We took a little end-of-summer break to focus on our Prop. 50 outreach efforts and to gear up for Election Day... and now we are back and better than ever!
Fall is in full swing, with the days getting shorter and the leaves starting to change color. Another feature of the season... threats of a government shutdown.
The modern budget process of Congress was established in 1976, creating a fiscal year for the federal government that begins on October 1st and runs through September 30th of the next year.
In the 49 years since that system was designed, the government has shut down, for more than one business day, four times. However, budget debates and threats of a shutdown are nearly as ubiquitous with autumn as pumpkin spice, especially since the dawn of the Trump years almost 10 years ago.
Today, we are here to debunk some of the facts versus fiction about government shutdowns in the United States.
- A White House statement issued today exclaims that "Democrats are threatening to hold government funding hostage to score political points, ignoring the real-world consequences — barreling our country towards a government shutdown if Republicans don’t adhere to their roughly $1.5 trillion wish list."
FACT: The '$1.5 trillion wish list' that Trump is referring to is the Democrats' demand for protections to healthcare, including tax credits that lower the cost of healthcare through the Affordable Care Act.
There is no research to indicate that this would cost $1.5 trillion.
As for the Democrats "ignoring the real-world consequences"... The Republicans are the ones threatening jobs. The threat of permanent job losses for federal workers impacted by a shutdown "marks a significant break from how shutdowns have been handled in recent decades, when most furloughs were temporary and employees were brought back once Congress voted to reopen government and funding was restored," as reported by Politico.
- Republicans have threatened to eliminate entire sectors of the federal staff if a shutdown does occur. Politico released a memo from The Office of Management and Budget, in which they state their plan to "move to permanently reduce the government workforce if there is a shutdown."
FACT: According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research and policy organization, "a government shutdown does not provide the Administration any additional legal authority to fire federal employees."
The stated plans to eliminate government staff in the event of a shutdown are illegal.
- This morning, Trump blamed the potential for a government shutdown on the 'unreasonable demands' of Democrats: “This is all caused by the Democrats, they asked us to do something unreasonable,” adding that “this is what [Senate Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer wants, this is what the Democrats want.”
FACT: On Tuesday, Trump canceled a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
In a Truth Social post, the President announced that "I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive."
“By refusing to even sit down with Democrats, Donald Trump is causing the shutdown. This is a Trump shutdown," Schumer said, as reported by Politico.
How can Trump form his opinions on the Democrats' demands when he won't even speak with them about it?
Whether the government gets shut down or not, we still have power, and we need to use it. Help us fight back, Democrats. You can check your voter registration status here. Voting is the #1 tool that Americans have against MAGA. The next step in standing up to the Trump administration is setting the record straight; correcting misinformation is a job for us all. If you had this email forwarded, you can sign up for the #TrumpCheck newsletter here.
Stay safe, stay strong, and keep up the good fight, Democrats.
We'll be back at defending the truth next week. Until then, stay tuned to our social media channels, linked below, for updates on the LACDP's fight against Trump.
In Solidarity,
Team LACDP
