Caregivers Are the Shock Absorbers of a Country in Crisis
- Mark Fukae
- Feb 1
- 4 min read
On government shutdowns, caregiving moments, and why stability matters when the world is shaking
By Mark Fukae - Director of Advocacy - Professionals Who Care
At midnight Saturday, the federal government partially shut down.
The Pentagon. State. Treasury. Education. Transportation.
The Senate passed a bipartisan funding package Friday night-seventy-one to twenty-nine-but the House won't return until Monday. The shutdown will last at least through the weekend.
And the most volatile part of the deal - Department of Homeland Security and ICE funding - wasn't resolved. It was simply pushed two weeks down the road.
This is happening against a backdrop most Americans can feel:
A national ICE-Out strike. Protests in all fifty states. Political fallout from the fatal ICE shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. A fractured Congress. Democrats demanding body cameras, warrants, and an end to roving patrols. A White House scrambling to avoid disaster in an election year.
This is not a normal week in America.
And caregivers feel every tremor.
What "Shock Absorbers" Means
This week made something painfully clear: caregivers are the shock absorbers of a country in crisis.
When institutions fail, caregivers absorb the impact.When Congress stalls, caregivers adjust.When federal agencies shift direction overnight, caregivers scramble to keep their households stable.When the streets erupt in protest, caregivers are still managing medications, meals, safety plans, and the emotional fallout inside their own homes.
We don't get to pause for a shutdown.We don't get to strike.We don't get to wait for clarity.
Caregivers are the ones who keep families functioning when the world outside is shaking.
And this week, the shaking was impossible to ignore.
A Quiet Moment Amid National Chaos
Mark Fukae, our Director of Advocacy and CASI founder, shared a caregiving moment from this week that captures what "shock absorber" really means.
His mother has slipped back into her anxiety loop about "going home."
Not the home she's lived in with Mark's family for nine years. The home from decades ago-the one her memory still holds onto even as everything else fades.
When she asks, "Can you take me home?" Mark and his wife have learned to respond:
"We would love for you to stay here in our home tonight. We have a room for you, and your things are here."
She softens. "Okay," she says.
Sometimes she adds, "I didn't know," with a flicker of worry.
Mark writes: "I used to push back more, trying to anchor her in reality. But her anxiety is sharper now, and I've learned that truth isn't always the kindest answer. Safety is. Reassurance is. A calm voice is."
This is the emotional labor that never shows up in policy debates.
The micro-adjustments. The constant recalibration of what helps and what harms.
And it's why stability matters so much.
Because when the world outside is unstable - shutdowns, protests, political chaos - caregivers are still doing this quiet, essential work inside their homes, hour by hour, moment by moment.
The Political Earthquake
The Associated Press reported that "Senators returned to work dealing with the fallout from the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti… and the killing of Renee Good weeks earlier."
Republicans are fractured. Some want firings. Some want investigations. Some want to double down.
Democrats are unified. The AP found "unanimity around enforcing a code of conduct, ending roving patrols, and requiring judicial warrants."
Senator Chuck Schumer made the Democratic position clear: "There will have to be strong, common-sense legislation that reins in ICE."
Senator Thom Tillis said the quiet part out loud: "If we have a shutdown, we own it."
And President Trump-who dragged out last year's shutdown for forty-three days-took a very different tone this time: "The only thing that can slow our Country down is another long and damaging Government Shutdown."
The ICE shootings didn't just spark protests. They reshaped the shutdown fight. They forced the White House to negotiate. They exposed deep cracks in the enforcement system.
And they revealed something else: Congress cannot keep up with the pace of federal actions.
When Federal Systems Destabilize, State Protections Become Essential
While Washington fights over DHS funding, Colorado lawmakers face an $850 million to $1.1 billion deficit.
Every conversation is about what to cut, what to delay, how to prepare for federal Medicaid reductions, how to keep rural hospitals open, how to keep the workforce from shrinking.
And yet, the state continues to overlook the workforce that cannot be cut:
The 600,000 family caregivers providing $9–12 billion in unpaid labor every year.
Colorado is trying to solve a budget crisis while ignoring the workforce crisis underneath it.
That's fiscal malpractice.
Why the Colorado CARE Act Matters Now
The Colorado CARE Act is a stability policy.
It costs the state nothing. It saves money long-term. It reduces Medicaid churn. It prevents forced institutionalization. It keeps mid-career workers employed. It protects small businesses with safe harbors and grace periods.
And it's designed for moments exactly like this one.
When the federal system is unstable, state-level protections become the lifeline.
When the country is in crisis, caregivers need workplace stability more than ever.
The CARE Act says:
Remote work is a reasonable accommodation when already proven
Employers must justify revoking flexibility
Constructive dismissal is prohibited
Documentation is required
Small employers get time, support, and exemptions
It's non-punitive. Budget-neutral. TABOR-neutral. Works in every scenario.
It's a law designed by someone who understands what it feels like to be a shock absorber.
Caregivers Are Holding the Line
Mark writes: "Caregivers are holding the line. And we deserve a system that holds us back."
When institutions fail, we absorb the impact.When Congress stalls, we adjust.When the world outside is shaking, we keep our families functioning.
We do this hour by hour, moment by moment, without pause.
And we need workplace protections that recognize this reality.
Your Voice Matters
If you've lived any part of this-if you've absorbed the tremors of a country in crisis while providing care-we need your voice.
Read the full analysis: [https://substack.com/@therevenueneutralcaregiver/note/p-186453183?r=6a52ih&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web]
Sign the CARE Act petition: https://chng.it/DLWncS9wtT
Connect with us: https://professionalswhocare.org
Caregivers don't have lobbyists. We are the lobbyists. And when the country is in crisis, our voices matter more than ever.
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