Shutdown showdown: On the U.S. federal government shutdown Politics & News

The U.S. federal government shutdown has entered its 39th day, making it the longest such closure in American history, with a sharp impact on nearly 1.4 million federal employees who have been furloughed without pay, not to mention countless more affected by the suspension of a range of public services. The latest blow to the American public came on the heels of an announcement that major U.S. airlines would be reducing flights at more than 40 airports this week owing to a shortfall in air traffic controllers, leading to a heightened threat to air safety. The shutdown has also crippled normal functions in food and nutrition benefits including food stamps for the poor, early learning programmes for low-income families, services related to the Internal Revenue Service, national parks and social services. At the heart of the debate that led to the congressional stalemate was the expiration of subsidies for health insurance premiums purchased via the Affordable Care Act marketplace. At this point there would appear to be a glimmer of hope for resolution of the partisan logjam as the Senate is expected to vote on an amended budget bill following Republicans presenting a fresh proposal, which includes a short-term stopgap funding measure. Also bundled is a potential one year of fiscal support for food assistance, veterans affairs and military construction.

However, the deeper malaise of bitter polarisation in the political discourse persists, even if painful shutdowns come and go. Mr. Trump certainly bettered his first term election victory when he galloped into the White House in 2024. Despite the “red shift” that handed him a win in every swing State last year, liberals and progressives have certainly not thrown in the towel; rather, they have regrouped to make a strong showing in the recent mayoral, gubernatorial and other State-level elections. At stake are the most poignant of policy issues impacting ordinary Americans, including jobs, tariffs and inflation, but also pressing questions on immigration, health care and education. While it is only to be expected that American society, known for fiercely guarding the rights guaranteed in the Constitution’s First Amendment, will regularly and vociferously express divergent views on these critical subjects, the substantive core of good governance will be lost to many unless the spirit of bipartisanship flickers once again amidst the shambles of congressional dysfunction. In this context the debilitation wreaked by the ongoing shutdown only shows that there is a need for a new normal in U.S. politics, a humane, pragmatic middle path between unbridled Trumpism and the old world of progressive America.