The government shutdown has now dragged into its second week, and one thing is becoming clear: Democrats are perfectly comfortable keeping Washington closed if it means protecting their political agenda. Federal workers are missing pay, essential services are stalled, and agencies are running skeleton crews, yet Senate Democrats continue to block a clean funding bill that would reopen the government immediately.
Democrats Are the Ones Holding the Door Shut
The House already passed a straightforward continuing resolution to keep the government funded. It had no partisan tricks, no poison pills, and no drastic spending cuts. But Senate Democrats rejected it outright. Why? Because it didn’t include extensions of Obamacare subsidies and new Medicaid spending. They are using the shutdown as leverage to squeeze out more money for their priorities, even as families and service members are left in limbo.
This is not negotiation; it’s hostage-taking. Democrats know a clean bill would pass tomorrow if they allowed it to come to a vote. Instead, they prefer the spectacle of crisis. They want headlines that blame Republicans while pretending they’re standing up for “working families.” In reality, they’re standing in the way of paychecks, national security operations, and basic government services.
Speaker Mike Johnson has said repeatedly that the House did its job. The ball is in the Senate’s court. Yet Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, refuse to move unless they get their health care demands met first. That is political blackmail, plain and simple.
At the heart, Democrats are determined to keep propping up the aptly named Affordable Care Act, which is totally unaffordable without taxpayer money, as Byron Donalds, candidate for Florida governor, explains:
The Media’s Selective Silence
What’s equally ironic is how quiet the media has become. During past shutdowns, when Republicans were blamed, the coverage was relentless. Every missed paycheck, every closed monument, every furlough was a headline. Today, with Democrats refusing to act, the same outlets treat the story like old news or forget it’s happening.
Networks that once ran daily countdowns to “government collapse” now barely mention the crisis. The reason is obvious: the blame is shifting, and it’s landing squarely on the party the press works hardest to protect.
Even polling reflects growing frustration with Democrats. A Reuters/Ipsos survey shows most Americans blame both sides, but for the first time, a sizable share of independents now point the finger at Senate Democrats. Yet instead of covering that shift, the media has chosen to move on.
The Real Cost of Political Games
Meanwhile, the human impact is growing. Military members could soon miss paychecks. Federal contractors are being laid off. Families waiting for tax refunds or small business grants are caught in bureaucratic limbo. All of it is avoidable. The House already passed a clean funding bill that would reopen the government instantly. Democrats just refuse to sign it.
For all the liberal talk about compassion, this is a cold calculation. They believe that if the pain gets bad enough, Republicans will cave and agree to their spending demands. At the moment, neither side seems inclined to acquiesce.
The Bottom Line
This shutdown isn’t about money. It’s about power. Democrats are proving once again that they would rather let the country suffer than lose control of the narrative. And a compliant press is helping them by pretending nothing’s happening.
Republicans aren’t the ones stopping government workers from getting paid. Democrats are. Every day the Senate refuses to act, they’re choosing politics over the American people.