As Congress continues to grapple with solutions to end the partial government shutdown, UCLA political science students will hold a forum today to break down the situation for students and discuss what it says about the U.S. political system.
The forum, titled “The Government Shutdown: Making Sense of It All,” will feature three UCLA political science professors, who will answer questions from forum attendees.
The partial government shutdown, which occurred when members of Congress failed to agree on and pass a budget bill by the Oct. 1 deadline, passed the two-week mark on Tuesday. But the winds seem to be pointing to the shutdown ending soon, said Thomas Schwartz, political science professor and one of today’s forum panelists.
“(The shutdown) is starting to look silly,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz said he thinks the shutdown will likely end soon, since President Barack Obama has been less willing to negotiate with Congress on a budget agreement than House Republicans expected.
The latest attempt to end the shutdown failed Tuesday night, when the Republican-controlled House of Representatives cancelled a vote on a bill that would have funded the government and raised the debt ceiling.
If the shutdown continues to Monday, it will also close the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which is operated by the University of California and other government contractors. Several UC researchers and doctoral students conduct their studies there, said Charles Melton, a UC spokesman.
“We urge Congress to come to agreement to reopen the government so that the threat of furloughs does not hang over the heads of the men and women working on critical national security issues,” Melton said in an emailed statement. “We remain hopeful that Congress will reach agreement.”
About 6,000 employees at the laboratory will be furloughed if the shutdown doesn’t end by Monday, said Lynda Seaver, a spokeswoman for Lawrence Livermore.
Students from UCLA’s chapter of the National Political Honor Society and the Political Science Student Organization at UCLA said they are holding the forum because the shutdown has had a significant impact on Americans so far.
“Right now, the government shutdown is something that’s really affecting a lot of people in a lot of ways, and it’s something people really care about,” said Ross Hougham, a fourth-year political science student and president of the Political Science Student Organization, which is co-sponsoring today’s forum.
The forum is meant to educate students about the political intricacies of the shutdown that are not usually covered in the news, Hougham said.
Even though the partial shutdown could end soon – as soon as this week – his organization is still holding the forum because the shutdown has many lessons to teach, Hougham said. The shutdown shows a lot about the interaction of U.S. political parties and Congress’ inability to get things done, among other things, he added.
“One of the most important things that political scientists think about is what mistakes have been made, and how do we move forward without making those mistakes again,” Hougham said.
The political science forum, which will be in Bunche 4357 today from 6 to 8 p.m., will feature UCLA political science professors Schwartz, Barry O’Neill and Chris Tausanovitch as speakers. Refreshments, including pizza, will be provided. The forum is free and open to the public.