On March 3 the U.S. Government narrowly avoided yet another shutdown due to funding issues. There was a lot of discussion back and forth but ultimately a funding bill was passed and the day saved. You might remember the shutdown in October 2013, where the government ground to a halt while politicians debated over issues in Washington D.C. This current shutdown was similar, but differed from that 2013 shutdown in an important way. This month’s shutdown would have only affected the Department of Homeland Security instead of the entire government. The DHS includes such agencies as Border Patrol and the Transportation Security Agency.

Now, before you worry about those with malintent taking advantage of lax security brought to you by this lack of funds, know this: Many of the employees working the front lines of these agencies are required to work without pay. It is a part of their agreement as Emergency Personnel. The safety of our borders will be ensured because these employees must continue to stand guard.

The bill about funding DHS wasn’t being held up because of anything to do with DHS. It’s because the bill’s sponsor had attached legislation to it that would gut the President’s recent immigration reform. Using these employees was the perfect way to hold a part of the government hostage without all the mess and drama of shutting down the whole thing, while still essentially having business as usual. You know. Except all those government employees doing their jobs and hoping they can pay their mortgages and car notes.

The funding did pass, though, once the verbiage about immigration reform was removed. But the funding is only through the end of September. We might have to start this whole painful process over again. Politicians have been entrusted with the will and power of the people, and yet they use those same people, good tax paying government employees, to further their political agenda. It isn’t right and it isn’t fair. These government employees agreed to work without funding to be able to ensure the safety of our country even in dire emergency situations. Political leverage is not the situation that provision was designed for. I hope we’ve seen the last of these underhanded strategies, but with an ever changing political landscape, it’s hard to say if this is the exception or the rule.