Government Shutdown Is ‘Republican Assault On Working Class,’ Says Dallas Rep.

As of 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, the federal government officially closed for business.

In simplest terms, the government ran out of money. A Democrat-sponsored spending bill that would refund healthcare initiatives failed in the Senate. Republicans also backed a funding bill that would have kept the lights on in Washington, D.C., but most of the party’s representatives traveled home after the bill also failed in the Senate, leaving Congress half-empty and at a complete stalemate.

“The Republicans are in leadership,” said Congresswoman Julie Johnson, who represents a large part of North Texas. “They’re the ones that are in charge. They’re the ones that have the responsibility to get a budget passed… The Republicans are not even here… They’re perfectly fine for the American people to suffer. I’m in DC. Democrats are here. I’m here to cast a vote, but there’s no Republican here to call it.”

Democrats have requested negotiations with Republicans, hoping to find common ground before the shutdown results in billions of dollars in missed pay and cutbacks to programming. 

Congress members are supposed to still be at work; they’re among the few federal employees who retain their jobs during a shutdown. Most departments, like the IRS, the FDA, and the CDC, will operate on skeleton crews, with most of their staff furloughed. Those labeled as essential workers, like most of the active-duty and civilian employees within the newly renamed Department of War, will continue to report to work, but they will not receive payment until the government officially reopens.

The shutdown will not end until both sides of the aisle and both chambers of Congress can reach an agreement on a funding bill. In the summer, Texas Democrats fled the state, breaking quorum and stalling important votes in the Texas Legislature. The move triggered a nationwide manhunt for the missing legislators. Republicans who failed to clock in for their shift in the Capitol have been penalized.

“The hypocrisy of politics is jaw-dropping sometimes,” said Johnson. “…House Republicans are not in DC. They’re not here to make sure that the government stays open. I hope voters hold them accountable for that come next November.”

Certain crucial government programs, like social security, student loan services, and veteran resources, will continue to function, though the departments managing them might experience furloughs, so processing times could slow.

The shutdown is the latest example of deep-seated partisanship under the current administration, and finger-pointing from both sides has already driven the narrative. 

“If they are so worried about the effect this is having on the American people, and they should be, what they should do is reopen the government, not complain about how we respond,” Vice President JD Vance said during a press conference about the shutdown.

This government shutdown occurs within the same year as the president’s mass layoffs of federal employees across nearly every sector of the government, and the president’s team has alluded to even more layoffs amid the freeze

“It’s really shocking, a complete animus and lack of regard that the administration has towards our federal workforce,” said Johnson. “Our federal workforce keeps our government going, and we need a functioning American government.”

What Does This Mean For Texas?

Estimates from April indicate that around 250,000 federal employees reside within the Lone Star State, with the largest portion of that workforce, nearly 58,000, residing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. However, it isn’t just federal employees who are impacted. Texas is home to millions of people who rely on government programs, including those who utilize tax credits from the Affordable Care Act and SNAP benefits. 

“That’s one of the key issues,” said Johnson. “In my district alone, there’s over 100,000 people that will have a significant impact to their health care costs if this happens. Let me be very clear. These are for people who are working in small businesses or are self-employed. These are folks who are working, who are citizens of this country, who are just trying to make ends meet. The Republican assault on the working class is just unending, and this is a classic example of it.”

North Texas already has one of the highest rates of uninsured residents, and the rising costs of living in the region continuously erode the value of a dollar. Johnson says that many of her constituents simply cannot afford to lose their health insurance benefits, and it’s not an issue she, and many of her colleagues, are willing to bend on. 

“The reality of it is that the Republican agenda does not benefit working people,” said the Congresswoman. “It only benefits a very small group of very wealthy people… They’re cutting any program that helps the little guy get one step ahead, and they’re just lining their pockets.”

Johnson highlights that working for the federal government isn’t the most lucrative career path, and that many employees can’t afford to miss a paycheck, let alone an indefinite number of paychecks, as neither party forfeits. 

“This is the biggest grift by a Republican President and his friends that we’ve seen on the American people, and it’s just really tragic, and Democrats are not here for it.”

How Long Will This Go On?

Edward Segal, a crisis communication expert and former political press secretary, says government shutdowns aren’t exactly rare, having witnessed around 20 since 1980, ranging between a few hours, a couple of days or even more than a month. The economic impact of a shutdown on federal employees will only grow as time goes on, and Segal worries there’s no end in sight. 

The last shutdown, which occurred in 2018 and 2019, during the final days of Trump’s first term, was also the longest, lasting 35 days. That shutdown was caused by a funding disagreement over the president’s priority: a proposed massive border wall that has yet to be built. The shutdown cost the U.S. economy $11 billion. 

“[The 2018 shutdown] had a devastating effect on anyone who counts on or is employed by the federal government,” said Segal. “Early indications are that the latest government shutdown is not going to be quick, or easy or short. And the longer it goes on, the worse it will get for millions of Americans across the country.”

Although there have been several shutdowns, the government went 18 years between 1995 and 2013 without being forced to close.

Segal says there’s no real historical pattern to predicting which party will give in first, but he assumes Democrats will take the victory this round. 

“The one that has the most to lose is likely to be the one that folds first,” he said. “This is different, though, than other shutdowns because of the stakes involved, and that is the potential to raise premiums on millions of Americans. And if there’s one thing that can cut across party lines among the electorate, it’s their health care. I think the tipping point is going to be in favor of the Democrats to get what they want.”

But Segal notes that, as stubborn as Republicans may be, Democrats are proving there is no better mascot for the party than an ass.

“There’s no one who is entirely blameless in this, what essentially is a self-inflicted crisis,” he said. “The fact that neither side will talk to one another or refuse to even consider alternatives or to even be in the same room, that never bodes well for any crisis. So everyone has something, some blame to shoulder in this crisis.”

However, Segal says it’s unlikely that Republicans will bow out easily, and that a constituent outcry, which will pressure the GOP as they lose support from rural, historically conservative voters, will be the push needed. As for right now, Segal says the Republicans, who hold a trifecta over every branch of the government and have a majority in Congress, are controlling the narrative, and doing a good job at it, too. 

“They’re doing an outstanding job of piling on the blame to the Democrats,” he said. “It’s a talking point for all Republicans: blame the Democrats. So the Democrats are now in a defensive position, and that’s never a good place to be in a crisis. But because of the health care issues, that dynamic could change.”

Let’s Get One Thing Straight

In recent weeks, many Republicans have been throwing around the word “illegal.” 

“Democrats voted to shut the government down today, and they’re doing it on the face of it, they’re doing it because they want free health care for illegals,” Sen. Ted Cruz said in an interview with Fox. “But you know what they’re really doing it for? They’re doing it because their crazy left-wing base is so angry… We’re going to stop government paychecks. Why? Yes, because they want health care for illegals, but really because they want to say, ‘We hate Donald Trump.’”

Under current law, non-citizens are not eligible for tax credits within the Affordable Care Act, nor are they eligible for Medicare. 

“That’s impossible,” said Segal. “That’s not a talking point, that’s outright lies and propaganda… It could blow back because it’s just not true, and when the American people realize it, that’s going to turn into more of a negative for the Republicans than a positive.”

Johnson and Segal say that the largest group impacted by the waning status of healthcare is the people who put Republicans in power. 

“The problem is the Republican propaganda is based on falsehoods, the Republicans have gone out and told their base that the health care cuts only affect illegal aliens in this country, and that is absolutely false,” said Johnson. “They’re not currently on our health care system. It’s them; their base is who’s going to lose their health care. I think what you’re seeing is this slow realization of Republican-based voters that this administration is really not for them… They’re only for a very wealthy few.”