What Was It All For?

A FedFam account of 43 days of shutdown chaos and a “deal” that fixes nothing.

Forty three days.
Forty three days of furloughs, frozen paychecks, maxed out credit cards, emptied savings, cancelled medical appointments, and federal workers staring at their bank apps like they were waiting for rain in a drought.

Forty three days of being told to “hang in there,” “be patient,” “stand by,” while politicians treated our livelihoods like bargaining chips on a poker table.

And now, after a shutdown that stretched longer than most vacations, longer than some people’s sick leave balances, longer than any rational government would ever allow, they pat themselves on the back for passing a Continuing Resolution that lasts until January 30.

January.
Thirtieth.
As in 77 days from now we get to do this all over again.

Tell me again: what was the point?

Because here is what it was not for:

It was not to fund the government responsibly.
It was not to protect federal workers or keep national security stable.
It was not to ensure veterans received care or families received SNAP or travelers had safe skies.
It was not to push forward any thoughtful reforms, bipartisan priorities, or real governing.

No. This entire shutdown was a political performance staged at our expense.

While we rationed groceries, they scheduled TV appearances.
While we worried about rent, they worried about who would get blamed online.
While federal workers held their breath, Congress held press conferences.
And while agencies scrambled, begged, and improvised, lawmakers negotiated only with the cameras.

And at the end of 43 days?
They did not solve a single underlying issue.
They did not give agencies full year budgets.
They did not cut waste or increase inefficiency.
They did not address hiring, pay compression, retention, telework, morale, or anything that actually affects the people who keep this country functioning.

Instead, they handed us a flimsy little bandage that expires in a matter of weeks, a “deal” that proves only that they are willing to drag the entire federal workforce through hell just to kick the can down the road again.

What was it all for?

For political leverage, not public service.
For grandstanding, not governing.
For headlines, not households.
For messaging battles, not the American people.

Federal employees do not ask for much.
We show up.
We serve the public.
We protect the nation.
We support millions of families and businesses every single day, whether anyone notices or not.

But this shutdown made something crystal clear:

The people who run the government have no idea what it takes to keep it running.

So here we are, exhausted, angry, relieved, suspicious, and already counting down to January 30 because apparently that is the new expiration date on congressional responsibility.

Forty three days of chaos for a temporary patch.
Forty three days of pain for a promise that we will be back here again soon.
Forty three days of uncertainty for absolutely no progress.

So again, what was it all for?

Ask the people who caused it.
We are too busy trying to put our lives back together before the next round hits.