By Claude Tatro / iVoteMyVote
Congress is racing toward another October 1 funding deadline with no full appropriations enacted. A House-passed “clean” continuing resolution (CR) to extend funding through November failed to clear the Senate, and time is short. This standoff is more than procedural — it reflects deep policy fights, procedural realities in the Senate, and rising political pressure that could lead to widespread furloughs, operational slowdowns and measurable economic damage.
Why the Senate Rejected the House “Clean” CR
A “clean” CR simply continues prior funding levels without policy changes. On paper, a short stopgap should be easy to approve. In reality, the Senate faces several hard constraints:
-
Filibuster / 60-vote reality. Most Senate actions need 60 votes to move forward, requiring bipartisan support.
-
Democratic leverage. Democrats are demanding concessions — especially on healthcare and social safety net programs — before agreeing.
-
Leadership pressure. Senate Republicans must satisfy their conservative base while courting Democratic votes, a political balancing act that risks blowback from both sides.
What Democrats Are Asking For — and Why It Costs
Among the Democratic conditions for approving a CR are:
-
Extension of ACA enhanced tax credits, potentially costing billions over time.
-
Reversal of Medicaid and social program cuts, carrying significant long-term costs.
-
Targeted increases for public services and health funding, smaller in scale but politically symbolic.
Republicans warn these demands would break budget caps; Democrats argue they are restorations of essential programs.
The Estimated Cost of a Shutdown
Shutdowns have real, measurable economic costs:
-
GDP losses. Each week of shutdown can disrupt billions of dollars in U.S. economic activity. Past shutdowns (e.g., 2018–19) left a lasting GDP dent of several billion.
-
Federal costs. Back pay for furloughed workers and restart expenses also run into the billions.
Bottom line: a multi-week shutdown could easily cost the nation tens of billions in lost productivity and direct expenses.
What Would Stop — and What Would Continue
Continue (essential/excepted):
-
Military and defense operations
-
Border and law enforcement
-
Social Security, Medicare, veterans’ benefits
-
Air traffic control and safety-critical services
Stop or scale back (nonessential/discretionary):
-
National parks, museums, and public services
-
Routine research, grants, and data collection (e.g., labor statistics)
-
Many regulatory and compliance functions
-
Health agencies like NIH and CDC would furlough major portions of staff, crippling research and response capacity
The Presidential Threat to Fire “Non-Essential” Workers
Recent White House rhetoric included threats to fire federal workers deemed “non-essential” if funding lapses. While legal and practical barriers make such mass firings unlikely, the statement is a political weapon meant to pressure negotiations. The threat risks damaging morale, further eroding trust in government service, and escalating tensions instead of solving them.
A Call to Action: Tell Congress to Do Its Job
At iVoteMyVote, we believe government works best when citizens remind elected officials that their first responsibility is to keep the government running. Repeated reliance on stop-gap measures and partisan stalemates have driven Congressional approval to historic lows — often in the teens.
This is where voters matter. Every Senator must hear from the people they represent. If you believe Congress is failing in its most basic duty, pick up the phone, send an email, or use your Senator’s online contact form. Tell them:
-
Stop using shutdowns as political leverage.
-
Pass responsible funding without delay.
-
Focus on governing, not grandstanding.
It takes only a few minutes to send a message, but thousands of voices together can shift the political calculus.
IVMV urges you: Contact your Senators today. Let them know you expect a functioning government, not another manufactured crisis. Your voice is not just your right — it is your power.
