Shutdown would harm many in state

As June 30 looms closer and closer, government programs are forced to prepare for a statewide government shutdown. The costs of this cannot be overstated: Merely preparing for the shutdown costs our state money, but an actual shutdown would do far more than simply harm our economy.

As a sixteen-year-old Kamiak High School student living in Mukilteo, I lived through the harms to public schools that continued failures to reach a sustainable budget deal cause year in and year out. Political maneuvering on the part of Republicans in the Legislature have a continued, harmful effect on students like myself.

That effect is not just limited to students. My father is employed by the Department of Social and Health Services; the shutdown would cost him his job and my family the financial breathing room we desperately need. And the shutdown would assuredly be worse for the residents who rely on certain programs.

A shutdown means that seniors who rely on DSHS may not be able to get the help they need to live their lives in comfort. Laid-off health-care workers mean our hospitals will be understaffed. It’s time to stop playing politics with people’s lives. Senate Republicans are currently refusing to negotiate with Democrats. Both parties need to start doing their jobs and engage in bi-partisan dialogue for the sake of Washington.

Niko Battle

Mukilteo