GVPT Experts Provide Insight on Ongoing Federal Government Shutdown

As the federal government shutdown enters its third week, University of Maryland community members are expressing concern over its potential long term economic and social impacts.

The government shutdown began on Oct. 1 after the Senate failed to pass a funding bill. As a result, hundreds of thousands of federal employees are either working without pay, getting furloughed or receiving partial paychecks, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

The political gridlock stems from a contentious debate between Republicans and Democrats over extending health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. The subsidies, which lower people’s health insurance premiums, are set to expire at the end of 2025.

“We’re in a different political climate,” assistant government and politics professor Breanna Gray said. “We have members [of Congress] who are, I think, more inclined to dig in their heels than we’ve seen in previous administrations and in previous congresses, so we may have to buckle up for a real long haul here.”

The polarized political climate, associate government and politics professor David Karol said, is a contributing factor to the shutdown’s intensity.

It used to be more common for bills to be passed with at least some degree of bipartisanship, Karol said. But recently the U.S. has seen that decline, Karol said, referencing how President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” and former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act passed along party lines.

The last lengthy government shutdown was also under the Trump administration and lasted for 35 days in 2018 in his first term.

“It just shows the incompetence of the Trump administration and the Republican Party that under both administrations, his first term and second term, he has had a government shutdown,” said Alexander Randle-Johnson, the university’s College Democrats chapter’s political action director. “It just shows that he’s not really worried about the American people.”

The junior government and politics major added that his ideal outcome would be for the Senate to pass a spending bill and reopen the government without axing the insurance subsidies.

Hannah Vander Wall, president of this university’s Turning Point USA chapter, said Trump’s divisive leadership style likely played into the 2018 shutdown’s length. But she said that is not the case now.

“Our society has become so polarized that I don’t even think it boils down to President Trump anymore,” the junior government and politics major said.

Vander Wall said she would like to see the shutdown end with a deal where everyone’s interests can be represented.

Karol said there are a few different ways the shutdown could end, though he doesn’t expect it to end soon.

One way is if Democrats concede and agree to pass the spending bill without extending the subsidies. Another option would be for both parties to make a deal. Lastly, Republicans could vote to remove the filibuster — the 60 vote threshold needed to pass legislation that allows senators to extend the debate.

If Republicans eliminate the filibuster, they wouldn’t need Democrats to sign off on the spending bill, Karol added.

Associate government and politics professor Kris Miler said Republicans would be hesitant to resort to this solution because when the Democrats eventually win back the Senate, it could be used against them.

“When you’re in the majority, it’s frustrating not to move your agenda because a couple of other people won’t get on board,” Miler said. “You can see where the temptation comes, but because party control does go back and forth, there’s risk in that strategy.”

Pressure to end the shutdown will grow as it impacts more people, Miler added.

The shutdown’s financial implications have also resulted in the federal government using workers’ incomes and lives as “bargaining tools,” said Nick Cosgrove, the co-chair of this university’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter and a sophomore American studies and communication major.

For Randle-Johnson, these impacts hit close to home. His cousin, who works for the Department of Homeland Security, had to take out a bank loan to support herself during the shutdown.

“She’s in limbo, not knowing if she should start looking for another job or not,” Randle-Johnson said.

Gray added that the missed paychecks can have severe consequences on many Americans, especially those who rely on social welfare services. Gray encouraged people to engage with politics and to lobby their Senators and political leaders to push for change.

“When we see the statistics about people living one paycheck away from homelessness, that’s a really jarring concern,” Gray said.

This article was originally published on the Diamondback website.

Published on Fri, 10/24/2025 - 14:17