The shutdown conversation no one wants

The Washington Post ^ | October 5, 2025 | Editorial Board

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Partisan bickering overshadows real questions about taxes and the size of America’s government.

As the partial government shutdown enters its second week, neither party is leveling with the American people about the hard choices required to get federal spending off a fiscally ruinous trajectory.

President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats used covid-19 to justify chasing the mirage of a European-style welfare state without raising the necessary taxes to pay for it. Now, prodded by the left, party leaders have shut down the government in a bid to permanently extend what was sold in 2021 as emergency subsidies to help people struggling during the pandemic afford health insurance.

President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans were eager to extend tax cuts when they regained control of government, but they were unwilling to make deep enough cuts to pay for them. The bill Trump signed on July 4 will reduce spending by $1.1 trillion over the next decade, but that is more than offset by $4.5 trillion of tax cuts that will do little for growth.

The U.S. national debt stands at $37.9 trillion, a figure that dwarfs the annual gross domestic product of every other country. It has grown dramatically since the pandemic. In the 2019 fiscal year, the federal government spent $5.47 trillion but took in only $4.26 trillion. Five years later, spending clocked in at $6.75 trillion as revenue failed to keep up with this dramatic expansion of government.

Gushers of borrowed money flowed toward expanding food stamps, Medicaid eligibility, veterans benefits and student debt forgiveness. Rising interest rates compound the costs. Ultimately the United States will need to grow its way out of this debt, but fiscal irresponsibility makes that harder.

Yet Democrats have demanded that Republicans agree to extend the covid-era insurance subsidies...

[Steely Tom]

Partisan bickering never bothered the Bezos Post when their side was winning.

[Political Junkie Too]

The shutdown conversation no one wants

How about this?

Democrats used covid-19 to justify chasing the mirage of a European-style welfare state without raising the necessary taxes to pay for it. Now, prodded by the left, party leaders have shut down the government in a bid to permanently extend what was sold in 2021 as emergency subsidies

The question to ask is why can't the Democrats do this via regular order? Why must they always take a hostage before negotiating with Republicans?

Republicans were eager to extend tax cuts when they regained control of government, but they were unwilling to make deep enough cuts to pay for them. The bill Trump signed on July 4 will reduce spending by $1.1 trillion over the next decade, but that is more than offset by $4.5 trillion of tax cuts that will do little for growth.

Why doesn't the Washington Post factor in the new revenues from President Trump's tariffs? Are they trying to create a "both sides" narrative?

The real problem is that the Affordable Care Act was never actually affordable... The architects of the program assumed that risk pools would be bigger than they turned out to be... To salvage the program, Democrats expanded subsidies to entice more people to buy plans.

Did the Washington Post just admit that ObamaCare was a sham all along?

-PJ

[fruser1]

The more government spends, the more it has to be in your face to pay for it.

Montgomery county Maryland has a lot of feds. When a bunch lost jobs, it cut their income tax take.

Like the Feds, and other local govs, COVID spending became the new baseline.

So do they cut spending?

Nope, they’ve decided to double the number of speed and red light cameras in the county.

[fhayek]

Republicans were eager to extend tax cuts when they regained control of government, but they were unwilling to make deep enough cuts to pay for them. The bill Trump signed on July 4 will reduce spending by $1.1 trillion over the next decade, but that is more than offset by $4.5 trillion of tax cuts that will do little for growth.

I don't know where the Washington Post got their economics education, but I would wager that keeping in money in taxpayer's pockets will do far more for growth than whatever the government uses it for.

[stanne]

“expanding food stamps, Medicaid eligibility, veterans benefits”

That’s nice.

Pile these two together

Veterans benefits go to people who have proven they are unable to work to capacity with massive documentations from unwilling doctors after they suffered service connected injuries

Food stamp and Medicaid recipients don’t have to try to work. At all and not for the US

Veterans are to blame for a $37 trillion deficit

Holy crap

These people are going low.

[AdSimp]

Maybe the shutdown continues because, once the government is funded for a few months, the perp walks can start, and a good percentage of the congress, from both parties, are on the list.

[TornadoAlley3]

https://youtu.be/jo_KXyD6-3s

Democrats are fighting for these 3 sistas. Shutdown needed or they will starve.

[MacNaughton]

[Drago]

There is no fiscal responsibility left in Washington, D.C....”Freedom Caucus”/Tea Party/Rand Paul type politicians are far too few & far between. The only way out of $38 Trillion in debt is to inflate it down or do the new treasury bill backed crypto stable coin (”GENIUS Act”) “debt devaluation” plan. (CBDC’s by another name).

More info. on the possible “new way out” here:

https://youtu.be/enUgDZ4ULCc?si=sQ97zssz6G0KWBWT

https://www.kansascityfed.org/research/economic-bulletin/stablecoins-could-increase-treasury-demand-but-only-by-reducing-demand-for-other-assets/

https://youtu.be/GyiIT3EZdwA?si=qRHv3RdK_qjVsaIg

[drSteve78]

the Affordable Care Act was never actually affordable..

If this was in the banking/ auto loan business, requiring paperwork labeled Truth in Lending, this monstrosity of a “”Must Vote for it to See What ‘s in it”: would be called
the Unaffordable Care Act

Democrats have a devious habit of labeling just about anything Exactly What It Isn’t 🪳

[Political Junkie Too]

the Affordable Care Act was never actually affordable..

Actually, it's called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and I have yet to find out how it protected patients.

-PJ

[The Great RJ]

The old leftist BS that tax cuts don’t grow the economy as if higher government spending and higher taxes do produce a growing GDP. Historically tax revenues are almost a flat percentage of GDP regardless of the marginal tax rates (Hausers law) and higher tax rates eventually decrease tax revenues (Laffer Curve). From JFK to Reagan and now Trump tax cuts stimulate economic growth by putting money back into the consumers pocket.

[Bob Wills is still the king]

Here’s the nugget in the opinion piece:

“In a CBS-YouGov poll released Sunday, only 9 percent identified government spending as the most important issue facing the country. Why would anyone be worried, given that both parties have effectively disassociated spending from revenue? The likeliest outcome of the shutdown is that both sides agree to spend more money without paying for it, let alone being honest with voters about the tradeoffs too many have ignored for too long.”

This isn’t the first report published about the growing debt, but it’s one of a few that identifies the level of support for taking any action based on its financial impact to our budget, deficit, or national debt.