Trump ordered the Pentagon to redirect existing funds. Whether there will be funds available for the next pay cycle remains an open question.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has called opposition to reopening the government “a selfish and dangerous political stunt.”
Please join us in praying for an effective and responsible resolution of this latest congressional impasse.
Image from Getty.