Dear readers,
As of this past Wednesday, the federal government has officially shut down. Thousands of workers have been furloughed, countless departments have suspended operations, and many crucial civil servants must now work without pay for an indefinite period. While this isn’t the first federal shutdown caused by a budget impasse (a 35-day shutdown, the longest in American history, occurred from late 2018 to early 2019 during Trump’s first term) the current economic and political conditions make this a uniquely concerning development.
The root cause of this shutdown is the GOP’s refusal to roll back cuts to Medicaid or extend health-insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans have no issue approving tax cuts for the billionaire class or funding Trump’s personal paramilitary, but they balk at helping ordinary Americans access health care or feeding impoverished children through SNAP. This is not only morally indefensible but also inconsistent with the supposed “small-government” principles the Republican Party once claimed to uphold. It sends a clear message that the suffering of ordinary Americans is an acceptable price for congressional Republicans seeking Donald Trump’s approval. Good luck with the midterms, Republicans - you’re going to need it.
One factor distinguishing this shutdown from earlier ones is the Trump administration’s willingness to use federal agencies and their communication platforms to blame Democrats for the crisis. The landing pages of several government websites have made references to “the radical left” and Democrats being the cause of the shutdown. Some furloughed employees report that their automatic email replies attribute their absence to a supposed “Democrat-led” shutdown. Beyond being blatantly false, such messaging likely violates the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal agencies and employees from engaging in partisan political activity. That law exists to ensure the civil service and the military remain nonpartisan. This misuse of government communications sets a dangerous precedent: what if federal agencies began endorsing candidates, or branches of the military adopted political affiliations? Given how this administration has handled the shutdown, those scenarios no longer seem far-fetched.
A second distinguishing factor is the administration’s apparent intention to use the funding dispute to eliminate so-called “Democrat Agencies” from the budget. It’s unclear what falls into that category, but Trump and his allies are likely to target discretionary spending and public-assistance programs, labeling them “woke” or part of “DEI.” Trump has already floated the idea of bringing in figures associated with Project 2025 to review programs for potential cuts. Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” - a now-defunct initiative that accidentally eliminated crucial funding streams and potentially exposed millions of Americans’ personal data - may be involved in this effort. These cuts, if implemented amid a looming recession, would only deepen unemployment and economic instability.
Every negotiation involves both carrots and sticks. In budget talks, temporary extensions are common to provide time for compromise. Today, however, we see no carrots: only sticks. The GOP has declared the reversal of Medicare cuts a non-starter, while the Trump administration threatens punitive reductions across the board. Regardless of the outcome, Trump and his allies will try to blame Democrats. Yet polling shows that most Americans hold Republicans, who currently control both the White House and Congress, responsible for the shutdown. Although the midterms are still more than a year away, this episode will add to the growing list of Republican failures. We’ll see how that plays out in next month’s Virginia gubernatorial race, especially considering northern Virginia has been hit hard by DOGE layoffs and the shutdown.
I hope Democrats hold firm until the GOP buckles and that at least some of the cuts are restored in the final budget. Now that we can clearly see the MAGA vision for America, our task is to channel that understanding into a decisive victory in the midterm elections.
I’m a 75 year old, single woman struggling to live on just over $30,000 a year. On January 1, my health insurance will go up approximately 21% with less coverage. Food prices have been going up since trump was sworn in. Utility prices up. Rent and housing insurance up. All since trump took office and I am terrified what penalties Minnesota will be slapped on, or loss of benefits from the GOP.
Something is going to break and my biggest fear is it will be our democracy.
Thank you for the clear-headed analysis you bring to us. It was always clear to me that what has happened so far and the path that it takes us to is martial law was a possibility. It maddened me somewhat that folks were surprised. Once trump found out that the project 2025 people were going to be the source of his power, he was going to go with them. People can't seem to remember that with trump it is a con, it is always a con. The task of the conman is to get the mark ever further from their stated principles. A family member of mine now celebrates with self-righteous glee the zip tying of children even as they claim to be a defender of children. the president's con is serving the need of the extreme right for a spokesperson to push through their agenda. They are smart enough to realize that in the naked light of day most people would never agree to their little project.
And so here we are hoping, but with no clear strategies to put in place to stop this speeding train wreck hurtling toward an autocracy heavily financed by a bunch of tech bros. I will be there on October 18 for No Kings Day and see what turn hope is going to take.