The recent government shutdown has ended, prompting discussions about its causes and the political strategies involved. Brit Hume of FOX News commented on the situation, suggesting that the shutdown was primarily driven by Democratic opposition to former President Donald Trump.
During a segment on FOX News, Hume said: “Well, this whole shutdown was a fool’s errand from the start. This strategy has been tried a number of times before where you try to use the government shutdown and the pressure to get the government reopened as a lever to get something done you couldn’t get done by the normal process because you didn’t have the votes. It has never worked.”
Hume continued: “It was never going to work. And, you know, the Democrats, yes, there was some polling that indicated that the Democrats were less, were getting less of the blame than the Republicans. But remember this, key elements in the Democratic Party, American Association, American Federation of Government Employees, the Teamsters Union, the Airline Workers Union, the Pilots Union, they were all urging that the Republican measure, the temporary measure, be passed.”
He added: “And, of course, as the air traffic situation began to get worse and the deprivation of SNAP benefits set in, it became absolutely untenable, which when you think about it, it really was from the start. It really wasn’t about enhanced ACA benefits. It was about Democrats wanting to position themselves in resistance and opposition to Donald Trump in every way they could do or appear to do.”
The shutdown had significant impacts on federal services and workers. Unions representing government employees called for an end to the impasse as disruptions grew more severe.
As Congress prepares for another round of funding negotiations after the new year, questions remain about whether similar tactics will be used again.
