The Hill newspaper muses on some upcoming dates that could prompt action on ending the federal government shutdown,
When could the shutdown end? Five key dates to watch.
The dates involve upcoming payrolls for bureaucrats and military members in different categories and the upcoming Thanksgiving travel period. They report,
The shutdown became one of the three longest in U.S. history on Friday, with lawmakers indicating they believe it will drag on and few signs emerging of progress toward reopening the government.
The longest shutdown lasted some 35 days and occurred during Trump 1.0. The dispute revolved around Trump’s request for money to build a border wall, which he never got. What allowed that impasse to linger on for more than a month was the fact that most of the federal government (including the military) was unaffected, having been previously funded through other spending bills. No such luck in 2025.
Curiously, this time around, Trump appears to be making few, if any, demands for reopening government. He hasn’t vetoed any funding bills, as none have reached his desk.
In addition, Trump has been remarkably muted in his response, not yet following through on threats for mass layoffs, etc.
I see no popular pressure to “reopen” government, when it doesn’t appear to be closed. The planes are still flying (so far), and ICE seems to be as busy as ever.
It’s the Democrats, specifically Senate Democrats who are making the demands and holding up the show. But Democrats believe that they are “winning” the shutdown, so why would they ever want to end it?
You would think that unpaid federal workers would represent a natural constituency for Democrats, but Democrats seem perfectly willing to sacrifice the workers for the greater goal of “winning.”
It may take a deus ex machina, some unforeseen event, to shift the dynamic and bring an end to this farce. But I don’t see it and I don’t think Democrats have thought this thing through.
The federal government is still taking in money, revenue collection has continued despite the “shutdown.” As with military pay this week, what’s to stop Trump from funding the bits of government he likes and ignoring the rest?
What’s to stop Senate Republicans from ending the filibuster and passing all bills with just a bare majority?
Republics have fallen over lesser matters. The Hill closes with a quote from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas),
At some point, sanity will return to at least some small sliver of Democrats and the lights will be turned back on. But damned if I know when.
