Dysfunctional democracy: U.S. government shutdown stems from partisan struggle, correspondent explains

Emily Wilkins: “Democrats are confident that they can win the messaging battle on this."

By MINHUA LIAN

Global Business Journalism reporter

The second longest government shutdown in American history has turned into a blame game between intransigent partisans, CNBC Washington correspondent Emily Wilkins told Tsinghua University students on Oct. 13.

With Republicans unable to muster the 60 votes needed in the Senate to reopen the government, President Donald Trump and other GOP leaders have held the Democratic minority on Capitol Hill responsible for the shutdown that has closed national parks and museums, delayed flights, and left thousands of federal employees without jobs or paychecks. But Wilkins, a former National Press Club president and Bloomberg News veteran, said Democrats believe they have an advantage in the propaganda wars because Republicans refuse to compromise on the Democrats’ make-or-break issue of healthcare costs.

“Democrats are confident that they can win the messaging battle on this — that if they go to the American people and say Republicans are trying to make your healthcare more expensive and we're fighting for you, the American people will support Democrats in the shutdown,” Wilkins told students in Professor Rick Dunham’s “Hot Topics in the Global Economy” course via Zoom.

A congressional aide peers into a lonely Capitol building. (Photo from Wix library)

The prolonged fiscal dispute that began on Oct. 1 highlights the unprecedented level of partisanship under the Trump administration and the impact of the shutdown on various federal workers.

The core issue in the shutdown lies in the requirement for 60 senators to vote in favor of a major spending bill in order for it to pass. However, with only 53 Republican senators, the party needs to persuade at least seven Democrats or independents to support the bill. Democrats, in turn, are demanding tax credit extensions for healthcare as a condition for their support. Republicans have steadfastly refused. Only two Democrats, both facing re-election next year, and one independent, have voted to reopen the government, leaving the GOP four votes short.

“And frankly, it's looking like that's where we'll be at the end of the week, too, unless something changes,”she added.

The core of the messaging battle lies in the so-called Affordable Care Act subsidies. Republican efforts to block the extension of these subsidies could cause health insurance premiums to surge by 75% for 24 million Americans. This vulnerability for everyday citizens has effectively become a significant "political football" for the Democrats to leverage. Most of the citizens affected by the higher insurance costs live in Republican states, leading Democrats to believe that they have found a winning political issue. Numerous polls show that voters blame Republicans for the shutdown and its consequences.

Democrats are almost uniformly united behind Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer no-compromise strategy. Schumer, a New York Democrat, was strongly criticized by his party’s liberal wing for caving in to Republicans in March to avoid a government shutdown, but he said he would not agree to keep the government open again without compromise from Republicans. Instead, Trump and congressional Republicans have inflamed the situation by firing 4,000 government employees during the shutdown — a violation of the law — and canceling billions of dollars in funds allocated for infrastructure, bridge construction, maternity care and cancer research in Democratic districts.

“It seems to have only made the Democrats even more determined to hold out,”Wilkins noted.