Who’s to Blame for Prolonging the Government Shutdown?

As the government shutdown enters its third week, media outlets are continuing to place blame on congressional lawmakers, criticizing one or all sides of the political spectrum.

From The Right: Fox News (Right bias) homed in on House Speaker Mike Johnson’s stance that – despite efforts to ensure military and law enforcement payments – “If the Democrats continue to vote to keep the government closed as they have done so many times, then we know US troops are going to risk missing a full paycheck at the end of this month.” The outlet wrote that Democrats’ rejection of a continuing resolution “led to thousands of federal workers being furloughed and several key government services being paused for lack of funds.” An opinion writer for New York Post (Right) blamed both Democrats and Republicans, asserting, “It’s easier to blame your political opponents for brinkmanship than to admit both parties have racked up staggering debts.” She wrote of government shutdowns, “All they accomplish is distraction – masking the far greater debt crisis Congress is refusing to address… Every dollar we borrow today piles new burdens onto tomorrow’s taxpayers and inches us closer to a full-blown fiscal crisis. The shutdown fight may grab media attention, but the real crisis is what’s happening when government is open for business.”

From The Left: An analysis from Politico (Lean Left) said polling suggested, “Democrats’ hardline opposition to rising health care costs isn’t earning them voters’ trust on economic issues,” even though, “Voters blame Republicans more than Democrats for the federal government shutdown.” The outlet wrote, “That dichotomy underscores an electoral hurdle for the party locked out of power: Even as Democrats hold the line over expiring health care subsidies that could send millions of Americans’ insurance prices soaring, voters still favor Republicans on the economy and cost of living.” Washington Post (Lean Left) analysts said Republicans’ stance on the shutdown “stems from several kernels of truth that Republicans have woven into a larger argument aimed at tripping up Democrats and forcing them to capitulate.” However, the writers also suggested that exaggerated and disjointed messaging from the GOP “is why, now, some Republicans are beginning to voice concerns that their party’s shutdown messaging – health care doesn’t need to be fixed, at least right now, for various reasons – is not as cogent as Democrats’ message that costs will increase without a fix.”

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