The federal government is still “shut down.” The scare quotes are necessary because the government is not actually shut down; it still continues to collect taxes, enforce Federal law, including immigration law, and facilitate things like air travel. This is why you likely have not really noticed the shutdown.
Unless your career involves the Federal government in some way, life goes on. Your local police still patrol the streets, and water continues to come out of the tap. Still, the shutdown is now in its fourth week. There is no end in sight. We are in this situation because the Democrats want us to be in this situation. Republicans in the House passed a clean continuing resolution that would have kept the government funded through Nov. 21. Every Republican but one in the Senate has voted for that bill multiple times. Every Democrat but three has voted against that bill multiple times.
