As the government shutdown in the U.S. stretched into its 4th week, with no end in sight, it’s hard for those who are familiar with blockchain technology not to see how useful, even vital the blockchain would be if it was in widespread use. Some of the departments that are most affected by this shutdown would see that affect mitigated if not totally eliminated.
The FDA is under the gun, finding it difficult if not impossible to review new drugs and pharmaceuticals. They are also finding it difficult to inspect meat processing facilities and to inspect and track other food sources. Farm aid applications that are approved, and with the money behind them aren’t able to be processed and distributed.
FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said yesterday the agency has moved some money around and can keep the review process going for roughly another five weeks. Several drugs could be left hanging in the balance if the FDA reaches the end of that five-week "runway" and the government is still shut down, STAT reports. If the shutdown continues, it could also create a backlog of reviews that would affect drugs slated for an approval decision later this year, STAT reports, including an HIV/AIDS drug.
The Food and Drug Administration isn't being funded during the shutdown, and that means most food safety inspections aren't able to happen. This comes shortly after 62 people in 16 states became sick as a result of an E. Coli outbreak late last year- 25 of those people were hospitalized. NBC News
The shutdown also affects applications for the emergency Farm Aid program — as well as more routine services for farmers, like loan decisions and mortgage assistance — which are currently on hold. Axios
All three of these areas just beg for blockchain solutions. Supply side management on the blockchain would ease the threat to the food supply caused by lack of proper inspections. The same technology could be adapted and used for the drug industry, making the application and approval process faster, easier and far more trustworthy. Smart contracts would eliminate the Farm Aid bottlenecks.
When a government is shut down for any reason, it quickly becomes apparent just how far the government reach into daily lives truly is. The bigger and older the government, the further that reach extends. There are currently 15 Cabinet level departments in the U.S. Government spending almost half of the annual GDP, and employing about 3 million people. 17% of the population works for State, Federal or Local government agencies.
We often look at blockchain technology from the standpoint of decentralization and the removal of governmental interference. But what would happen if State and Federal government departments embraced blockchain technology and deployed it where it made sense to do so? Government contracts with suppliers of every sort - also adversely affected by a shutdown - could be streamlined and save both costs and time. Departments like the FDA could slash budgets and provide better services to the very people they are dedicated to serving.
In short, embracing blockchain technology could not only scale efficiency and save large chunks of the budget, but could also mitigate the effects of any future shutdowns. Blockchain technology can not only change the world, it has the ability to change how the very governments of that world are run. We may grumble about our governments, but the fact is they do exist, they are a far larger part of our daily lives than we often realize and they aren’t going anywhere soon. Don’t we owe ourselves the most efficient departments possible? Blockchain technology can help bring that efficiency and superior tracking and peer to peer transactions to any government. In the process it can cut government waste, create true transparency where needed, and lessen the pain of future government shutdowns.