Learning With: ‘Trump Signs Bill Reopening Government for 3 Weeks in Surprise Retreat From Wall’

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Learning With: ‘Trump Signs Bill Reopening Government for 3 Weeks in Surprise Retreat From Wall’

Before reading the article:

Watch the above video, “Trump Announces Deal to End Shutdown.” What does President Trump say is the “fair deal” he is looking for from Congress? What does he say he will do if this deal is not reached? When does he say he will take this action?

Now, read the article, “Trump Signs Bill Reopening Government for 3 Weeks in Surprise Retreat From Wall,” and answer the following questions:

1. What has happened as a result of the announcement that the federal government shutdown has ended?

2. The article characterizes the announcement as a “surprise” and a “remarkable surrender” on the part of Mr. Trump. What details support these ideas?

3. On Friday, before the announcement that the shutdown had ended, what three events occurred that suggested that the shutdown had “fallout far beyond paychecks”?

4. What have Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer said they would be willing to support in terms of border security? What do they say they will not support?

5. According to Standard & Poor’s, how much money did the U.S. economy lose in the five weeks the government was partly shuttered?

6. What may happen if, in the next three weeks, a House-Senate conference committee representing both parties cannot reach consensus about a border security plan?

Finally, tell us more about what you think:

The related article “How the Shutdown Reordered American Life” states:

The effects cascaded far beyond the plight of individual workers, attracting the attention of Americans oblivious to the outsize role the government plays in their lives.

Federal agencies stalled projects. Plane crashes went uninvestigated. Research studies were deferred. A shortage of air traffic controllers caused flight delays across the Northeast on Friday, snarling air travel at some of the country’s busiest airports.

A lack of workers left some of the country’s most treasured sites in a state of neglect. That included Yosemite National Park, the place the pioneering naturalist John Muir described as a temple of canyons, rushing waterfalls and sun-streaked granite cliffs.

Read the rest of the article to find additional examples of how the shutdown affected everyday life in the United States. Consider any effects you observed in your community as well.