The show must go on (or maybe not)
It seems that lawmakers in Washington have decided that governing is an overrated activity. As the federal government shutdown enters its sixth day – almost long enough to call for civil registration – our honorable representatives offered roughly the same signs of meaningful negotiations that a brick offers of lively conversation. The speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, probably after consulting with an oracle, declared with conviction that “there is nothing to negotiate.” What a relief to know that our democracy works so efficiently.
Meanwhile, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries proclaimed that “the time is now” to reach a deal on health care. A deeply revealing statement, considering that the time was, in fact, about a week ago, but who are we to question our leaders’ sense of time.
The Chamber’s masterful strategy: not being there
In a strategic move that would make Sun Tzu pale, the House of Representatives has decided not to hold sessions this week. Because, let’s be honest, what better way to solve a problem than by completely avoiding the room where you’re supposed to solve it? Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, explained to reporters with infinite patience – like someone explaining quantum physics to a cat – that they could stop asking why he wasn’t negotiating an end to the impasse. The blame, naturally, falls on a handful of Democrats who must “stop the madness.” Because in modern Washington, “insanity” is the technical term for “not immediately giving in to my demands.”
“We did the work to keep the government open,” Johnson noted, in what we can only assume was a slip of the tongue or a fascinating alternate reality. Now, according to their impeccable logic, it is up to Senate Democrats to resolve the mess. It’s as if a chef proudly announces that he has cooked dinner, but diners must still grow the vegetables, slaughter the animal, and cook it themselves.
But don’t think that our representatives are completely inactive. On the contrary! Republican and Democratic leaders have held near-daily briefings where they presumably perfect the art of framing arguments and assigning blame for the shutdown with surgical precision. It’s comforting to know that while government services grind to a halt, the public relations machine is firing on all cylinders.
The health of the nation as a currency
Democrats stubbornly insist on renewing subsidies to cover the costs of health insurance for millions of households. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump wants to preserve existing spending levels, operating under the brilliant theory that Democrats will eventually give in when they realize that jobs and federal energy and infrastructure projects are at risk. Because nothing unites a nation like using citizen well-being as a negotiating hostage.
Jeffries appeared on NBC’s “The Today Show” to solemnly announce that notices are now reaching Americans enrolled in the health insurance exchanges. These documents detail drastic increases in premiums next year. “That’s what people are facing right now, so we need to address it,” Jeffries said. An insightful observation, considering that his party and the opposition could, hypothetically, avoid precisely that by reopening the government.
Economy, that abstract annoyance
All of this stagnation occurs amid what economists technically call “worrying economic uncertainty.” The American economy continues to grow, but with the same energy with which a sleepwalker walks towards a precipice. Hiring is down, inflation remains high, and the Republican president’s import taxes have created “a series of impacts for businesses,” which is the fancy way of saying that they have complicated everything considerably.
At the same time, there is an uncomfortable recognition that the annual budget deficit of nearly $2 trillion is financially unsustainable. But rather than address this small detail, our leaders have decided that the most prudent thing to do is to completely stop government operations. It is as if, upon discovering a leak in the ship, the crew decided to deliberately sink it to prevent further water leaking.
The creative solution: lay off workers
The Trump administration has seen this shutdown as a golden opportunity to exercise greater power over the budget. Several officials have mentioned that they will save money by imposing permanent job cuts on thousands of government workers, a tactic so novel it has never been used before. Because when you have a government functioning problem, the obvious solution is to permanently eliminate those who make the government function.
The situation became even clearer when Trump apparently suggested Sunday night that layoffs were already happening. His press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, was quick to clarify that the president was actually talking about permits. Under a furlough, workers cannot report to work, but will return and receive back pay after the closure. She clarified that actual layoffs were still planned if the shutdown continues. How reassuring to know that the misunderstanding was only semantic and that mass layoffs remain a real possibility on the horizon.
Guilt is a river that flows in one direction (the other’s)
The possibility of layoffs aggravates a situation where building mutual trust seems as likely as penguins learning to fly. Leaders of both parties are betting that public opinion has swung in their favor, pressuring the other side to concede. It’s the political equivalent of two children refusing to let go of a toy while shouting “he started it!”
Although it will be Trump‘s decision to cut jobs, he believes he can blame the Democrats for the closure. A bold strategy that suggests that responsibility is like a hot potato that must be quickly passed to the next player.
Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California defended his party’s position, describing the potential increase in health care costs as a “crisis.” But he also noted that the Trump administration has halted spending approved by Congress, essentially undermining the value of seeking budget compromises. It’s like trying to negotiate the price of a house when you know the other side has a match and gasoline in their pocket.
Meanwhile, in the real world, ordinary Americans continue to navigate the consequences of this high-profile political spectacle, perhaps wondering whether their representatives realize that governing occasionally involves, well, governing.
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