President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans could complicate matters for Democratic-led states if a government shutdown occurs.
On Tuesday, Trump canceled a scheduled meeting with Democratic leaders on funding, saying he had reviewed “the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands.”
Federal funding is set to expire at midnight on Oct. 1 unless lawmakers approve a seven-week continuing resolution to keep the government open.
Republicans are pushing for a “clean” continuing resolution, a position Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) backed when Democrats held the majority. Democrats are now seeking to include Obamacare subsidies in the measure, Newsmax reported.
“I’d be much more worried if I were a blue state. The president has a lot of discretionary power on what he declares is … essential,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said after being asked about a shutdown’s impact on his state, The Hill reported. “We do not want a shutdown.”
If a shutdown occurs, GOP leaders appear prepared to mirror Democrats’ tactics from 2013, when President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) blamed Republicans for attempting to defund Obamacare.
At the time, Democrats closed high-profile attractions, including the World War II Memorial and Smithsonian museums, to underscore the impact.
In a potential shutdown, Trump could order parts of the government closed and require employees to work without pay, The Hill reported. Some Democrats have expressed concern their party is not well-positioned to weather the political fallout.
“I don’t believe Democrats are truly prepared for what they’re walking into because there’s no exit strategy. When you’re the party who believes in government and, more specifically, the good that government can do through funding, you’re already at a disadvantage,” a former senior Democrat aide told the outlet.
“[Trump’s] microphone is a lot bigger than Democrats’ right now. … That is my concern. This is a high-stakes game of poker, and Trump would go in with like a 2-7, but it just so happens that I think he has a stronger hand. I feel as though Democrats have walked into this without looking at their cards,” the former aide added.
For decades, Democrats have followed a reliable path to the White House: securing California, New York, and Illinois, adding key states in the upper Midwest, and edging close to 270 electoral votes.
However, by 2032, that formula may no longer be effective, according to a report.
“Population shifts, reapportionment after the 2030 Census, and aggressive redistricting are reshaping the political map in ways that could leave Democrats with far fewer paths to victory,” the report noted.