The federal government is funded through March 14. Will the Republican House and Senate pass a bill before that deadline? Over the years, Republicans have usually caved to Democrat insane demands rather than be held responsible for a government shutdown. This year, it might be Democrats who make a shutdown happen. Senate Democrat Whip Dick Durbin said, “I never support a shutdown, but I can see where it could happen in this situation. It’s an extreme situation.”

In 2025, a federal government shutdown might be just what President Trump and DOGE Chair Musk want since it can show the American people which federal government services are truly “essential services.”

For nearly 200 years, there were no federal government shutdowns. There were many times when Congress hadn’t passed its appropriation bills by the deadline. Everyone in the government continued along, knowing lawmakers would soon do their job. There was no mass hysteria or media panic.

Image (edited) by Duane Lempke Photography. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Shutdowns as we know them today started with the Carter administration in 1980, when Congress did not approve a spending bill. It was accepted that only government functions that would continue to operate would be those connected to “the safety of human life or the protection of property.” That became known as “essential services.”

This wasn’t a law. It was simply what President Jimmy Carter and his then-Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti thought in 1980 should happen when the government shuts down because of Congress’s failure to vote on a spending bill. Much to Civiletti’s surprise, his opinion became the foundation for future shutdowns.

However, that thinking is from 45 years ago! What Carter and other presidents since 1980 have deemed as “essential services” might not be what the Trump White House Office of Management and Budget views as essential services.

What if ...

• President Trump and DOGE Chair Musk view a government shutdown as a way of defining the federal government’s “essential services”?
• A government shutdown lasts for several weeks and, overall, the American people are not affected?
• The MSM couldn’t promote a shutdown to fit their leftist narrative since the American people now have multiple non-MSM sources for news?
• A government shutdown helps Trump and Musk to show the immense value of the Department of Government Efficiency.

To date, DOGE has saved the federal government more than $55 billion, with more savings to come. Almost daily, DOGE shares insane domestic and international expenditures that anger common sense Americans. A government shutdown could assist the American people to better understand why our $36 trillion federal debt grows by the hour! The only people who might be against a shutdown are Social Security recipients who are more than 120 years old.

Robin M. Itzler is a regular contributor to American Thinker. She is the founder and editor of Patriot Neighbors, a free weekly national newsletter. Robin can be reached at PatriotNeighbors@yahoo.com.