THE LATEST | CANADAWall Street Journal: The 2025 government shutdown, unlike previous shutdowns driven by specific policy demands (ACA, immigration, border wall funding), stems from a profound breakdown of trust between the Trump White House and Democrats.
While the immediate impact is minor, the shutdown is expected to cause severe economic distress in mid-to-late October when federal workers and contractors miss paychecks.
Democrats don’t trust the White House, accusing it of routinely ignoring congressional appropriations by withholding funds. President Trump, operating through executive orders and narrow Republican legislation, distrusts the minority party.
Attempts to broker talks have failed due to this deep distrust; for example, the OMB Director has already moved to cancel billions in appropriated funds.
The political crisis reflects a national erosion of faith in the political system, the Supreme Court, the criminal justice system, and even the media.
Trump has remade the Republican Party, while Democrats, still recovering from election defeat, are internally fractured and struggling to unify, yet are acting more strident in this conflict.
TCE