On the eve of Oct. 1, Congress was unable to pass a funding bill for many of its governmental agencies, causing a government shutdown to occur.

Until Congress can eventually pass the bill to fund many crucial government agencies, many sectors of the government will be closed and its workers will not be paid. Every national park is closed (including Yosemite National Park in California, which was unfortunately closed for its 123 birthday). All the national monuments are closed as well, which means no visits to the arch. Many overseas offices are also closed during this time. In all, 800,000 government workers are not being paid. The shutdown is also damaging the economy; IHS Inc., a global market research firm, estimates that at least $300 million is lost each day the shutdown continues. The firm also believes that the losses will continue to increase as the shutdown lengthens.

The government shutdown has received extensive media coverage over the past week. Students at SLU have taken notice, and the subject can be heard across campus. The world media is  also taking notice and shaking their heads that the world’s first modern democracy has allowed the situation in Congress to become so bad.

There are a few reasons why this regrettable and unnecessary situation has happened. The first is the rise of a small but influential group of Tea Party conservatives that have inextricably linked the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), with government funding. The second is a more systemic trend of inaction and partisanship in Congress.

Last week the New York Times noted how a powerful, but relatively unknown, group of hardline, conservative congressmen have managed to influence the House of Representatives and Speaker of the House John Boehner. This group stands in the way of Boehner, his large, more moderate republican contingent and a middle approach to the funding bill, instead only wanting to pass a funding bill if it includes dismantling or delaying Obamacare. Their influence has also allowed them to threaten Boehner’s job by aggressively campaigning that he has been soft towards Obamacare and other programs unpopular to conservatives. The oddest part of this group is that they are reveling their chance to influence Congress, and even think they are winning.

This attitude reflects larger concerns about Congress as a whole. In terms of passing legislation, this year’s session of Congress has been the least productive in decades. This inaction is due to an increasingly pervasive trend of partisanship. This partisanship can be seen in the last few hours before the deadline to pass the funding bill. After passing a funding bill tied to delaying the effects of Obamacare for one year, the House sent the bill to Senate. After 57 minutes and basically no debate, the democrat majority Senate rejected the House bill without any provisions or recommendations. Earlier in the week, Senate only took 25 minutes to reject an earlier funding bill.

It’s a ridiculous notion that Congress not only waits so long to deliberate over legislation crucial to the government’s proper functioning, but that it sends bills to the other house knowing full well that it won’t pass the other house of Congress. It is a dark time indeed when Congressmen and women are lauded not for their ability to compromise and pass crucial legislation, but for their impossible stubbornness.

Another showdown looms on Oct. 17 when Congress must raise the debt ceiling or incur a “globe-shaking default.” The most basic of tasks the members of Congress have been elected to do is to keep the government running. That is now what they must do. They must act.