OP-ED: Everything to know about the federal shutdown
October 27, 2025
Nearly one month into the government shutdown, the second longest in US history, many feel we are nowhere near a consensus to reopen. In reality, we are very close. We have been since Day One. Only a handful of moderate Democrat senators must meet Republicans in the middle and support the clean continuing resolution.
To understand why such a simple task has turned complicated requires examining how we got here. Congress must pass 12 appropriations bills to fund the government. These 12 bills span various priorities and departments, from agriculture and energy to defense and research. With intense gridlock in Congress and a lack of cooperation, we needed extra time to move through the process appropriately and responsibly.
As a standard measure to extend the deadline, President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson called for a clean continuing resolution to temporarily fund the federal government while we work on a new plan. Some Republicans, myself included, would have preferred to see more cuts, as Biden’s government was fraught with waste, fraud, and abuse. Yet, as an olive branch to our Democrat colleagues, we came to the middle and passed the bipartisan resolution — the same one Democrats voted for nearly 15 times in the past, as recently as March of this year.
In fact, back in March, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer justified his support for the CR, stating, “I believe it is my job to make the best choice for the country, to minimize the harms to the American people. Therefore, I will vote to keep the government open and not shut it down.”
Why then has he suddenly made a heel turn, commanding his rank-and-file Democrats to shut down the government? Was there something new hidden in this particular CR, warranting such a tantrum?
No.
In truth, Schumer and his House counterpart, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are losing relevance in their party, which threatens their grip on power. Despite their “leadership” titles, they know the far left is increasingly following radical socialist figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
They want to look like they’re fighting for something, even if all they are doing is hurting Americans.
Their counter proposal, which looks more like ransom demands than actual policy, includes keeping at least 1.4 million illegal immigrants on taxpayer-funded health care, withholding $50 billion from rural hospitals, and sending millions of dollars overseas to fund “LGBTQIA+” propaganda. All told, their proposal would add an additional $1.5 trillion to our debt. As a steward for your tax dollars, I refuse even to consider such waste.
This shutdown, which never should have happened, is already impacting North Carolina families. The Democrats’ internal identity crisis threatens food assistance programs, services for the elderly, and federal employees’ pay. Had it not been for President Trump’s intervention, our military service members would have missed a paycheck.
While some agencies legally cannot provide services, my office is open, working, and ready to help constituents however possible. If you have any questions or think we can help through casework, please reach out.
We cannot and must not cave to the radical political ambitions of New York Democrats like Schumer and Jeffries. I know it, you know it, and believe me, even the Democrats know it. I once again strongly urge every Democrat senator, some of whom describe themselves as moderate, to meet Republicans in the middle and end this disastrous political stunt.
Issues:
Congress