By Douglas V. Gibbs
We are experiencing no ordinary government shutdown. Sure, its record-breaking length is definitely something new, but so is the nature of it. In the past the leftist Democrats had the media to back them up completely. The independent journalist phenomenon was not a thing, yet. And the Republicans were a bunch of establishment and neo-con weasels (either, or, or both) drinking from the same trough of the leviathan we call the United States Government. On the surface they acted like they wanted different things, but it was a uni-party. The Democrats would set up the board, the Republicans would act like they were against it, a shutdown would occur, and then before a month passed the GOP would compromise with the Democrats, trying not to reveal that their compromise was actually giving in to the demands of the Democrats (even though they actually wanted the same thing all along) and the Republicans would complain about how the Democrats made them look bad as the media painted the Republicans as the bad guys, and then behind closed doors they would have a great big belly laugh as they lurched America one more notch toward a bureaucratic tyranny.
Something happened along the way to utopia. MAGA. Donald J. Trump decided he had had enough, and he ran for office in the 2016 Election. Then, against all odds and expectations, he won. The world changed. Americans saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Conservatives became bolder. The establishment Republicans tried to fight back, but by the time Trump returned to office in 2025, most of them had been run out of town. Then, a new government shutdown came upon us, but this time it wasn’t a production to make you think there was such a thing as the left and the right. This time it wasn’t a ploy to convince you that there was any difference between the GOP of old and the Democratic Big Government Machine. The Constitution became a part of the conversation, again. A line divided the two parties – not left versus right, but wrong versus right. The leftwing’s argument that the GOP was becoming a far-right enemy fell on deaf ears. Far right is anarchy, and that is hardly what the GOP has become. Trump’s government was more about law and order, limiting federal powers to something closer to the Constitution, and putting America and Americans first. The uni-party was shattered. The Deep State was being exposed. And since the arena of ideas was no longer rigged, the Democrats had no recourse but to act like a wounded animal trapped in the corner clawing for their enemy’s eyes.
Resist. Resist. Resist. That’s all they have. In a true arena of ideas their socialist nightmare is a losing argument. And Trump is doing something they never thought anyone would ever do. He’s dismantling their creeping incrementalism. It used to be that once a social benefit is in place, it can never be gotten rid of because the people will come to depend upon it, and would never allow it to be taken away. That’s why they were so desperate to get Obamacare in place, and in particular the redistribution of wealth part of it. But now it is being chipped away at, piece by piece and bit by bit. Trump knows the way to get rid of a cancer is sometimes not to cut the whole thing out at once, but to get rid of it a little bit at a time. That way he can expose how rotten the piece is, and without disrupting all of the benefits attached to something, he can get rid of the worst part in plain view and with the approval of the American People.
That’s a large reason for the government shutdown. Trump has exposed the parts of Obamacare and other Democratic Party schemes for what they are, and he went after the ones that are in particular the most egregious: Healthcare for illegal aliens, federal funding for propaganda on PBS and NPR, and wasteful dollars to WOKE programs sent to foreign countries. Then, when the payments for SNAP (food stamps) stopped, rather than it being a win for the Democrats, a sobering reality was exposed. Most people on SNAP are not even from this country, and 59% of all illegal aliens have been collecting benefits through the SNAP program.
Meanwhile, hardworking Americans whose paychecks come from the federal government, which includes the military, TSA and Air Traffic Controllers, ICE and Border Patrol agents, and a long list of others, are not getting paid. They are, after all, “non-essential,” which means the federal government can still operate without them. So, in shutdowns, their pay is stopped until Congress can come up with an appropriations bill that the President can sign.
As a part of their resistance, Democrats are refusing to approve a clean continuing resolution to fund the government. They refuse to budge unless Republicans restore left-wing projects that go against the platform that President Trump won the election regarding. And the whole thing has become a very bad look for them.
In the House of Representatives the current funding bill on the table passed narrowly, but all was needed was a simple majority. In the Senate, however, things operate a little differently.
In the U.S. Senate, once the vote goes to the floor a simple majority is enough as well. Except, the Senate has an internal rule, of which I think is a good thing and goes all the way back to the Founding Fathers. The rule is called cloture. A bill, before it can go to the floor for a vote, must receive 60 votes for it to move out of debate. Cloture gives the minority party a voice, opening up the opportunity of a filibuster, or simply holding out as they are doing now.
In the current game of chicken, all 50 of the Republicans have voted for the continuing resolution that will end the government shutdown. Two Democrats are currently voting with the Republicans: John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats has also been voting in favor of the “clean” CR. That brings the total to 53, which means seven votes from Democrats are still needed.
- Fetterman has framed his support as a pragmatic move to end the shutdown and protect working families, distancing himself from progressive demands tied to healthcare negotiations.
- Cortez Masto represents a state with a large federal workforce and tourism-driven economy; both hit hard by prolonged shutdowns.
- Angus King, though an independent, often plays a centrist role and has emphasized the need for basic government functionality over partisan standoffs.
Despite union pressure and mounting public frustration, most Senate Democrats continue to oppose the GOP-backed CR, insisting it must include provisions on healthcare subsidies and other priorities or they will not budge.
There are four Democrats who are currently looking like they may possibly cross over and vote in favor of the CR.
- John Tester of Montana, who is up for re-election in a red state, and is known for his bipartisan pragmatism.
- Sherrod Brown of Ohio who represents a state trending in the direction of the GOP, and with union pressure mounting and his voting base consisting largely of organized labor, he could face a tough reelection if he doesn’t vote for the CR.
- Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire is a moderate Democrat from a state that has been slowly moving away from the progressive left. Shaheen has been involved in bipartisan talks regarding the CR.
- Jon Ossof of Georgia was elected during a questionable election in an otherwise very red state and his office is the number one target of the GOP in next year’s midterm elections. His political survival may completely depend upon him breaking ranks with his hard-left progressive colleagues.
However, that is only four Senators. Three additional ones will be needed to achieve cloture. But, if those four cross Schumer’s line in the sand, it is believed others will follow.
The pressure is mounting, too. Federal workers, SNAP recipients and ACA enrollees are all feeling the pinch, and unlike during past shutdowns, the Democrats are the ones being blamed for this one. The largest federal workers union, the American Federation of Government Employees, who represents 820,000 federal workers has called on the Democrats to pass the clean CR to reopen the government. While the Democratic Party’s base is still with them as revealed by last Tuesday’s elections in blue states, moderates are proclaiming that the Democrats will be hammered in 2026 if they are seen as obstructionists. While progressives like Bernie Sanders are urging the Democrats to hold the line, moderates are quietly exploring off-ramps.
Some Democrats can’t afford to look like they’re putting party over people, and so they are beginning to come under a lot of real pressure to make a deal. The Republicans have stood firm together, as well, with their leaders John Thune and Lindsey Graham rejecting Democratic proposals tied to healthcare subsidies, calling them “nonstarters” and “political terrorism.” Some Democrats are recognizing that this resistance against Trump is not pragmatic. Their political survival is now on the table. It has become a test of principle versus party, and in this new MAGA political world, party power is no longer a viable avenue when the President and the GOP is becoming more and more known to be the ones who have the best interest of Americans at the forefront of their policies.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
