Yup, just like the Republicans to look for scapegoats... the trans community. But first, in the past, the parties made compromises to pass the continuing resolution (CR). But like Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown, the Republicans never went back to do what they promised—either that, or Trump refused to spend it.
Why isn’t Trump eager to end the shutdown? Because he has more power during it.
But the Republicans aren’t going to come out and say they want a power grab, nor are they interested in reopening the government!PolitiFactBy Amy ShermanSeptember 25, 2025A fight between Republicans and Democrats could lead to an Oct. 1 federal government shutdown.
Democrats are trying to leverage the must-pass bill to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies; the Trump administration is tying a shutdown to potential mass federal worker layoffs.[...]"I would expect this shutdown to look different than any other shutdown," said Joshua Sewell, Taxpayers for Common Sense director of research and policy. He said he expects that the Trump team’s actions would be guided by what they believe achieves the most for them politically.
Trump could use a shutdown to dismantle government functions, wrote Max Stier, chief executive of the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit focused on improving the federal government.
If lawmakers can’t reach a deal, Stier wrote, Trump and Vought "will have enormous latitude to determine which services, programs, and employees can be sidelined, decisions that could go far beyond what has occurred during past shutdowns."
What do the Democrats want?
They want the funding for Medicare and Medicaid restored and guarantees that Trump will not pigeonhole the funding once it’s approved. That’s it.
Explainer: Why government shutdowns keep happening in the United States
The economic and human costs can be high when budget dysfunction and partisan politics are in play, HKS expert says.
Harvard's Kennedy School of Politics
By Nora Delaney
October 8, 2025The U.S. government shut down on October 1 as Republican and Democratic funding bills failed to reach the necessary number of votes in the Senate and efforts to prevent a shutdown failed. Government shutdowns such as this one shutter nonessential agency operations, furlough some government workers, and cost taxpayers.
We asked Linda Bilmes, the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Public Finance, about why shutdowns happen, what they cost us, and how we can avoid them. Bilmes is a budgeting expert who served as the assistant secretary for management and budget, and chief financial officer of the U.S. Department of Commerce under President Bill Clinton.[...]Q: What are the grievances?
A key grievance on the Democratic side is that there was an impasse last March, and the government nearly shut down, but the Republican majority promised that it would seek compromise on several key disagreements in exchange for Democrats supporting a short-term continuing resolution. But these disagreements were never resolved or even seriously considered. There are certainly Republicans who are in favor compromising, but not enough. So, right now, Democrats don’t have much trust in Republican promises.
For Democrats, this is about taking a stand around the fact that health care is a core Democratic issue and an issue that they’re going to fight for. I think for Republicans it is about supporting the direction in which the president is taking the country, even if they don’t agree with every single action by the Trump administration.
It is pernicious because over time these government shutdowns and “almost-shutdowns” and “almost-defaults” lead to a loss of public confidence in the ability of the government to function and to get things done.
Okay, for the Democrats, it’s healthcare, but the Republicans are trying to twist that to include us.
TruthOut reports that,
And that, my friends, is how we got tangled up in this mess. So don’t be surprised when we’re thrown under the bus. If you don’t like it, I strongly suggest you help Democrats get elected. Because this is political reality—our healthcare will be going by the wayside. It’s either let the shutdown drag on and get blamed for it, or accept the fact that we’re being used as a bargaining chip.The deadline to pass appropriations bills and avert a shutdown is closing in, and this year both parties are digging in. At issue is Trump’s insistence on keeping the power to withhold congressionally appropriated funds — a cudgel he’s wielded against ideological opponents. Democrats are pressing to protect healthcare subsidies. But the most explosive fight now centers on anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans riders woven into the appropriations bills. The provisions have become so central that Trump canceled a key negotiating session on Tuesday.
On Tuesday morning, Trump took to Truth Social with a rambling post announcing he would refuse to negotiate unless Democrats “agree to the principles in this letter.” Those “principles” included a slate of anti-trans measures — from bans on transgender healthcare to nationwide sports restrictions. By digging in, Trump has turned the shutdown fight into a test of whether Democrats will hold the line for their trans and queer constituents. You can see his post here:After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive. They are threatening to shut down the Government of the United States unless they can have over $1 Trillion Dollars in new spending to continue free healthcare for Illegal Aliens (A monumental cost!), force Taxpayers to fund Transgender surgery for minors, have dead people on the Medicaid roles, allow Illegal Alien Criminals to steal Billions of Dollars in American Taxpayer Benefits, try to force our Country to again open our Borders to Criminals and to the World, allow men to play in women’s sports, and essentially create Transgender operations for everybody. These Radical Left Views and Policies is what allowed me to win the Presidential Election, including all seven Swing States, and the Popular Vote, IN A HISTORIC LANDSLIDE. There are consequences to losing Elections but, based on their letter to me, the Democrats haven’t figured that out yet. They are trying to eliminate the popular $50 Billion Dollar Rural and Vulnerable Hospital Fund, which was passed with only Republican Votes, and proudly signed into Law by ME. The Democrats in Congress seem to have totally lost their way. They obviously have no idea what it means to put America First or to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! All Congressional Democrats want to do is enact Radical Left Policies that nobody voted for — High Taxes, Open Borders, No Consequences for Violent Criminals, Men in Women’s Sports, Taxpayer funded “TRANSGENDER” surgery, and much more. Few people voted for what they represent, which would lead to the destruction of America. Instead, people voted for COMMON SENSE, and that’s what the Republicans and your President, “DONALD J. TRUMP,” stand for. I look forward to meeting with them if they get serious about the future of our Nation. We must keep the Government open, and legislate like true Patriots rather than hold American Citizens hostage, knowing that they want our now thriving Country closed. I’ll be happy to meet with them if they agree to the Principles in this Letter. They must do their job! Otherwise, it will just be another long and brutal slog through their radicalized quicksand. To the Leaders of the Democrat Party, the ball is in your court. I look forward to meeting with you when you become realistic about the things that our Country stands for. DO THE RIGHT THING!
DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
As I keep saying to the people who harp that all I write about is politics—well folks, I don’t know how to tell you this, but politicians have our lives in their hands.
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