U.S. Government Partial-Shutdown Hits Embassy in Belize

At midnight on December twenty-first, the U.S. Government initiated a partial shut-down and it has stretched on to be the longest shut down in that country’s history.  Because President Donald Trump rejected a congressional budget compromise that triggered the shutdown, suggesting that it could “ last a very long time” unless he get the funds to build his wall. As a result, hundreds thousands of federal workers have not been paid and thousands of others sent home.  But how does that affect Belize and the rest of the world? Well, the partial shutdown has global implications on humanitarian assistance and foreign aid because no new funding commitments or obligations can be made during a shutdown except for the protection of life and property. This shutdown also has a big effect on not just who goes to work, but also what work is being done. Although the State Department says that it will keep issuing passports and visas, it warned that those activities will remain operational as long as there are sufficient fees to support operations.  Non-exempt workers may end up not getting paid, which holds true for persons contracted to do work for the U.S. government.  The shutdown is already being felt at the U.S. Embassy in Belmopan. An email from one of the Public Affairs Unit says, “I am not in the office because of the furlough resulting from the lapse in U.S. Government appropriations. If you need assistance on an urgent matter involving excepted functions, please contact Debbie Lingwood.  Excepted functions include those necessary for emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property, and those necessary for activities essential to national security, including the conduct of foreign affairs essential to national security.” Now, it is not clear how many of the staff members are not working and if consular services is affected, but the U.S. Embassy has declined comment on all other queries.