Why you should take a shutdown seriously

The Playbook Podcast

POLITICO

News, Daily News, Politics, Government

3.9 • 699 Ratings

🗓️ 24 September 2025

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

With just days left before a federal funding lapses, a government shutdown is looking more and more likely. There’s no deal in sight that would deliver the Democratic votes to make it through the Senate, top congressional leaders aren’t talking to one another and the race is on to pre-assign blame. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and Adam Wren sort through what you need to know with T-minus seven days remaining. Plus: President Donald Trump makes an abrupt — and potentially hugely consequential — shift on Ukraine. And: Are Democrats too focused on the rear-view mirror instead of the road ahead?

Transcript

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0:00.0	The next generation of U.S. financial infrastructure is here.
0:03.6	Open source blockchain-based technology empowers transparency and consumer choice.
0:08.3	As Congress crafts digital asset laws, it's critical to preserve protections for developers
0:12.9	building innovative technology, but regulatory uncertainty is driving talent overseas.
0:18.0	America's share of open source developers has dropped over 50% since 2015.
0:22.9	The future of America's financial infrastructure depends on protecting those building it.
0:27.2	Learn more at Solana Policy Institute.org.
0:35.1	Today on the Playbook podcast, a government shutdown is now just one week away, and this time it looks like it might actually happen.
0:43.9	We've got all the fallout from Donald Trump's big U-turn on Ukraine, and we've got the latest news from the wilderness with not one but two losing Democratic presidential candidates coming out of the woodwork this week.
0:57.7	Hello, I'm Jack Blanchard.
0:59.9	And I'm Adam Wren.
1:01.1	It's Wednesday, September 24th.
1:03.4	And this is the Playbook podcast.
1:05.4	Good morning, Adam.
1:06.2	How are you doing?
1:07.3	Doing well, Jack.
1:08.2	Good to be with you.
1:09.1	I have been looking at my calendar and counting down
1:11.7	the days, Adam, to the 1st of October, when the government is supposed to shut down if no
1:16.6	funding deal is agreed by Congress. Now, these stories are always kicking around in the political
1:23.2	cycle on the hill. Oh, there's going to be another shutdown. Oh, there's a, and then there's a
1:27.0	last minute deal. And generally, it doesn't quite happen. But this time, it feels like this is actually on the cards, and that's why I want us to talk about this this morning. There's any one week of money left for the federal government. And yesterday, Donald Trump canceled the last minute talks he was supposed to be having with the Democratic leadership on the Hill,
	...

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