Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) was already pessimistic about the Schumer Shutdown ending any time soon, but now he's downright bleak. Kennedy previously predicted that the shutdown would likely end relatively soon, but now has officially thrown that timeline out the window.
"Whatever I said last night, forget it," Kennedy told reporters Friday evening. "We're going to be here for a long time."
Just Thursday evening on Fox News, Kennedy thought things were looking up. He figured the shutdown would drag on for at least 10 more days, maybe two weeks, possibly a bit longer. He pointed out that he'd voted 14 times to reopen the government, while Democrats voted 14 times to keep it closed.
Kennedy believes flight cancellations will ratchet up the pressure on both sides to find a way out of this disaster. That's about the only silver lining he can offer, because otherwise both parties are dug in deep. The Senate convened Saturday for the first time on a weekend since this whole fiasco began more than a month ago. Kennedy didn't expect any deal to materialize.
"I'm not kidding, you guys," he said. "This shutdown is going to last a long time."
Democratic resistance hardened after election victories earlier in the week. Instead of treating their wins as an opportunity to govern and compromise, Democrats decided electoral success means they can squeeze the public even harder. They're viewing their victories as a mandate to dig in rather than a responsibility to find common ground.
Republicans keep offering deals. Democrats keep blocking them. The pattern has become predictable and infuriating. Democrats aren't just rejecting reasonable proposals. They're making absurd demands that reveal their true game plan.
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On Friday, Democrats floated a one-year extension that would keep Obama subsidies rolling straight up to the 2026 midterm election cycle. The cynicism is staggering. Come next fall, they'd have another golden opportunity to weaponize government funding against Republicans. They could threaten another shutdown to energize their base or force the GOP into accepting a longer, potentially permanent extension in order to boost turnout for the midterm elections. It was a calculated move to maintain leverage and create future crisis points they can exploit — all while throwing more money at a problem they created.
Meanwhile, federal workers continue going without paychecks, while essential services teeter on the brink. Real people are suffering real consequences, while Democrats play political games with their livelihoods.
There was talk about moderate Democrats breaking ranks and helping end this standoff. That turned out to be another false hope. The party is too beholden to the radical left to fund the government without extracting every concession they want. Any Democrat who might consider working across the aisle gets dragged back into line by the far left wing that controls the party.
Kennedy's revised prediction paints a grim picture. The shutdown that's already lasted more than a month shows no signs of ending. Both sides remain entrenched, with Republicans voting to reopen the government while Democrats keep voting to keep it closed. Democrats have calculated that prolonging this crisis serves their political interests better than resolving it.
Flight cancellations might eventually force action, but Kennedy isn't counting on it happening quickly. The suffering will have to intensify before Democrats feel enough pressure to negotiate in good faith. Until then, federal workers and the American people are collateral damage in a political strategy that prioritizes partisan advantage over governing.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown has now been dragging on over a month. Democrats aren’t negotiating in good faith, and seem determined to hold the country hostage while blaming the GOP.
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