Editor’s note: This commentary is by Shane Rogers, of Williston, who is working with a group to organize a mutual aid solidarity network in Chittenden County.
One only has to look at most recent government shutdown, the longest in our country’s history, to understand that all of the fears that someone like Donald Trump couldn’t possibly lead the sprawling bureaucracy of the United States federal government were, in fact, correct. Overwhelmingly correct.
Even now, as the rest of us are left picking up the pieces from this shameful moment in our country’s history, it is but a short reprieve as our under-qualified president continues to demand billions of dollars to fund a wall along our southern border. A wall, mind you, that is as racist as it will be ineffective. But as Trump’s grandstanding and utter lack of empathy for any person but himself further jettisons us down a path of federal instability, it does beg the question — what are we to do about it?
The simple answer is: When our systems fail us, we have to show up for each other.
During this latest government shutdown, we saw over 800,000 workers furloughed nationally, 1,300 in Vermont. This left families without paychecks and threatened to overturn lives as mortgage and rent payments, car payments, and so much more fell to the wayside. However, while the overall situation was terrible, we did see some glimmers of hope around the state; local restaurants served free meals, movie theaters opened their doors to the furloughed, and Gov. Phil Scott and his administration began making moves to offer unemployment and other state benefits to those finding themselves without pay. These efforts, the real-life examples of Vermonters showing up for each other and the state government assuming a stabilizing role in a time of crisis, are shining examples of what makes Vermont such a special place. But, honestly, was it the best that we could do?
While much of the media coverage and general conversation in our communities was dedicated to the plight of the furloughed workers, I fear that an important perspective was missing. Where was the voice of those who struggle every day, those who receive support from federal programs to make ends meet for themselves and for their families, those who are, too often, marginalized already?
Did you know that during this shutdown there was a mad rush to disperse February benefits of 3SquaresVT early because there was a fear that funding would be cut short if they waited? There are around 74,000 Vermonters who rely on that benefit each month to put food on the table for themselves and their families. What was going to happen to those Vermonters and their children when that funding was cut off? What about those receiving federal rental subsidies or any other help from a federally funded assistance program?
Arguably, these are the Vermonters — our neighbors, our friends and our families — that would have been hit the hardest by the shutdown and we weren’t talking about it. Why not?
If anything should come from this most recent shutdown, it should be a wake-up call, folks. There are people starving, experiencing homelessness, living paycheck to paycheck, and people who are one car repair away from financial crisis in our state. Like it or not, there are people struggling in our beloved Vermont that is so often painted as an idyllic vision of progressivism and equality. And it’s not only happening when the federal government has been taken hostage.
I mentioned above that when our systems fail us, we have to show up for each other. That is why I am calling on all of us to make this past shutdown the catalyst for addressing, as a community, the systemic problems that Vermonters are facing day-in and day-out. We can’t wait for the next catastrophe to strike before we begin talking about how we can lift up all Vermonters.
Make no mistake, I am, by no means, calling for us to abandon our advocacy for commonsense legislation to help address some of these problems, such as passing a higher minimum wage, universal health care, and paid family leave to only name a few. Nor am I advocating to no longer support the great organizations that are helping to drive the discussion and action around these important issues in our state. But sometimes, that just isn’t enough.
What I am calling for is for us to organize in our communities, identify the gaps in our current systems and make moves to begin filling them in a more nimble way than the state or any well-intentioned organization has been able to do. Whether it’s helping to coordinate rides for those who need to make it to a doctor’s appointment, establishing a meal train tree for our neighbors who need a little more help come the end of the month, or any number of small actions that could make a world of difference; taking these steps and beginning to establish a mutual aid solidarity network are more important than ever, especially with the next two years promising more of the same type of federal chaos that we just witnessed. This past government shutdown showed how Vermonters step up to support their community when they’re needed. Let’s not step back down.
