At midnight on October 1, the government shut down for the first time in seven years. As Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) reported last week, the disagreement lies in the Republicans’ desire to keep funding levels as they are for the time being (which is high already), whereas Democrats want to increase spending by $1.5 trillion (more money than the entire Defense budget). All for partisan policy demands, chief among them the extension of healthcare credits that provide insurance for illegal immigrants, gender mutilation procedures, and abortion services.
Before the recess, the House passed a continuing resolution (CR) with no partisan amendments that would extend government funding until November 21. It is up to the Senate now to pass that same bill, meaning the government will remain closed until seven democrats join ranks with their Republican colleagues.
On Monday before the shutdown, all four Congressional leaders – Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota), Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana 4th), and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York 8th) – had an Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump. The hope was that President Trump could negotiate with the Democrats or vice versa. However, the Democrats decided to dig in and go forward with their plan to shut down the government by voting no on the House-passed CR, which kept the funding levels upon which they had previously agreed.
With the shutdown in place, those federal workers deemed “essential” are still going to the office but will not be paid until the shutdown ends. This includes air traffic controls, federal law enforcement, and military personnel. Those deemed “unessential” have received backpay in past shutdowns but that is not guaranteed. It’s possible that they will lose whatever paycheck they would have counted on as long as the shutdown continues.
In a bid to encourage Democrats to reopen the government, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget is threatening to cut wasteful spending in the form of mass layoffs and major funding cuts to infrastructure projects, two of which are in Schumer’s home state of New York. This is not just a negotiating tactic but also a necessary measure to ensure essential services remain funded. While programs like Medicare and Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and WIC continue operating during a shutdown, they all risk running out of funds if the government remains closed and cuts are not made elsewhere.
In 2019, during the last shutdown, Schumer argued, “Why must we hold millions of Americans who depend on the services of these Agencies that are closed—hundreds of thousands of workers who get paid by these Agencies—why must we hold them hostage? Why must a temper tantrum determine how we vote and what happens in this government?” And yet that is exactly what Schumer and the Democrats are doing right now.
When the Senate first voted on the House CR, only one Democrat voted in favor of it. But when they brought it up again on September 30, three Democrats crossed the aisle– Sens. John Fetterman (Pennsylvania), Catherine Cortez-Masto (Nevada), and Angus King (Maine), an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats. This shows that the moderates in the party know this is a losing issue for them. The Senate will bring up the CR for a vote again on Friday.
Remember, the continuing resolution goes until November, so they have some time to negotiate a long-term solution. It simply makes no sense to inflict this pain on so many Americans, blockade the business of Congress, and prevent the continued good work of the duly elected President, so that Democrats can force the spending of trillions on a highly partisan agenda. Americans see through their game, and the betting odds in D.C. are that this shutdown will be over soon. For the sake of the nation, let’s pray that that’s true.
