Just a few hours ago, Washington played out a familiar farce once again. On the Senate side, the temporary funding bill failed to reach an agreement. So what’s the result? Starting from October 1, the federal government is set to shut down, and not only has this not been resolved, but it seems to be heading towards breaking records—the 35-day deadlock of 2018 may be surpassed.

In this political standoff, it has never been those on stage who pay the bill. In the end, it is still ordinary people and the entire economic system that bear the burden.

The aviation system is about to collapse.

The first to suffer is the aviation industry. About 13,000 air traffic controllers, along with 50,000 airport security personnel, are now on "unpaid leave." Can you imagine? They still have to work normally every day, but their salaries? Not a trace.

The patience of people has its limits. The absenteeism rate soared directly between 24% and 44%, with a large number of key positions vacant. On October 30th, over 6,000 flights were delayed across the United States, and thousands were canceled outright. New York's Kennedy Airport was temporarily shut down.

This is not just a cold, hard number. How many people have missed important meetings? How many family reunions have fallen through? Airlines can easily lose over ten million dollars in a single day. What’s worse is that when fatigue and low morale spread in the system, safety hazards are like ticking time bombs; no one can predict when they will explode.

In the game between the two parties, who is the hostage?

On the surface, the government shutdown appears to be due to the failure to pass a budget proposal—sounds like a technical issue. But digging deeper, it is a fierce clash between the two parties on core issues such as fiscal spending, tax policy, immigration legislation, and social welfare.

Both sides treat the budget proposal as a bargaining chip, attempting to pressure the other side on key policies. What is the result of this deadlock?