On April 8, the Unites States government nearly avoided a threat of government shutdown. After a long debate on what programs and spending should be cut, the Democrats and Republicans finally settled right before their deadline.

But will their cuts reduce the national debt that has climbed into the trillions?

A government shutdown is when the government stops providing its country all but the essential services. At this point, the government will close down. This was under threat until midnight of April 8.

What stopped the government from closing down?

A new bill finally passed to cut $4 billion from the budget. What is in the new bill?

The budget cuts eliminate eight programs and $2.7 billion in earmarks. The question is it enough?

In relation to the rest of the budget, what is being cut will only hold the country for so long. Soon we will be faced again with another potential shut down. $4 billion is only .004 percent of the debt. This will not be enough to keep us out of debt.

The honest truth is that Republicans and Democrats need to stop arguing and realize we are all on the same team. With this division there is no way that there can be a chance for us to eliminate the national debt. There is a need for unity, so we can take the steps needed to reduce our debt.