by Ezekiel Siegrist, guest writer

The United States at large is staring down the threat of a government shutdown. The House of Representatives is in a state of disarray that could cause a national crisis, and one area that could see much turmoil is Colorado Springs.

The recent choices of the House have caused a spiral of national proportions following their inability to pass a bill dictating the government’s spending plan for the next fiscal year. This led the House of Representatives to put in place a 45-day stopgap on September 30th in hopes of coming to a solution at that time to keep the federal government open. This gave hope to the public until 3 days after the stopgap was passed. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy became the first speaker to be voted out of office in history — with no solution being found in the two weeks since.

So what does this mean for Colorado Springs?

If the government were to shut down, it would be detrimental to the city as a whole. As of 2020, Colorado Springs is the 6th largest military city in America, with 20% of employment being through the government and military. This industry is also the main source of income in the Springs, overtaking industries such as tourism.

In the event of a shutdown, that would mean 20% of the city’s employment would be put on furlough or be forced to work unpaid until a spending plan was passed into law. So what can citizens do to avoid events like this in the future?

It’s simple… Vote!

Pay attention to the people running for state representatives and care about what they could do in the House of Representatives. Protect this city’s main industry from being shut down in the future, come the next election.

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Works Cited

“City Snapshot: Colorado Springs | Othering & Belonging Institute.” Belonging.berkeley.edu, belonging.berkeley.edu/city-snapshot-colorado-springs#:~:text=The%20largest%20employer%20in%20the. Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.

Military.com. “Top 10 Cities for Defense Jobs.” Military.com, 16 Mar. 2022, www.military.com/veteran-jobs/search/top-defense-job-cities.html.

Wessel, David. “What Is a Government Shutdown? And Why Are We Likely to Have Another One?” Brookings, 17 Sept. 2023, www.brookings.edu/articles/what-is-a-government-shutdown-and-why-are-we-likely-to-have-another-one/.