In government classes, students are taught that the purpose of government is to create order and serve the people.

Northern Virginia offers a reasonable commute to many of the millions of people who trek to DC for work each morning. Because of that close proximity, it is commonplace to find multiple students in each class that have at least one parent that works for the government. So, it comes as no shock that the effects of the recent government shutdown are not only being felt by congressman on Capitol Hill, but by the WS families in Springfield as well.

Sophomore Mark Waters’ mother, Barb, has experienced the furloughs firsthand.

“My mom works for the census bureau and she hasn’t been paid so far… I’ve been shocked,” said Waters.

October 1st marked the first day of the country’s first government shutdown in 17 years. Federal employees were sorted into categories based on how essential their jobs were to the government. Hundreds of thousands of workers, WS parents included, were told they were not considered “essential” and on the first day of the month they were no longer receiving pay and going into work.

“A lot of people are already filing for unemployment… and it’s getting complicated,” said senior Selene Sobert. Her dad, Paul, works for the IRS as the Director of the Compliance Domain.

The people filing for unemployment, however, can’t start receiving unemployment checks until they’ve been unemployed for 90 days, leaving them to wonder how they’ll make ends meet.

Some WS parents, like Sobert’s have had to make tough decisions regarding staffing at work and essential and non-essential staff members. Many parents who are still at work are feeling the strain of increased demands and decreased personnel. This has put some people in a difficult position.

“My dad is considered essential,” Sobert said. “But, he had to furlough 470 of his 500 employees [and] he has to work more hours, he has to decide who gets furloughed.”

Military families have also been hurt by the failure of Congress to come to a compromise on the federal budget. The commissary, where many families go to purchase their groceries, has been closed thanks to the shutdown and they have to choose other stores for purchasing household staples.

“The prices are so different.” said senior Christina Perez whose dad is in the military. “It really makes a difference…there are six people in my family, shopping at Giant is a lot more expensive.”

The shutdown could last weeks, but many wish the issues could be resolved in a timelier manner otherwise there will be more repercussions to come.

“If the government doesn’t start back up soon, they can’t file tax returns,” said Sobert.

Although the shutdown has affected his mom, Waters has decided to keep a positive outlook on the situation.

“She’s been at home,” Waters said. “I get to spend time with her.”