Government Shutdown Marks First in Over a Decade
Congressional Democrats are standing firm, and the federal government has officially shut down for the first time in more than ten years.
The closure began in the early hours of October 1. This was triggered by the Democrats blocking a funding bill put forward by Republicans in the Senate. The GOP’s proposal was a clean, 91-page continuous resolution with no partisan anomalies. The only new addition aimed to enhance security funding for politicians, following an alarming incident involving Charlie Kirk.
“The ball is in the Democratic courts,” remarked Senate Majority Leader John Thune. However, some believe that Chuck Schumer is intentionally pushing for the shutdown.
Instead of approving a straightforward bipartisan resolution, Democrats argue against a $1.5 trillion funding bill that would erase significant legislative victories from earlier this year, particularly those in President Trump’s notable law. Their priorities seem to revolve around continuing Biden-era subsidies worth approximately $350 billion, reinstating federal funding for PBS and NPR, and expanding public health benefits for undocumented individuals.
Thune pointed out that Republicans have already passed a similar nonpartisan continuing resolution that Schumer supported back in March. He noted in a post that the only thing that’s shifted since then is the pressure on the government from the base, which he labeled as lacking true leadership.
In the House, the GOP’s continuing resolution was passed by a 217-212 vote. Notably, Rep. Jared Golden from Maine sided with Republicans to keep the government functioning, while Thomas Massey of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana voted against it.
The Senate began discussing both the Republican clean CR and the Democrats’ bipartisan fundraising proposal on Tuesday, but both initiatives ultimately failed. Despite the Republicans holding a substantial majority in Congress, the continuing resolution requires 60 votes to advance in the Senate. This means that at least seven Democrats would need to support it for the government to reopen, assuming all 53 Republicans vote in favor.
Interestingly, Democrats such as Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto from Nevada, John Fetterman from Pennsylvania, and Angus King from Maine voted for the Republican fundraising bill, while GOP Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky opposed it. Both proposals are set to be reviewed again in the Senate on Wednesday.
Historically, government shutdowns have been unpopular, yet Republicans seem to view this moment as an opportunity to continue their agenda.
Before the shutdown commenced, the management and budget office started examining various programs, indicating potential cuts due to funds expiring as a result of the halt. Vought, the managing director, announced that approximately $18 billion had been suspended from infrastructure projects in New York City over concerns regarding unconstitutional DEI principles.
Vought commented on the uncertainty of how long Democrats would uphold this stance, suggesting that they cannot predict the shutdown’s length. He concluded that employees must report to work while readying for the subsequent orderly activities that would follow the signing of an expenditure bill by the President.
The last major shutdown occurred during Trump’s first term starting on December 22, 2018, when a spending package that included funds for the border wall could not be agreed upon. That shutdown lasted a record 35 days.
The government eventually reopened on January 25, 2019, when Congress compromised by passing a temporary spending bill that did not include the border wall funding, which Trump ultimately signed.
