Democrats may think their tough talk will earn them points come next year, but I don’t think it’s going to work out the way they envision.
Democrats have decided to enter their fight era.
As they try to refurbish their reputation and lagging poll numbers, party leaders have decided that causing a government shutdown is the way to go.
Good luck with that.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have refused to back down on costly demands they want included in a continuing resolution backed by Republicans to keep the government funded for the next few weeks. Democrats want to extend Obamacare subsidies, among other unlikely wishes.
Democrats may think their tough talk will earn them points come the 2026 midterm elections, but I don’t think it’s going to work out the way they envision.
Republicans and President Donald Trump stand to win in the court of public opinion, as their liberal counterparts will bear the blame for blocking funding.
And Democrats are inadvertently helping Trump fulfill one of his campaign promises of trimming the size of government – something he started at the beginning of 2025 with the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.
Perhaps he’s forgotten, but Schumer voted in March with Republicans to prevent a shutdown and federal workforce cuts. The Senate Democratic leader got maligned by progressive lawmakers for his vote, but he defended it this way: “Under a shutdown, the Trump administration would have wide-ranging authority to deem whole agencies, programs and personnel nonessential, furloughing staff members with no promise they would ever be rehired.
