Over 800,000 federal workers are getting furloughed, yet Congress is still receiving a paycheck.

Congress has one main job: to pass spending bills that fund the government. But for over 8 days, the men and women of Congress have been unable to accomplish this job and are therefore affecting millions of people across the country.

The shutdown occurred because Congress did not have a spending deal passed on October 1st, which is the start of the new fiscal year. A deal is not being reached because House Republicans are using Obamacare as a bargaining chip. They want anti-Obamacare amendments included in the deal because they believe that this domestic policy is so detrimental to the country that fighting it is worth a government shutdown.

“My mom was deemed necessary, so she basically just didn’t go to work for a week,” said senior Juliane Caughron.

This shutdown is appalling to those who can’t go to work and are forced to stay home unpaid. However, the effects of this shutdown are long-term and will reach every single person in America—not just those furloughed.

Economist Brian Kessler says that “the total economic impact is likely to be at least 10 times greater than the simple calculation of lost wages of federal workers.” His firm estimates that a three- to four-week shutdown would cost the economy about $55 billion (cnn.com).

One thing that Congress has agreed on is that troops will keep getting paid in a shutdown-which many Americans are thankful for. However, affecting all Americans is the fact that gun permits, federal loans, and passports are currently unavailable, and they won’t be accessible until this shutdown ends.

Congress needs to get their act together and get it together soon. Their inability to do their job is irresponsible and unacceptable; the shutdown’s effects on the American economy and individual American families are not worth the benefits of long, drawn-out bargaining.

If Congress can’t pass a spending bill, they need to join the 800,000 Americans who don’t have a paycheck right now because of them.