The longest government “shutdown” to date — 43 days — is now officially over. Late last night President Trump signed the bill to end the “shutdown.” The next funding deadline does not arrive until midnight January 30, 2026.
It was a long and winding road to passage of the bill that went to Trump. The final vote in the House yesterday was 222-209. Two Republicans voted against it. Six Democrats supported it. The roll call vote in the House is posted here. Earlier this week seven Democrats and one nominal Independent who caucuses with the Democrats supported the bill in the Senate. The roll call vote in the Senate is posted here.
Democrats are reportedly furious at both Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. They are pathetic spokesmen for their parties. They are pure party creatures. Does anyone believe anything they say? Is anyone persuaded by anything they say? Even those inside their respective caucuses? I doubt it.
Schumer is a bully who pummeled Minnesota’s unfunniest comedian — that would be Al Franken — into resigning his Senate seat so that Schumer could enhance his majority. Franken now regrets following Schumer’s lead into oblivion, but Schumer had the tools to get Franken’s mind right and he wielded them.
Schumer also stood on the steps of the Supreme Court and threatened the justices. His threats might have been enough to land an ordinary citizen in prison.
Schumer dared the justices to defy his Schuminations: “I want to tell you, Gorsuch, I want to tell you, Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.” It seems that one Nicholas Roske was listening.
Now Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has turned Schumer into a “Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim’rous beastie…” It’s a Kafkaesque metamorphosis.
Jeffries drones on robotically with Democratic Party talking points. The art of rhetoric escapes him. He is not “the worst.” He lacks “passionate intensity.” He is just a walking mediocrity.
It is now incumbent on us to express our respect for them. They played a good game. Among other things, they brought the system of commercial air travel into something approaching an actual “shutdown.” They showed us what they could do if given a little more time. Congratulations!
Let them lead Democrats into the midterm elections. Democrats deserve them. Democrats voted for them as leaders. However Republicans do in those elections, Democrats will do slightly worse than they otherwise might with new leadership.
