For Democrats, there are real incentives to let the government shut down at the end of the month.
A prolonged shutdown would be blamed on Donald Trump and the GOP since they control the government. Trump can spin it as a Democrat-driven crisis, but most Americans wouldn’t believe him. This was why Republicans were so eager to trigger government shutdowns under Barack Obama. No matter how much he railed against tea-party nihilists, he was the president, and he had to suffer the consequences of a shutdown .
Congressional Democrats do have leverage, and they should drive it home to protect Obamacare health-insurance subsidies. Premiums will skyrocket if the GOP majority has its way, and some Republicans at least understand that they will pay the political cost. Americans in 2026 wou