The Schumer Shutdown Was Utterly Stupid and Accomplished Absolutely Nothing

Basically, millions of highly agitated Americans are going to ask themselves why go through with this exercise that caused so much heartburn?

Mariam Zuhaib/AP
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks with reporters about the government shutdown at Washington, D.C. on November 4, 2025. Mariam Zuhaib/AP

The Schumer shutdown is one of the dumbest things I have ever seen.

Even by Washington standards, this was so foolish.

Even by Schumerian standards, which is a very low bar, this shutdown was utterly stupid. Millions of Americans were highly aggravated.

It accomplished absolutely nothing. With a few bells and whistles, the original Speaker Mike Johnson House CR bill is the one that’s gonna pass, the speaker will be here in just a moment.

The Democrats did not get the $1.5 trillion spending add-on they wanted. They did not get health spending for illegal immigrants.

They did not undo the able-bodied Medicaid requirements. They did not undo the Trumpian one, big, beautiful bill. As far as I can tell, they didn’t get anything.

Oh wait a minute, according to reports, they did get a promise from Majority Leader Thune that they could get a vote on a bill of their choice. That could mean an Obamacare spending bill.

Maybe it could mean a vote on some other subject. Perhaps Democrats would like a vote on a third term for President Trump.

Sounds like a good idea to me. But it’s up to them.

Now, the people who suffered through this Schumerian catastrophe were all manner of furloughed federal workers, who had to go without pay. Military people in harm’s way. Delays for food stamps and WIC. A complete mess with air traffic controllers illegally walking off the job in protest of their missed payments. The cancellation of a quadrillion flights all across the country that infuriated ordinary folks.

By the way, the president has threatened to fine the air controllers who walked off the job. I remember Ronald Reagan firing the whole lot of them when they illegally went on strike back in the ’80s.

Mr. Trump is offering a $10,000 bonus to those who stayed on the job. That sounds like a good idea.

But basically, millions of highly agitated Americans are gonna ask themselves why go through with this utterly stupid exercise that caused so much heartburn.

Fortunately, Mr. Trump and the Republican majorities in the House and Senate refused to cave in to Schumeresque blackmail to try to keep spending all that money on Obamacare, and healthcare in general without any serious debate.

And one idea I really like from Mr. Trump, is to let healthcare spending go directly to individuals, perhaps through their health savings accounts, but not through the health insurance industry and the failed system with runaway costs that industry has engendered. 

From Mr. Kudlow’s broadcast on Fox Business Network.


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