“The U.S. government shutdown has begun,” a news notification told me at 12:06 a.m. Wednesday morning. The follow-up came seven hours later: “What the government shutdown means for you.”

What does the shutdown mean for you? In reality, not much.

Despite the hysteria from news outlets and Democratic lawmakers, students attended classes as usual. Hillsdale residents bought food at Walmart and gas at Meijer. The Collegian’s editors spent the afternoon putting the paper together.

Maybe the shutdown will be over by the time the paper reaches campus. Maybe Congress will still be deadlocked after fall break. No matter when it ends, the shutdown is a blip in the political landscape, not a catastrophe.

The federal government has shut down before, and it certainly will shut down again. The most recent shutdown lasted 35 days, from December 2018 until January 2019. Before that, the government shut down for 16 days in 2013 and a total of 26 days in 1995 and 1996.

Yet unlike France, which faces government collapse every other week, America runs despite the standstill.

Although President Donald Trump said he wanted to avoid a shutdown — blaming Democrats for refusing to pass a funding bill — he said “a lot of good” could come from it. The special circumstances make it easier for the president to fire federal workers and cut unnecessary spending programs.

There are absolutely negative effects from a shutdown. Military servicemen and other federal workers won’t be paid, veterans could lose access to assistance programs, and airports could face delays as federal employees are furloughed or work without pay.

But all these workers will receive back pay, and while an extended shutdown could cause more problems, now is not the time to panic. Instead of worrying about D.C. machinations, watch the changing leaves, study for midterms, and enjoy fall break. The federal government will still be there when you come back.

As former Indiana governor Mitch Daniels once said, “You’d be amazed how much government you’ll never miss.”

Catherine Maxwell is a senior studying history.