Sen. Chris Coons’ blunt observation that “it’s striking the House hasn’t come to work in weeks” should sting anyone tired of the Washington two-step where theater replaces governing. That admission from a senior Democrat underscores the absurdity on display: the people’s business frozen while political pyrotechnics take center stage. The public deserves better than a capital where members hide in strategy rooms instead of showing up on the floor.
The shutdown that began on October 1, 2025, is not an abstract fight over messaging — it has real consequences for the economy, for federal employees, and for ordinary citizens who rely on basic services. The Senate has repeatedly failed to pass either the House’s stopgap measure or Democratic alternatives, leaving the government in limbo as bargaining chips fly across the Hill. Lawmakers from both parties own the mess when they put power plays ahead of steady governance.
At the heart of the standoff is a simple fact conservatives have long warned about: when one chamber plays procedural hardball, the whole country pays the price. Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to keep the House out of session was defended as leverage, but it also means Congress is abdicating the day-to-day work voters expect. That political calculus may score points in intra-party fights, but it does nothing to protect service members, seniors, or small businesses waiting on certainty.
Democrats like Sen. Coons pointing out the absence of the House only highlights how broken the incentives in Washington are — both sides trade accusations while programs and people suffer. White House and congressional aides are already narrating blame, with some in the administration calling it a partisan shutdown by the opposing party. Meanwhile, the spectacle does not absolve either side from the common-sense duty to restore funding and keep government functioning.
The human toll is clear: hundreds of thousands of federal employees face furloughs or unpaid work, and essential but non-urgent services are interrupted as agencies scramble to triage. This is the direct result of lawmakers who prefer headlines over handiwork, and taxpayers should be furious at a system that allows this to happen. If members of Congress won’t act, then Congress should face structural consequences that remove the incentives for brinkmanship.
There are reasonable, conservative reforms that would align incentives with responsibility: require timely votes, pare wasteful spending, and enforce consequences for lawmakers who preside over shutdowns — including withholding pay during funding gaps. Proposals to tie congressional compensation to government continuity have bipartisan appeal and would stop the farce of lawmakers collecting a paycheck while workers do not. If Washington won’t police itself, reformers outside it must demand it.
At the end of the day, Sen. Coons’ candor is a rare moment of clarity in a swamp of partisan theater, and it should be seized by leaders on both sides to force a real end to this impasse. Americans expect their representatives to show up, negotiate in good faith, and protect the institutions that underpin liberty and prosperity. Washington’s habit of choosing stunts over service must end — and the only way it will is if elected officials start prioritizing the country over their next political score.
