It’s like a fight between siblings: “It’s his fault!” “No, it’s her fault!”
But it is Congress and its two political parties squabbling, and it’s the American voter playing the part of parent. Whose fault is it? Both make plausible cases, sort of, but neither sounds believable. Why can’t these two get along? And where’s my coffee? Where’s my gin?
The subject is the budget.
Not the actual voted-on budget, which though prescribed by the U.S. Constitution hasn’t been seen in quite a while. Congress offers up these makeshifts instead.
“Hours into a government shutdown, the Senate again blocked a pair of rival stopgap bills to fund the government, amid a partisan standoff that shows no signs of easing,” writes Jackson Richman at The Epoch Times. “The federal government shut down Wednesday morning after Congress failed to pass a Republican plan to fund operations through Nov. 21.”
Welcome to Fiscal Year 2026.
Republicans call the failure a “Democrat Shutdown”; Democrats counter with “Trump Shutdown.”
The key concept here is CR — Continuing Resolution, the now-standard budget machinery. Congress must approve funding for federal agencies either through twelve individual appropriations bills or a temporary CR to bridge gaps while negotiating those bills. No full FY2026 appropriations have so far been enacted, and competing CR proposals from Republicans and Democrats both failed in the Senate on September 30, 2025, triggering the lapse under the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits spending without authorization.
Democrats insist on re-authorizing Obamacare subsidies, including healthcare for those in the country illegally — which Rep. Maxine Water (D‑Ca.) nearly admits to, insisting upon “healthcare for everybody; we want to save lives.”
Republicans balk at that, their compromise being to regurgitate past CR specs. Which annoys Rep. Thomas Massie (R‑Ky). “Republicans passed a line-by-line continuation of Biden’s last budget, including Doge-identified waste. BUT Democrats refused to vote for Biden’s last budget, thereby shutting down the government.”
Happy New Year!
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
Illustration created with Krea and Firefly
See all recent commentary
(simplified and organized)
See recent popular posts
3 replies on “Shutdown Rite”
In the end, the Democratic base are Frankenstein Monsters. Militantly committed to a project that repels typical denizens of America, these monsters bring their creators to ruin.
Dems passed extended Obamacare subsidies during COVID. They set them to expire at the end of 2025. Can we stop the budget gimmicks, such as setting expiration dates for tax cuts and spending programs? We know neither side will let their pet legislation ‘expire’. The only sign of eternal life in the universe is a government program.
Why should our tax dollars pay for healthcare for illegals when many citizens can’t afford healthcare?