WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government had ceased operations, andDonald Trumpwas urging Democrats and Republicans to collaborate in order to escape the situation.

“Individuals need to be brought together in a space, and you must simply strike agreements for the benefit of the nation,” Trump stated.

The year was 2013, and Trump was previously a business magnate who had not yet ventured into politics. Now that he is president, Trump and his party are adopting a markedly different stance, declining to engage in discussions with Democrats in ashutdownthat the Republicans claim they initiated.

Last year, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer was condemning ideologues who “strangely think that causing a shutdown is somehow beneficial, if it helps them achieve their goals.” Now, Schumer and most of his Democratic colleagues are refusing to support bills that would reopen and finance the government because they desirehealth care provisions included.

If you’ve spent enough time in Washington, you’ve probably debated both perspectives on a government shutdown. Both parties have utilized the threat of shutdowns to push for a desired policy result, and both sides havedecried the otherfor the same reason. No one enjoys a government shutdown, yet both parties claim that the American public supports their position—regardless of whether the public actually backs the shutdown or not.

Everyone tends to make the error of thinking their position is morally right, which prevents them from seeing the truth about shutdowns,” said Brendan Buck, who worked as a senior advisor to House Speakers John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Paul Ryan, R-Wis. “It’s a political communication strategy presented as a negotiation method, but there’s very little proof that it actually helps with policy-making. It’s more of a way to express what matters to you.

A small number of politicians — with the exception of the few moderates who consistently resist shutdown tactics — are not affected.

When Senator JD Vance was the Vice President last yearand Congress, once more, stood at the edge of a funding shutdown, he made a strong argument for utilizing government funds as a tool to achieve Republican priorities.

Why shouldn’t we be pushing this government shutdown battle to achieve something beneficial for the American public?” Vance questioned during a September 2024 podcast discussion. “What’s the point of having a government if it isn’t operating effectively?

Vance is adopting a significantly different strategy these days. When he stood alongside Republican leaders at the White House earlier in the week, he stated that it was “not reasonable” for Democrats to use their suggestions “as a tool to force a government shutdown unless we grant you everything you desire.”

In 2013, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts, who was serving her initial term at the time, stated during a speech on the floor that the “minimum we can accomplish” would be to approve a temporary funding bill “to maintain operations and keep the lights running.”

Currently, Warren has cast her vote against a temporary funding measure supported by Republican lawmakers and the White House on two occasions.

Democrats are present at the negotiation table. We don’t have an extensive list of requirements. We aren’t suggesting we need to locate additional funds,” Warren posted on the social media platform X. “We simply want Republicans to reinstate the health care coverage they removed from millions of Americans.

What differs in each shutdown situation is the particular policy that the initiating party aims to achieve.

In the fall of 2013, Republicans, led by Texas Senator Ted Cruz and conservative members of the House, strongly pushed for any government funding bill to remove funds from the Affordable Care Act, resulting in a 16-day shutdown. In January 2018, it was the Democrats who demanded that any government spending bill include legal protections for young immigrants referred to as “Dreamers.” However, Trump refused to engage in negotiations, and the shutdown concluded after three days.

In the latter part of Trump’s initial presidency, he sought funding for a border wall that legislators refused to support. Trump claimed he would “be the one to shut it down” during conflicts with congressional officials about who would be accountable for the government shutdowns. This partial shutdown continued for 35 days.

A recurring pattern is that the political party responsible for initiating a government shutdown typically does not achieve its desired outcomes. The Affordable Care Act remained intact, with Democrats only securing a vote on safeguarding “Dreamers,” while Trump was compelled to announce a national emergency in order to secure funding for his border wall. If history serves as a guide, this implies that Democrats may not obtain their objectives this time around: an extension of health care subsidies for individuals who buy coverage through the Affordable Care Act, along with the reversal of Medicaid reductions introduced by the Republican-led tax law earlier this year.

Michael Thorning, who previously worked for former Senator Tom Udall, D-N.M., stated that he thinks government shutdowns are occurring more frequently because both Democrats and Republicans have realized “the public won’t hold them accountable at the ballot box.”

It’s difficult to identify any clear pattern of public responsibility there,” said Thorning, who is now the director of the structural democracy initiative at the Bipartisan Policy Center. “I believe this has likely lessened the risk associated with what was considered a very aggressive approach.

When asked for a response regarding Trump’s past comments on shutdowns, the White House press office did not provide an immediate reply. Their main press line sent an automated message stating that “due to the Democrat Shutdown, the usual 24/7 monitoring of this press inbox may face delays.”

Later, spokeswoman Abigail Jackson stated, “Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are so eager to divert attention from their choice to close down the government that they’re having the AP publish articles about their outdated Instagram posts.” She was referring to apostfrom Schumer’s post that included Trump’s remarks from 2013.

Here’s the reality: Democrats caused a government shutdown because they seek free healthcare for undocumented immigrants and they are aware it negatively affects American citizens,” Jackson stated. “Just pay attention to their own words.

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