The House is deciding whether to end the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history tonight, after the Senate voted to reopen the government and partisan fights over health care and politics have dominated the debate.
The shutdown began on Oct. 1 and has stretched past a month as lawmakers squabble over spending and policy. The Senate moved to reopen the government, so the decision now lands with the House in a vote expected tonight. Voters and federal workers are watching closely as the consequences pile up.
Federal employees have missed paychecks, travelers have had trips disrupted, and families have seen delayed food benefits because parts of the federal apparatus are paused. Those are measurable harms that ordinary Americans are feeling while leadership fights. Every day the standoff continues, the political damage deepens for those who choose brinkmanship over compromise.
Larry Kudlow called the motive behind the shutdown out loud and bluntly, arguing it is less about policy and more about partisan fury. He said, “It’s hard to know which is more stupid, the economics of it, which, if you continue to shut down, would loom larger, or the politics of it. So they’re going to damage themselves even more than they’ve already done. It’s not just Chuck Schumer whose career is over. A lot of their careers may be over if they keep the shutdown going in the House. It’s the stupidest thing that I’ve ever seen.” The economic pain and political fallout are what he singled out, and he tied both to irrational opposition to one man.
He doubled down on that assessment with another blunt line, putting the blame squarely on partisan obsession. “I mean, it’s utterly pointless, stupid, damaging Trump-derangement syndrome. This was never about health care. This was about Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
On the other side, House Democrats rolled out a response focused on health care, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries introducing a bill to extend the Affordable Care Act by three years. House Democrats framed their opposition around what they call a failure to address gaps in coverage and tax credits tied to the ACA. Their push centers on protecting the Affordable Care Act tax credit they say millions rely on.
“House Democrats are here on the Capitol steps to reiterate our strong opposition to the spending bill because it fails to address the Republican health care crisis and it fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credit,” Jeffries said, describing the health care plan enacted by former President Barack Obama, a Democrat.
House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed hope the shutdown would end with tonight’s vote and emphasized the toll on American families. Leaders on the Republican side have repeatedly highlighted the immediate effects on federal workers and beneficiaries. The rhetoric has been sharp, but the argument from Republican leaders is consistently focused on ending the disruption and getting paychecks and benefits back on schedule.
“I want to apologize to the many American families who were made to go hungry over the last several weeks, to our troops, to federal employees who are wondering where their next check will come from; all of that is on the Democrats. Just never forget. They voted 15 times between the House and Senate to close the government.”
Editor’s Note: After more than 40 days of screwing Americans, a few Dems have finally caved. The Schumer Shutdown was never about principle—just inflicting pain for political points.
