Intro LO:
Given the American president’s common use of reverse psychology, his threat to shutdown the American government should imply that he will – once again – reverse course, and blame Democrats for his decision.
UPDATE(s):
Axios title: ⛔️ The shutdown begins
By: Mike Allen
Date: 1 October 2025
“It’s official: The federal government shut down at midnight.
- Republicans are banking that Democrats will blink first and end the shutdown. But just in case, they’re going to make it as painful as possible, Axios’ Stef W. Kight and Hans Nichols report.
🚫 State of play: Six months of grassroots fury have pushed Democrats to embrace a shutdown as leverage against Republicans. Both sides are dug in.
- Federal workers will go without pay starting today. The Trump administration is threatening to turn those furloughs — estimated at 750,000 a day — into mass firings.
🏛️ There’s no obvious way out of this, unless one side makes a major course correction.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is under enormous political pressure not to back down without serious negotiations on extending enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Act — at a minimum.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) says he won’t negotiate while Democrats keep the government shut down.
🔮 What we’re watching: Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) are senators to watch on future votes. All voted to keep the government open back in March, but voted no last night.”
Source: 2. ⛔️ The shutdown begins
Axios title: 🏛️ Dems defy shutdown threats
By: Mike Allen
Date: 25 September 2025
“Congressional Democrats are largely dismissing the Trump administration’s threats to use a government shutdown to fire scores of federal workers, Axios’ Andrew Solender reports.
- The shrugs are coming even from lawmakers who represent large swaths of the federal workforce — underscoring the extent to which Democrats are dug in on government funding.
💬 “We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings. Get lost,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said on X, after White House budget director Russ Vought told agencies to prepare for mass firings if there’s a shutdown.
- Any firings “will either be overturned in court or the administration will end up hiring the workers back,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.”
Sources:
- Axios, 25 September 2025: 2. 🏛️ Dems defy shutdown threats;
- Bloomberg, 30 September 2025: Government Shutdowns Are Sadly Familiar Now;
- Washington Post, Editorial Board, 24 September 2025: The shutdown that no one, and everyone, wants
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