Washington just watched Democrats openly flirt with shutting down the government as a political weapon, and patriotic Americans should be furious. Rob Finnerty and fellow conservative voices were right to call out the admission: when party leaders admit they’ll keep offices closed to “gain leverage” against President Trump, they reveal contempt for everyday workers and the rule of law.
This manufactured crisis didn’t arrive in a vacuum — congressional leaders have traded barbs while the funding deadline neared, and Democratic leaders publicly demanded meetings to press their leverage. Instead of negotiating in good faith, we saw posturing on camera and votes that suggested political theater mattered more than keeping the lights on for America’s families.
Make no mistake: some Democrats have flatly admitted a willingness to let parts of government shutter if it helps their bargaining position, proving this is about politics, not principle. That posture — threatening furloughs and halted services to score a win against a duly elected president — is despicable, and it places partisan ambition above the welfare of the country.
Meanwhile, the real victims are not pundits but federal workers, veterans, and ordinary citizens who rely on timely services. Every day the government remains frozen costs taxpayers hundreds of millions and risks chaos at air traffic control, national parks, and social programs; the people who pay the bills and serve their country suffer while political operatives smile for cameras.
The legacy mainstream press will wring hands about “both sides” while glossing over the fact that one side is weaponizing shutdowns as a campaign tactic. Conservatives must refuse to accept this moral equivalence: political power plays that use hardship as leverage are the tactics of a party that has abandoned the small-d democratic instincts of civic duty.
Republicans have put real proposals on the table to keep government running, and it’s time for every freedom-loving American to demand their representatives stop playing games. Stand with leaders who prioritize funding our military, protecting Social Security, and safeguarding American livelihoods — and hold accountable any lawmaker willing to keep government closed just to score a political point.
