It’s Not Only Money That’s at Stake: It’s American Democracy
The government shutdown is turning into a standoff between Donald Trump and the opposition. Although the opposition has finally found a compelling cause in healthcare, it carries considerable risk.
It is not as though any further evidence of the political divide in the U.S. were needed, but here it is. A shutdown, much like previous ones, albeit under rather more dramatic circumstances. On one side are Donald Trump’s administration and MAGA Republicans in Congress, who want to reduce the size of the government as far as possible, including cutting social welfare benefits. On the other side are the Democrats, who are at the very least seeking to save healthcare subsidies, while also managing to look courageous. Which side will win?
It’s entirely possible the country will be the main loser in this contest. As ever, the lawmakers themselves are far less vulnerable to the effects of shuttered services than other people, primarily civil servants furloughed or simply not getting paid, along with patients, travelers, commuters and tourists. Everything gets more complicated when sections of the government shut down for an indefinite period of time because funding remains undecided.
At the same time, this shutdown, perhaps more so than any before it, heralds an imminent confrontation. Until now, the Democrats have been accused, not without justification, of simply letting the U.S. president get away with whatever he wanted to do. They have mainly looked on in a stunned manner as Trump has shredded the rule of law and not just cut bureaucracy in government agencies — which may be logical in certain areas — but has taken a chainsaw to them. At some point, the opposition must show what it stands for. Now is the moment to do so.
The Chilling Excuse Trump Uses as Justification
If the Democrats still want to be taken even halfway seriously, no amount of criticizing Trump’s machinations will be enough. They must make use of all legitimately available means of self-defense. It is not only money that’s at stake, but American democracy. The current occupant of the White House has been holding it hostage for months. Trump and his cronies justify their actions with a chilling excuse: the pretense that the United States is under threat from “enemies within,” by which they mean those they regard as undesirable immigrants, the left, and in short, anyone who holds dissenting views.
Trump recently spoke in all seriousness to an audience of 800 generals and admirals about a “war from within.” He has sent the National Guard into Democratic-run cities like Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon. Officially, their mission is to combat violence, although they are neither designed for nor suited to this role, and there are no grounds for their deployment. The murder of the right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk has dangerously worsened the mood, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth referring to a "spiritual war" at Kirk’s Christian-nationalist memorial service.
Rich Americans Grow Ever Richer
For Trump’s supporters, illegal immigration and leftist ideas are the main problem. Meanwhile, the Democrats have discovered a counter-issue — that of the acutely endangered welfare state. And rightly so, considering the richest Americans grow ever richer, while many of their fellow citizens’ health insurance keeps getting more expensive.
Since their crushing defeat in the 2024 presidential election, the Democratic camp has lacked a strategy. They need to find a campaign issue which will resonate beyond their liberal-metropolitan heartlands before the midterm elections in the fall of 2026. Health care could be such a cause, although blocking the government’s spending bill is a risky tactic. Trump will do all he can to turn public anger against his opponents, and his team is bound to exploit the emergency situation to fire agency staff and wind up programs. In the best-case scenario, it will eventually dawn on enough influential Americans that they should not be promoting the opportunistic abuse of power. The military must surely also know its obligation to uphold the Constitution.
It is not as though any further evidence of the political divide in the U.S. were needed, but here it is. A shutdown, much like previous ones, albeit under rather more dramatic circumstances. On one side are Donald Trump’s administration and MAGA Republicans in Congress, who want to reduce the size of the government as far as possible, including cutting social welfare benefits. On the other side are the Democrats, who are at the very least seeking to save healthcare subsidies, while also managing to look courageous. Which side will win?
It’s entirely possible the country will be the main loser in this contest. As ever, the lawmakers themselves are far less vulnerable to the effects of shuttered services than other people, primarily civil servants furloughed or simply not getting paid, along with patients, travelers, commuters and tourists. Everything gets more complicated when sections of the government shut down for an indefinite period of time because funding remains undecided.
At the same time, this shutdown, perhaps more so than any before it, heralds an imminent confrontation. Until now, the Democrats have been accused, not without justification, of simply letting the U.S. president get away with whatever he wanted to do. They have mainly looked on in a stunned manner as Trump has shredded the rule of law and not just cut bureaucracy in government agencies — which may be logical in certain areas — but has taken a chainsaw to them. At some point, the opposition must show what it stands for. Now is the moment to do so.
The Chilling Excuse Trump Uses as Justification
If the Democrats still want to be taken even halfway seriously, no amount of criticizing Trump’s machinations will be enough. They must make use of all legitimately available means of self-defense. It is not only money that’s at stake, but American democracy. The current occupant of the White House has been holding it hostage for months. Trump and his cronies justify their actions with a chilling excuse: the pretense that the United States is under threat from “enemies within,” by which they mean those they regard as undesirable immigrants, the left, and in short, anyone who holds dissenting views.
Trump recently spoke in all seriousness to an audience of 800 generals and admirals about a “war from within.” He has sent the National Guard into Democratic-run cities like Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon. Officially, their mission is to combat violence, although they are neither designed for nor suited to this role, and there are no grounds for their deployment. The murder of the right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk has dangerously worsened the mood, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth referring to a "spiritual war" at Kirk’s Christian-nationalist memorial service.
Rich Americans Grow Ever Richer
For Trump’s supporters, illegal immigration and leftist ideas are the main problem. Meanwhile, the Democrats have discovered a counter-issue — that of the acutely endangered welfare state. And rightly so, considering the richest Americans grow ever richer, while many of their fellow citizens’ health insurance keeps getting more expensive.
Since their crushing defeat in the 2024 presidential election, the Democratic camp has lacked a strategy. They need to find a campaign issue which will resonate beyond their liberal-metropolitan heartlands before the midterm elections in the fall of 2026. Health care could be such a cause, although blocking the government’s spending bill is a risky tactic. Trump will do all he can to turn public anger against his opponents, and his team is bound to exploit the emergency situation to fire agency staff and wind up programs. In the best-case scenario, it will eventually dawn on enough influential Americans that they should not be promoting the opportunistic abuse of power. The military must surely also know its obligation to uphold the Constitution.
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