And Why Republicans Are Standing Back and Watching the Democrats Burn
The ongoing government shutdown drama has reignited a common myth in Washington: that the GOP needs 60 votes in the Senate to fund the government. That’s false. If Republicans truly wanted to, they could invoke the so-called “nuclear option” (eliminating the legislative filibuster for appropriations bills) and pass a continuing resolution (CR) with a simple majority. But they haven’t. Why?
Because the current standoff isn’t just about fiscal policy. It’s about political pressure, party survival, and the future of the Democratic Party.
The Filibuster Is Optional So Why Keep It?
Contrary to popular belief, the Senate filibuster is a rule, not a constitutional requirement. With a simple majority, the GOP could change the rules to allow government funding bills to pass with just 51 votes. In fact, this has been done before (most notably by Harry Reid for judicial nominations and Mitch McConnell for Supreme Court picks).
So what’s stopping them now? Strategy. The GOP doesn’t want to “rescue” the Democrats from the mess they’re in. They’d rather let them sweat.
The Democrats Are Cornered
Here’s the reality: Democrats are in a politically precarious position. The current GOP CR maintains spending levels and policies the Biden administration itself previously agreed to, including the continuation of Obamacare subsidies. If Democrats cave and accept the GOP’s terms, their progressive base revolts. If they hold the line and force a prolonged shutdown, they risk alienating moderates and independents.
The worst-case scenario for Democrats? A party-wide fracture that explodes into full-blown civil war ahead of the midterms. Just look at Sen. John Fetterman. And both sides know it.
The Optics War and the Moment for Blame
If Republicans act before the public blames them, they keep the upper hand. But the moment that blame shifts (when the public says “why are we going hungry because Congress can’t agree?”) is the trigger point. And that moment is near.
With roughly 41.7 million to 42 million Americans receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits monthly. If a shutdown drags on and those benefits don’t arrive, the GOP could get tagged with responsibility. The fake news media would work overtime here.
At that inflection point, the GOP has its best move: act decisively, pass a continuing resolution, reopen the government, and claim the mantle of action and pragmatism while Democrats take the hit for disruption and inaction.
That allows Republicans to reframe the benefits narrative not as unchecked government handouts, but as critical assistance for millions of Americans that they preserved when Democrats chose political grandstanding over governance. And while taking the public win, Republicans can quietly begin laying the groundwork for serious reform. Highlighting just how much is spent on SNAP and prompting a national conversation about accountability, work requirements, and who these programs are really serving would set up another political win.
In short: let Democrats fracture, or step in and be seen as the saviors of the people. And when the spotlight turns to those 42 million+ recipients, it’s a chance to recast the program as not just welfare, but as the practical extension of conservative governance doing what it should: helping Americans in need, while keeping government moving.
Who Gets Blamed? History Has the Answer
Historically, the party that makes the demands and triggers a shutdown gets the blame. That rule hasn’t changed. Today, it’s the Democrats who are blocking a resolution they once supported and this time, they’re saying the quiet part out loud.
Senator Bernie Sanders admitted flatly: “Leverage for Democrats is what this whole shutdown is about.” House Minority Whip Katherine Clark took it even further, describing struggling American families mothers without formula, soldiers without paychecks, air traffic controllers working without compensation, as nothing more than “leverage.”
Let that sink in. To the Democrat leadership, the pain of the American people isn’t a crisis; it’s a bargaining chip.
That tone-deafness is why the blame is shifting. The media may continue spinning this as a Republican standoff, but the public isn’t buying it. Democratic approval ratings are tanking, while Trump’s are climbing. People are waking up to who’s really playing games with their livelihoods and it’s not the GOP.
the Conservative TAKE
The GOP doesn’t need 60 votes. They’re simply choosing not to act prematurely. They’re letting the Democrats dig their own grave. If the moment comes when Republicans must act, they have the tools to do so. And when they do, they’ll look like the party that put the country first.
