Copyright Newsweek
As the federal shutdown drags into its third week, both Democrats and Republicans insist they are holding the upper hand. But with flights delayed, food aid at risk and federal workers going unpaid, Americans seem to be growing more fed up with everyone involved. Polls show the blame is nearly split. A new AP-NORC survey found that 60 percent of Americans say President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are largely responsible for the shutdown — but 54 percent say the same of congressional Democrats. The overlap reflects a broader mood: many voters blame both parties. Majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents all agree: this standoff is a problem, and it’s getting worse. Majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents all agree: this standoff is a problem, and it’s getting worse. While Democrats say they’re defending health care subsidies for low-income Americans, Republicans are accusing them of leveraging the budget process for partisan gain. The White House, in a statement to Newsweek, placed the blame squarely on the left. “Democrats chose to shut down the government because they want to give free health care to illegal aliens,” said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson. “They can choose to reopen the government at any point by supporting the bipartisan CR they voted for just six months ago. The Trump Administration is working day and night to mitigate the pain Democrats are causing.” But Democrats believe their push to extend ACA tax credits is resonating. About 40 percent of Americans support continuing the subsidies, while only 11 percent oppose them, according to AP-NORC data. The problem is that 42 percent of respondents said they hadn’t heard enough about the issue to form an opinion. Shutdown Becomes the New Norm As the shutdown drags on, its effects are beginning to hit home. Food assistance through SNAP is expected to run out within two weeks, putting additional strain on low-income families. Roughly 800,000 federal workers are missing paychecks, and although a judge has temporarily blocked mass layoffs, the threat still hangs over them. Air travel delays are mounting, and small businesses that rely on federal contracts are starting to cut hours—or close their doors entirely. “We're really watching a game of chicken between political pain and human pain,” said strategist Mike Madrid, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump political action committee. “And we're not going to know who folds first until the real suffering starts to hit home.” This is the third shutdown to take place during Donald Trump’s presidency, and one of the longest to date. According to the Congressional Research Service, federal funding gaps have become more frequent in the last 30 years, often triggered by fights over budget policy and partisan spending demands. Congressional leaders have yet to reach any deal, and no negotiations have been scheduled. But the Trump administration has treated the shutdown not only as a standoff—but as an opportunity. President Trump has used the crisis to cut off funding to Democratic-leaning programs, keep military and law enforcement salaries flowing, and push through structural changes that have so far been blocked by Congress. “The Democrats are getting killed in the shutdown, because we’re closing up programs that are Democrat programs that we’re opposed to,” Trump said last week to reporters. “And they’re never going to come back, in many cases.” Democrats say the strategy amounts to holding government functions hostage. Progressive lawmakers have rallied around health care subsidies as their red line — and say they won’t back down. “I don’t accept IOUs. I don’t accept pinky promises. That’s not the business that I’m in,” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said during a CNN town hall. “What we will not accept is the doubling of these premiums. And what we will not accept is allowing the teetering of this system to collapse right before everyone’s eyes.” Senator Bernie Sanders, appearing alongside her, warned that a short-term deal would only delay the crisis. A Capitol Divided And while Americans are feeling the impact, Washington remains entrenched in a blame game. Republicans argue Democrats are injecting partisanship into the process by tying government funding to ACA health care subsidies. “We did what we were supposed to do. We funded the government,” Florida Representative Jimmy Patronis told Newsweek. “Everything with a clean CR keeps all the trains running on time.” Patronis said the Democratic strategy is more about controlling the agenda than protecting benefits. “They can say what they want regarding the enhanced subsidies for Obamacare, but it’s all about them wanting to influence the agenda,” he said. Democrats argue this shutdown is different — and that they are using their leverage to protect working families. At a time when Republicans control nearly every branch of power, some see the standoff as the only way for Democrats to exert pressure. “I think they’re finally seeing some fight from party leadership,” Republican strategist Mike Madrid told Newsweek. Democrats are already seizing on that potential. With insurance premiums set to rise for millions of Americans, some party strategists say the blame will land squarely on Republicans’ shoulders. “They have the most to lose because they hold all the levels of power,” Madrid said. “People are literally going to be going hungry. Eventually, they will face the wrath of voters.” “No one ever ‘wins’ a shutdown,” Democratic strategist Doug Gordon told Newsweek. “But it is certainly a bad look for Republicans that Speaker Johnson has the House of Representatives on a taxpayer-funded month-long vacation while Americans are about to get hit with the largest health care cost increase in more than a decade.” “With Republicans controlling every lever of the government,” Gordon said, “they will get the blame for that.” Republicans, though, appear prepared to ride it out. GOP strategist Matt Klink said the party sees this as a fight worth having — one where Democrats may have miscalculated. “This is a fight the GOP is comfortable having,” Klink told Newsweek. “The Democrats overplayed their hand by trying to jam through a major policy change on the back of a funding deadline.” Klink said that while the shutdown may cause short-term disruption, Republicans believe the political tide will turn as frustration mounts. “Republicans know public patience wears thin,” he said. “They’re betting that blame will eventually shift.”
