COLUMN: When America Paralyzes Itself, No One Wins

Forty-three days of hell

This latest government shutdown comes just a few months after the longest in U.S. history. From October 1 to November 13, 2025, the United States experienced forty-three days of budgetary paralysis. Forty-three days during which approximately 900,000 federal employees were furloughed, and an additional 700,000 were placed on unpaid leave. Forty-three days during which military personnel continued to work without pay, SNAP (food assistance) benefits were suspended, and air traffic controllers were forced to work unpaid overtime until they were exhausted. The consequences were devastating: more than 3,300 flights canceled, tens of thousands of delays, and government employees forced to find second jobs as Uber drivers or DoorDash delivery drivers just to get by.

An astronomical economic cost

The 2025 shutdown cost the U.S. economy approximately $15 billion per week, according to Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council. Each week of the shutdown reduced economic growth by 0.2 percentage points. National parks were left neglected, federal museums were closed, and public health services were suspended. The National Nuclear Security Administration, responsible for the security of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, had furloughed 1,400 of its 1,800 employees, leaving only 400 staff members to maintain the nuclear warheads. A surreal and dangerous situation.

Forty-three days. Forty-three days during which the most powerful country in the world behaved like a banana republic incapable of managing its own affairs. And now, barely three months later, here we go again. It’s sheer madness.

A President Under Pressure

Donald Trump may be urging Congress to pass the budget bill “without delay” and “without changes,” but political reality is stubborn. The U.S. president stated on Truth Social: “We must reopen the government, and I hope that all Republicans and Democrats will join me in supporting this bill.” But his calls have fallen on deaf ears. Trump even warned that “no changes are possible at this stage” to the budget bill, as discontent is brewing even within his own camp. Several lawmakers from the ultra-conservative fringe are threatening to oppose the bill because they categorically refuse to renegotiate the DHS budget—a demand that is nonetheless central to the Democrats’ position.

Mike Johnson Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson finds himself in an untenable position. With the arrival of a new Democratic representative following a special election in Texas, Johnson knows he cannot afford to lose more than one vote from his own party. Yet several Republican lawmakers have already announced their opposition. Johnson had nevertheless expressed optimism over the weekend, insisting that they would “manage to wrap all this up by Tuesday.” He even went so far as to describe the expected vote as a “formality.” But the reality on the political ground is far more complex than his optimistic predictions.

Trump is pushing, Johnson is reassuring, but in the end, no one is really making a move. It’s the usual game in Washington: a lot of noise, a lot of statements, but little concrete action. Meanwhile, people are suffering.

A Red Line That Cannot Be Crossed

The Democrats have drawn a clear red line: no budget for DHS without ICE reforms. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic minority leader, declared on the floor: “Enough is enough. What ICE is doing, outside the legal framework, is state-sanctioned brutality, and it must stop.” ” He described ICE agents as “thugs roaming our streets”—strong words that reflect his party’s anger following the deaths in Minneapolis. The Democrats are calling, in particular, for the systematic use of body cameras, a ban on the wearing of balaclavas, and a requirement that a court warrant precede any arrest of migrants. Common-sense measures for some, political blackmail for others.

The Bitter Memory of 2025

The Democrats have not forgotten the 2025 government shutdown. At the time, after forty-three days of deadlock, a few Democratic senators ultimately voted for a budget bill drafted by the Republicans, in exchange for promises of concessions on health insurance subsidies. Their decision was heavily criticized by many Democratic supporters, who wanted to see more vigorous opposition to Donald Trump. This time, the opposition seems determined not to give in so easily. The events in Minneapolis have strengthened their resolve and given them a powerful moral argument.

The Democrats are right to stand firm on Minneapolis. Two American citizens have died, killed by federal agents. That’s no small matter. It’s non-negotiable. But at the same time, I wonder if shutting down the entire government is really the best strategy. The collateral victims of this standoff are government employees, families who depend on social assistance, and ordinary people.

The ultra-conservative wing is putting up a fight

While the Democrats are blocking the budget bill, the Republicans are not united either. Several lawmakers from the ultra-conservative fringe have threatened to oppose the bill because they categorically refuse to renegotiate the Department of Homeland Security’s budget. For them, yielding on this point would be an unacceptable capitulation to Democratic demands. Rep. Chip Roy has been particularly vocal, accusing the Democrats of “playing political games” and holding the DHS “hostage.” This internal division further complicates the task facing Mike Johnson, who must juggle the demands of his party’s right wing with the need to find a compromise with the opposition.

The specter of the 2025 government shutdown

Republicans have not forgotten the 2025 government shutdown either. At the time, the stalemate lasted forty-three days because Democratic senators opposed planned cuts to Social Security and refused to vote on the budget. The shutdown ended only after a few Democratic senators agreed to vote for a Republican bill in exchange for promises of concessions. But this time, Republicans know that Democrats are more determined, galvanized by the events in Minneapolis. The risk of another prolonged shutdown therefore looms over Washington.

The Republicans are in a bind. They cannot back down on the DHS without losing face with their base, but neither can they allow the government to remain paralyzed indefinitely. It’s the perfect stalemate—the kind of situation where everyone loses.

The Nightmare Begins Again

For federal employees, this new shutdown is a nightmare all over again. Many have not yet fully recovered financially from the 2025 shutdown, which lasted forty-three days. At the time, approximately 900,000 federal employees were furloughed, and an additional 700,000 were placed on unpaid leave. All of them had to wait until the budget impasse ended to receive their pay. Some were forced to dip into their savings, while others had to find a second job to pay their bills and cover their healthcare costs. Air traffic controllers became Uber drivers, and Pentagon employees became DoorDash delivery drivers.

An Unsustainable Situation

This time, government employees know what to expect—and it may be even worse. They know the shutdown could last for weeks, or even months. They know their paychecks won’t be issued until Congress reaches an agreement. They know that some will have to keep working, while others will have to stay home, with no guarantee of when the situation will be resolved. Members of Congress, on the other hand, continue to be paid during the shutdown under a 1983 law. On average, they earn $174,000 a year, while the government employees they’re supposed to represent are wondering how they’ll pay their rent.

This is where the system reveals its full injustice. The elected officials who caused the shutdown continue to be paid, while government employees who did nothing to bring this on find themselves without a paycheck. It’s indecent. It’s outrageous. And it should be illegal.

A Country Gripping Up

The consequences of a government shutdown extend far beyond federal employees. The entire country is gradually grinding to a halt. National parks remain open but lack sufficient staff to ensure visitor safety. Federal museums are closing their doors. Public health services are suspended. SNAP benefits, which help millions of Americans put food on the table, are at risk of being cut off, just as they were in 2025. Military personnel continue to work but are no longer being paid. Air traffic controllers, already exhausted from the previous shutdown, are once again forced to work unpaid overtime. Air travel is beginning to experience delays and cancellations.

Skyrocketing Economic Costs

The economic cost of a shutdown is astronomical. In 2025, each week of the shutdown cost the U.S. economy approximately $15 billion. Each week reduced economic growth by 0.2 percentage points. Businesses saw their activity decline, tourists canceled their trips, and investors grew anxious. And now, barely three months after the end of the record-breaking shutdown, the country is poised to relive the same scenario. Economists are alarmed, the markets are worried, but in Washington, elected officials continue to play political games.

Fifteen billion dollars a week. Fifteen billion going up in smoke because elected officials can’t reach an agreement. Fifteen billion that could have been used to improve schools, hospitals, and infrastructure. It’s a complete and utter waste.

The Weariness of Americans

Americans are tired. Tired of these repeated government shutdowns, tired of these political battles that lead nowhere, tired of seeing their country paralyze itself over and over again. The 2025 shutdown was the eleventh in modern U.S. history—and the longest of them all. The one in February 2026 is the twelfth. How many more budget deadlocks will it take before elected officials realize that this system no longer works? How many more government employees will have to suffer before a lasting solution is found? Polls show that the majority of Americans are fed up with these political deadlocks, but their voices don’t seem to be reaching Washington.

A System in Need of Reform

The problem is structural. Since 1977, the federal budget has been composed of 12 separate appropriations bills, all of which must be approved by members of Congress. Political polarization has made this process increasingly difficult, regularly forcing lawmakers to pass appropriations bills that simply extend previous ones to avoid blocking funding for government operations. But this patchwork system no longer works. What’s needed is a fundamental reform—a new way of managing the budget that no longer allows a minority of elected officials to hold the entire country hostage. But who will have the political courage to launch such a reform?

The system is broken. Everyone knows it, everyone sees it, but no one is doing anything to fix it. It’s like watching a train hurtle toward a wall, telling yourself it will eventually stop on its own. Except the train isn’t stopping, and the wall is getting closer.

When No One Wins

This latest government shutdown perfectly illustrates the impasse America finds itself in. The Democrats are right to demand reforms to ICE in the wake of the deaths in Minneapolis. The Republicans are right to want to fund the Department of Homeland Security. But neither side is right to shut down the entire government to push its agenda. In this political war, there are only losers: federal employees who are no longer being paid, Americans who depend on public services, the economy that is suffering, and democracy itself, which loses a little more credibility with every crisis. Donald Trump may well pressure Congress to act “without delay,” but as long as the divisions remain so deep, as long as the system remains so dysfunctional, shutdowns will continue to occur one after another.

I don’t know how long this shutdown will last. Three days, three weeks, three months? What I do know is that it will last too long. Too long for government employees waiting for their paychecks. Too long for families who depend on social assistance. Too long for a country that deserves better than this pathetic spectacle. America is paralyzing itself, and no one wins. No one.

Signed, Jacques Provost