The U.S. is hurtling towards a government shutdown on Tuesday night, and there appears to be little appetite on either side of the partisan divide to avoid it. A last-ditch meeting between President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders in Congress, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, made little progress. If anything, both sides have been digging deeper into their positions. Vice President JD Vance said after the meeting, “I think we’re headed to a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing.”
Policy Demands and Political Theater
Democrats are insisting that any deal to stave off a shutdown must extend enhanced Obamacare tax credits that are set to expire at the end of 2025. Republicans, however, want a short-term extension of current spending levels and prefer to negotiate on those credits later. The positions have been hardened by a new level of political theater. On Monday night, Trump posted an obscenity-laced, AI video mocking the Democratic leadership. The video, which depicted Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero and an artificial voice of Chuck Schumer, prompted angry responses, with Jeffries calling it bigotry. Schumer, in a statement, said Trump would “rather throw a tantrum than do his job,” adding that “Donald Trump will own the shutdown.”
A Test of Political Will
The shutdown fight is not just about policy; it is a test of political will. The party that makes demands to keep the government open, in this case the Democrats, typically gets the lion’s share of the blame when a shutdown happens. Trump and Republican congressional leaders are already claiming they are the reasonable ones, while Democrats believe that healthcare is a winning issue for them. They see a short-term funding deal as a way for Republicans to avoid the issue. Complicating the issue for Democrats is a memo from White House budget chief Russ Vought, which explains how the administration would use a shutdown to make new, long-term cuts to federal spending and permanently shutter “nonessential” programs. Democratic leaders have called this an “attempt at intimidation.”
What The Author Thinks
This looming shutdown is a stark example of the brinkmanship that defines a deeply divided government. For both parties, the political stakes seem to be more important than the real-world consequences for the American people. The use of an AI-generated video and the memo about permanent cuts suggest a new and more aggressive form of political warfare, one where each side is not just willing to risk a shutdown but to use it as a tool to achieve long-term partisan goals. This dangerous trend undermines the very idea of public service and governance, leaving the American people as bystanders in a conflict that will ultimately have a negative impact on their lives and the stability of the country.
Featured image credit: Caleb Perez via Unsplash
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