CD323: Shutdown Bad

Congressional Dish

Jennifer Briney

News, Congress, Government, Politics, Corporations

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 25 September 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Congress is once again playing with fire, and this time it’s the Democrats holding the match. In today’s episode, I’m sounding the alarm about a looming government shutdown that could hit at midnight on September 30th. History tells us shutdowns backfire on the party that demands partisan add-ons to must-pass funding bills, yet Democrats are betting they can use that same failed strategy and escape the blame. I’ll walk you through the shutdown showdowns of the past decade, explain what’s different—and more dangerous—about this moment, and lay out the real costs to workers, taxpayers, and the stability of our government. Most importantly, I’ll explain why keeping the government open isn’t just smart politics—it’s essential for protecting our government. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via Support Congressional Dish via (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: [email protected] Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or [email protected] Use your bank’s online bill pay function to mail contributions to: Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Contact Your Members of Congress: (202) 224-3121

Transcript

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0:00.0	And now, after watching the Republicans shut down the government to get dingleberries into law,
0:04.5	the Democrats are prepared to shut down the government to get dingleberries into law,
0:08.5	although this one is even more stupid because this strategy has never even worked for Republicans.
0:13.6	As you heard from Jim McGovern in 2018,
0:16.4	Democrats have long argued that shutdowns are unfair to workers,
0:20.3	and that the government shouldn't be used as leverage to get partisan policies into law, and that shutdowns as leverage don't work.
0:26.7	And yet, here they are, using government as leverage to get partisan policies into law, regardless of workers and the total failure of the strategy ever working in the past.
0:37.4	The hypocrisy of the Democrats is just overwhelming.
0:41.0	I am so damn tired of being lied to.
0:49.3	I don't think I can deny it anymore.
1:04.0	You can't stick to your story if you think it flies.
1:10.0	But I'm not going to buy it anymore.
1:16.6	Hello, my friend, and thank you for listening to the 323 episode of Congressional Dish.
1:17.7	I'm your host, Jennifer Bryny.
1:24.6	And today's episode is a warning, because as I record this on Tuesday, September 23rd, our Congress is not working, and we are on the verge of a government
1:29.2	shutdown. And I feel like I'm losing my mind, because a shutdown at this particular moment in
1:35.1	time is extraordinarily dangerous. And right now, the Democrats in Congress have the power to
1:41.5	stop it. In the 119th Congress, which is fully controlled by the Republicans,
1:47.0	Democrats have had very little power to do anything. But keeping the government open,
1:53.2	this they can do. And yet there is a very real chance that they are going to instead use
1:59.8	their power to shut the government
2:01.7	down and hope that we will all blame Republicans. And to be fair, Republicans have taken the
	...

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