Government shutdown becomes longest in history

The federal government shutdown broke the record for the longest in history Wednesday, when it hit 36 days.

“It’s a sad record that we broke,” said Casey Burg, the Legislative Affairs Program director at George Washington University. “It’s just another example of not only the polarization between the two parties, but the inability for Congress to perform even its most basic duties.”

The government shutdown began in October when Congress failed to pass any of the 12 annual appropriations bills that keep the federal government funded.

The Republican-led House passed a temporary funding bill that would keep the government funded at the same levels into November, giving more time to negotiate a full-year appropriations bill. However, it stalled in the Senate, where Democrats are pushing for the expiration of health insurance subsidies to be addressed in the funding bill.

For several decades, Congress has become increasingly reliant on last-minute deals or continuing resolutions, Burg said, and there is less incentive to compromise with the other party.

“There’s increased evidence that being seen as a compromiser is the fastest way to lose your job,” he said.

The second-longest shutdown was in 2019 during the last Trump administration.

Lengthy shutdowns reflect the increased partisanship in American politics; there is a historically low number of competitive seats in the House of Representatives, which means the majority of House members are playing toward primary voters who don’t want compromise, according to Burg. But it’s also reflective of the many factions within the parties, and President Donald Trump is also a factor, he said.

“He treats this as a negotiation like in a business setting and there’s clear differences between what he’s used to and how he’s used to negotiating versus the political and electoral obstacles that a lot of his other folks involved in the process are constantly facing,” Burg said.

Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., has said repeatedly that Trump should bring congressional leaders together for negotiation.

“Instead, we’ve seen the president jet-setting across the globe, building a new ballroom, and bailing out Argentina — while House Republicans have been out of session for more than 45 days,” Luján said in a statement Wednesday.

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., also urged Republicans to come to the negotiating table, blaming the shutdown’s length on Republicans’ “refusal to engage in good faith negotiations.”

New Mexico GOP Chair Amy Barela continues to call for New Mexico’s senators to vote in favor of the Republican funding bill.

“It’s time for Senators Heinrich and Luján to prioritize the American people over their left-wing agenda — our federal workers are suffering right now because of it,” Barela said in a statement Wednesday.

Cathy Cook covers the federal government for the Albuquerque Journal. Reach her via email at ccook@abqjournal.com.