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As it reaches its 35th day on Tuesday, the government shutdown won’t end until one party starts “losing public opinion,” former Virginia Rep. Tom Davis said. Davis, a Republican who served on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and preceded the late Rep. Gerry Connolly in Congress, said the House of Representatives has done its part to try and end the shutdown by passing a continuing resolution. But, he said, the Senate needs to take action, which would require “bipartisan buy-in, and at this point, we don’t have it.” During an interview Sunday on “60 Minutes,” President Donald Trump said he “won’t be extorted by the Democrats” to open the government. Democrats are seeking an extension in health care subsidies, but Republicans say there won’t be conversations about that until the government is reopened. The shutdown is poised to become the longest in history if it extends to Wednesday, surpassing the 2019 shutdown. “Government’s now come down to red jerseys versus blue jerseys, instead of just looking for results for the public,” Davis said. “It’s a sad commentary of our time — politics are so polarized that it’s more about beating the other guys than it is what’s good for the public.” Generally, Davis said, each party is returning to its base of support, which is “cheering them on for one reason or another. So neither party really thinks they are losing, and so they’re holding fast to their current positions.” For about 85% of the House and Senate, Davis said the most important political race is the primary, not the general election. Primary voters think they’re correct and the other side is wrong, Davis said. When Sen. Chuck Schumer previously accepted a continuing resolution, “he fell 15 points behind (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) in a Democratic primary for the Senate in New York. Democratic voters wanted a fight on this. They want their leadership to fight Trump, and this is the avenue they have chosen to do that.” The results of Tuesday’s election or backed-up airports during the busy Thanksgiving travel season could be enough to motivate lawmakers to negotiate and reopen the government, Davis said. “I don’t think you’re going to see the kind of concessions Democrats want coming from Republicans in this polarized environment, but I think you’re going to probably see some movement at some point where the parties come together and say, ‘The pain is mandatory, the suffering is optional. Let’s stop this,'” Davis said. The consequence of the shutdown, Davis said, is federal workers and contractors being “thrown under the bus for these larger philosophical issues that, right now, are at the center point of the political debate, but have nothing to do with the appropriations.” By the time next year’s midterm elections arrive, Davis said voters are unlikely to remember the shutdown. “People forget about it and move on to the next thing,” he said. “That has been the experience in these things, unfortunately, is that nobody gets held accountable for this.” Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here. © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
