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After 43 days with the government’s lights off, I’m sure at least one sentiment is shared among both parties: Let’s never do that again.
It shattered the previous record of a 35-day long shutdown during the first Trump administration, and initial reports predict it cost the U.S. up to $30 billion in economic activity. Millions of families experienced food insecurity and federal workers across the country went without paychecks.
To say the least, it was a rough time. So now lawmakers are beginning to reflect on the lessons learned — and how we avoid a similar shutdown in the future. (Remember: Next deadline is in January.)
“Hopefully there’s lessons learned for my Democratic colleagues. This was largely used as a messaging opportunity,” Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, told my colleague Jason Swensen in Utah this week. “Democrats wanted the longest shutdown in history to be able to try to blame Republicans for health care costs. … And we used hard-working Americans, — federal workers, military service members, air traffic controllers — used their pay as leverage to get that message out, and hopefully they recognize that they didn’t get any farther doing that, than not."
That sentiment was shared among many lawmakers. Essentially: Let’s not use federal workers as bargaining chips.
Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, told my colleague Brigham Tomco this week that although shutdowns have “traditionally been a Republican tool” one of the problems is that “a shutdown punishes the wrong people.”
We also might see some new legislation popping up over the next few weeks seeking to change how shutdowns work. We’ve seen bills in the past, including from Curtis, that would create a baseline budget that restarts each fiscal year, leaving the current spending levels intact unless Congress passes a new budget. That way, we’d avoid a shutdown altogether.
Other senators have introduced bills like the “Prevent Government Shutdowns Act” and “Ban Government Shutdowns Act” to do similar things. Essentially, you would just see funding levels continue until a new budget is passed.
Meanwhile, some lawmakers want to pass certain guardrails to prevent the mass food insecurity and financial strain that millions of people experienced over the last few weeks.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said that should be addressed: “This has been a harrowing experience for tens of millions of Americans, and we have to make sure if this ever happens again, that federal food assistance doesn’t lapse. And maybe we just need to take that off the table.”
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told a few reporters that if he “were king for a day,” he would make it so “members of Congress can’t be paid” and “members of Congress cannot leave (Washington, D.C.) unless there’s a family emergency.”
“I think if you did that, you would really shorten the shutdown substantially, I really do,” he said.
I’ve heard those kinds of ideas from several lawmakers over the course of the shutdown, and many — including some in the Utah delegation — refused to accept their constitutionally mandated paychecks for the duration of the closure.
When I asked some appropriators what they wanted done differently in the future, they mostly just wanted more time to work.
“In the end, you’ve just got to do the work. We got all the bills done,” Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., who leads the House Appropriations Committee, told me this week. “I’ve talked to our leadership, we need more floor time, just to be honest with you, to get these bills out there.”
The motivation right now is obviously high to make some changes after coming out of the six-week shutdown, but we’ll have to watch and see if any of these stick.
— Cami Mondeaux, with some help from friends.
Stories driving the week
- Shutdown is over: President Donald Trump signed the spending resolution to reopen the government until the end of January, officially ending the 43-day shutdown that has plagued the federal government and brought agencies across the country to a halt.
- Blue-tah? A district court judge rejected a new congressional map drawn by the Utah Legislature on Monday night in favor of one provided by nonprofit groups that likely ensures a Democratic seat in Salt Lake County.
- Epstein files: The discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files received its 218th and final signature after the swearing-in of Arizona Rep. Adelita Grijalva on Wednesday. A vote is expected next week.
House got jammed by Senate — they want to jam back
The deal to open the government seemed to come together rather quickly. And because of that, the Senate managed to sneak in some language to the spending bill that is not going over well with their Republican counterparts in the House.
Catch up: Tucked into the funding bill to reopen the government is a provision that would allow senators to sue any federal department or agency for seizing phone records without prior notice — with each payment coming out to $500,000 per violation. The language came in direct response to revelations earlier this year that former special counsel Jack Smith had obtained phone records of eight senators without their knowledge as part of his investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.
The only problem? They didn’t tell House Republicans this would be in there. And boy are they upset about it.
“I think there’s gonna be a lot of people, if they look and understand this, are gonna see it as self-serving, self-dealing kind of stuff,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said on Tuesday. “It’s why people have such a low opinion of this town.”
It even prompted Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., to switch his vote on the spending resolution and vote against it on Wednesday.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., sought to quell that anger, telling reporters he was frustrated, too. So, the top House Republican is going to bring up a bill next week to repeal that provision.
But … that would need to be approved by Republicans in the Senate, who wanted this language in the first place. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., specifically approved the language in the bill, according to Politico, making it uncertain if he would even bring that bill to the Senate floor for a vote.
It’s something to watch for — and something that will likely cause some fighting between the two chambers.
Quick hits
From the Hill: Ben McAdams launches comeback bid. … Another state Democrat jumps into the race to flip Utah House seat. … Republicans eye health care reform as Democrats push to extend Obamacare subsidies.
From the White House: Trump asks Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu’s corruption charges from 2020. … Epstein emails show correspondence with Trump in yearslong exchange. … Trump issues mass pardons to allies in 2020 election probe.
From the courts: Reagan-appointed federal judge resigns citing Trump’s ‘assault on the rule of law’. … Supreme Court hears arguments on religious liberty in prison. … Supreme Court rejects case challenging same-sex marriage.
What’s next
We are so back. The House will return Monday and will be in session all week. We expect votes on Epstein files, reversing that Senate phone-records provision, and other bills that have been collecting dust for 53 days.
The Senate is back Tuesday afternoon. They’ll keep going through some lower-level nomination votes.
As always, feel free to reach out to me by email with story ideas or questions you have for lawmakers. And follow me on X for breaking news and timely developments from the Hill.