Government Shutdown? America Will Be Just Fine

The Shutdown Isn’t a Crisis—It’s a Reality Check

For all the hysteria pouring out of the Washington Compost and New York Slimes, one might think the gates of Hades will swing open at the stroke of midnight. Headlines scream of a “crisis,” wailing that government functions will grind to a halt, life will cease to exist, and chaos will reign. It’s all so dramatic—almost Shakespearean—except far less original.

As the U.S. hurtles toward yet another government shutdown, this time over the Democrats’ refusal to pass a clean Continuing Resolution (CR), it’s worth asking: what’s the real catastrophe here? A few days without non-essential bureaucrats? Or continuing to shovel trillions of borrowed dollars into a bloated federal behemoth, laden with pork projects and graft? I’ll take the temporary shutdown.

This shutdown isn’t a crisis. It’s a mirror held up to a government that refuses to exercise fiscal discipline. For decades, Congress has avoided tough choices by larding up omnibus bills with billions of wasteful spending, dumped on us like Caesar’s decrees. Yet when conservatives demand just a sliver of responsibility—like, say, funding the border wall or cutting back bureaucratic flab—the Beltway elites clutch their pearls.

What Happens in a Shutdown? Less Than You Think

For all the talk of “chaos,” the shutdown will have remarkably little impact on most Americans. Essential services—military operations, air traffic control, Social Security, Medicare, and more—continue unabated. The border patrol will still man their posts, and the skies will remain clear for air travel. Life will, for the overwhelming majority of citizens, look completely normal.

The panic arises not from Americans themselves but from the self-important bureaucrats of Washington. “Thousands of workers won’t be paid!” Yes, and they will receive full back pay once Congress gets its act together. They always do. In truth, the shutdown reveals just how much of the federal workforce is non-essential, a term that should make taxpayers raise an eyebrow.

Moreover, services the government claims only it can perform—such as cleaning national parks—can and do find private solutions. During past shutdowns, volunteers and nonprofits stepped in to maintain parks and landmarks.

Ironically, this shutdown is a chance to witness what happens when parts of government disappear: private citizens step up. Competence and self-reliance fill the vacuum. The same cannot be said for the federal leviathan, which rarely performs its functions as well as the private sector.

Take the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). In San Francisco, where private contractors handle airport security, passengers enjoy shorter lines, more efficient screenings, and friendlier service. Why? Private contractors face competition and accountability. If they fail, they’re fired. The federal government, by contrast, never fires itself.

The True Crisis: Washington’s Spending Addiction

If a shutdown does reveal anything urgent, it’s not about the temporary closure of non-essential offices—it’s about our fiscal health. Washington’s annual spending has become a debt-fueled bacchanal, with each continuing resolution and omnibus bill loaded to the gills with wasteful programs.

This is not governance. It’s plunder under the guise of necessity. The American taxpayer is the eternal patsy, funding everything from federal quail researchers to crony corporate subsidies. Yet when conservatives demand basic discipline, they’re accused of triggering “crises.”

The real crisis isn’t a temporary pause in spending. It’s the $36 trillion national debt—a sum that eclipses the combined economic outputs of nations such as China, Germany, Japan, India, and the United Kingdom. It’s the insatiable appetite of a government that consumes everything it touches while producing precious little.

The Democrats’ Shutdown Histrionics

Let’s be clear: this shutdown was avoidable. Republicans offered a clean Continuing Resolution to keep the government funded without another bloated 1,500+ page omnibus bill. The Democrats refused, preferring the brinkmanship of their usual script: shut it down, blame Republicans, and crank up the media outrage machine.

But if Democrats were truly concerned about a shutdown, why not pass the CR? They would rather defend pork-barrel projects and open-ended deficits than show even a modicum of restraint. They talk about “essential services” but defend a bureaucracy swollen with non-essential employees, redundant programs, and gross inefficiency.

The Market Will Survive—Just Fine

Meanwhile, the stock market doesn’t share the media’s panic. Historically, shutdowns have had minimal impact on Wall Street. During the 35-day 2019 shutdown, the S&P 500 posted a 10.3% gain. Investors, it seems, understand that shutdowns are largely political theater—temporary disruptions with limited real-world consequences.

Economic fundamentals—growth, earnings, interest rates—drive markets, not congressional tantrums. Shutdowns expose the reality Washington elites don’t want to admit: the economy is not dependent on them. Markets march on, and so do the American people.

An Update: Washington’s Last-Minute Deal

And now, like clockwork, the Beltway offers its latest half-measure. According to The Washington Post, Speaker Mike Johnson has rolled out his third plan to avert the shutdown:

• A funding extension until March, which delays the inevitable showdown—again.

• $110 billion for disaster relief and farmers, because sprinkling money on politically favored causes is always the path of least resistance.

Gone is Trump’s demand to raise the debt ceiling. Republicans bicker over concessions, Democrats sneer from the sidelines, and the clock ticks toward midnight.

Will this plan save the day? Perhaps. But it’s just another Band-Aid on a bullet wound. Kicking the can down the road has become Congress’s favorite sport, with the American taxpayer paying the price.

A Shutdown Isn’t the End—It’s a Beginning

When Cicero defended the Roman Republic, he warned against the centralization of power: “The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced.” In our modern age, Washington seems to reject this wisdom outright.

Shutdowns, inconvenient as they may be, serve a purpose: they expose the false narrative that Washington is the engine of America. They remind us that life goes on without bloated bureaucracies. And they force a much-needed conversation about the future of our fiscal house.

So when the lights dim at midnight, don’t panic. Take it as a small pause—a moment of sobriety in an otherwise reckless binge. If it forces Congress to think twice before ramming another omnibus bill down the throat of the American taxpayer, then the shutdown was worth every second.

Because in the long run, a government that pauses is far better than one that spends without restraint.

If you don't already please follow @amuse on 𝕏 and subscribe to the Deep Dive podcast.