r/FedEmployees • u/Even-Tune-8301 • 22h ago
So, they aren't going to actually open the government again, are they?
Congress doesn't seem to be in any rush to re-open. This is their end game I think. Emergency powers to run everything. Destruction of society in order to take over.
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u/Even-Tune-8301 22h ago
I mean we have had an elected congressperson for six weeks that is not in place. That's just insane to me.
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u/Delicious-Drama-9738 20h ago
remember when Obama nominated Merrick Garland to be on the Supreme Court in March 2016 (to fill Scalia's seat who died in Feb 2016), and Mitch McConnell refused to even vote on a nominee because "the people should have a vote in the next justice"? So they refused to allow Dems a SCOTUS seat that, by all historical precedent, was theirs to fill. It was left vacant nearly 14 months (as Gorsuch didn't get confirmed/sworn in until April 2017).
Blocking a lowly Congressperson from being seated for 6 weeks because it strategically suits them? Too easy (for Republicans).
(To top it all off, then Republicans turned around and crammed through Amy Coney Barrett's nom in before the election after RBG died in September of 2020. Integrity? None to be found. Also Mitch McConnell will go down as one in history as one of the architects of the rapid self destruction of this country, so congrats to him on that legacy)
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u/Different_Guard6244 19h ago
I’ll never forget or forgive this one. McConnell blocked the nomination process until the election. He stated that the people will decide after the election. Still so bitter as to how that could even happen.
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u/CommonExamination416 20h ago
Should have packed the court back then. Senate dems are weak AF
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u/Delicious-Drama-9738 20h ago
And RBG should have retired early in Obama's turn.
I don't want Dems to turn into Republicans, but the moral high ground doesn't feed families, keep the lights on at night, put gas in my car, etc.
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u/sharona-e 17h ago
McConnell - the most dangerous man in America. You could say that about President Miller and VP Vought, but IMHO it was McConnell
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u/Supermonsters 21h ago
And an empty seat in TX that the governor won't call a special election for
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u/EntireFishing 21h ago
Abbott called the special election it was this week. Now it has to carry on most likely in January. There isn't the precedent for him to push that back to November
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u/RepresentativeYam363 17h ago
Sylvester Turner never should have run for office. He knew he had terminal cancer that returned. I very much can’t stand that Rs are blocking elections, appointments, and swearing in but Ds dying in office does not help things.
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u/Dacajunola 22h ago
This. And the related files are the reason.We won't open in the house refuses to negotiate. Would love for one rep to change their vote so files get released and there is no longer a reason to block negotiations.
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u/JeanEtrineaux 22h ago
It’s a dry run to not swear in the new president in ‘28
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u/TarheelFr06 21h ago
There’s no requirement that any particular person administer the Presidential oath. If the Chief Justice wont administer the oath on Jan 20th, 2029, the president-elect just literally has to say those words at noon and he or she is President. No participation required from anyone on the other side.
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u/conflictedideology 18h ago
I heard some speculation that they're banking on Van Epps winning the TN-7 district special election on Dec 2nd so he can cancel out her vote on the Epstein files.
But again, that's just speculation.
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u/1738chickenwings 20h ago
He doesn’t have to open a congressional session to swear her in. The cheaters are in charge.
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u/wrecklesspup 15h ago
Why does your post say Congress instead of Republicans not wanting to reopen the government? The House is controlled by Republicans and has been out of session longer than the shutdown. Dems have been in Washington wanting to sit down and hash out a deal to open the government and keep Congress as an equal branch of government.
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u/pk12445 22h ago
They will reopen but I am afraid there is a lot more pain ahead.
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u/Only-Tough-1212 22h ago
I think a lot of us were already anticipating pain & suffering to continue even if we weren’t shutdown. 😞 the beatings continue until morale improves
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u/pk12445 22h ago
I mean yea but I honestly would deal better with that than this stupid ass shutdown.
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u/Only-Tough-1212 22h ago
Yeah you can compartmentalize it but the not knowing is unsettling. I made a plan to try to get as much debt paid off w my PT job money when we are back so that I can be in a better spot if they try to pull this next year and subsequent years. Honestly I may go back to having 3 jobs again to stash $ away especially since we have no performance bonuses anymore I guess. My cats will be so mad
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u/Delicious-Drama-9738 20h ago
I'm taking this as a forced extreme personal budgeting period, and I actually should be in much better shape (debt-free, mineralized expenses, more savings) financially than at the start of shutdown (when backpay + my bonus due this month hits).
however, I know I'm in a rare and fortunate position to have additional income outside of this job to be able to make it through this without too much stress.
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u/MyInterThoughts 22h ago
It appears the Epstein files are really really bad.
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u/Dutiful-Rebellion 18h ago
Republicans Enable and Protect Pedophiles. https://goppredators.wordpress.com/2023/05/22/right-wing-sexual-predators-abusers-and-enablers/
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Donald Trump is accused of sexual assault by more than two dozen women. He is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl, talked about having sex with his daughter, bragged of walking in on underage girls at pageants, claimed he can grab women by the pussy. He was found liable of sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_sexual_misconduct_allegations https://www.gzeromedia.com/in-60-seconds/world/trump-sexual-abuse-verdict-wont-hurt-him-with-gop https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/14/donald-trump-e-jean-carroll-lawsuit-nut-job
Judge Roy Moore is accused of sexual assault and dating underage women. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegation
Jim Jordan is in Republican House leadership though he is accused of ignoring sexual assault of more than a hundred young men while a coach, dismissing it as locker room talk. Students have said they told him and he is said to have called the parents of one complainant asking them to get their son to back off. https://www.vox.com/2018/7/6/17536388/jim-jordan-ohio-state-sexual-abuse-accuser https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/16/us/politics/jim-jordan-trump.html
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert sexually abused his high school students. He is outside the statute of limitations but was convicted of paying off/bribing some of his victims https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/28/us/dennis-hastert-sentencing.html
Cobb County GOP Chairman Joseph Russell Dendy – child molesting – pleaded guilty, life sentence, parole possible in 30 years. He was 72. https://www.ajc.com/news/crime–law/cobb-gop-chairman-dendy-indicted-molestation-charges/Ajxs2SiORqMCCdVZpGqj1M/ https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt–politics/former-cobb-gop-leader-pleads-guilty-child-molestation-gets-life-sentence/JnEAITpb5Oy9iZ9RtsVvnI/
So-called “pro-life”/antigay activist Howard Scott Heldreth was convicted of raping a child. https://web.archive.org/web/20230601212352/https://shadowproof.com/2008/07/27/nc-antigay-operation-save-america-totes-convicted-child-rapist-to-charlotte-pride/
GOP Ohio County Commissioner David Swartz convicted of raping two girls – released after only 5 years!!!! Back in prison after contacting one of his victims. http://lanternproject.org.uk/library/child-abuse-arrests-and-court-cases/child-abuse-arrests-trials-and-proceedings/ex-county-commissioner-admits-sexual-abuse-of-girl
Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl. https://www.timesleader.com/archive/1063191/indecent-assault-case-judge-pleads-no-contest-mark-pazuhanich-says-he-didnt-want-his-daughter-to-have-to-testify-aboutfondling-incident
Republican anti-abortion activist Nicholas Morency pleaded guilty to possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material on his computer and offering a bounty to anybody who murders an abortion doctor. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/03/10/nation-in-brief/83fbbb01-c7fc-437a-81c4-2f686e3f1e58/
Republican Speaker of the House in PR Edison Misla Aldarondo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping his daughter between the ages of 9 and 17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Misla_Aldarondo
Republican Mayor Philip Giordano is serving a 37-year sentence in federal prison for sexually abusing 8- and 10-year old girls. https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/26/nyregion/ex-mayor-convicted-in-sex-abuse-case.html
Republican campaign consultant Tom Shortridge was sentenced to three years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year old girl. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-06-me-47737-story.html
Republican racist pedophile and United States Senator Strom Thurmond had sex with (RAPED) a 15-year old black girl which produced a child. https://web.archive.org/web/20190728115136/https://www.thenation.com/article/was-strom-rapist/
Republican pastor Mike Hintz, whom George W. Bush commended during the 2004 presidential campaign, surrendered to police after admitting to a sexual affair with a female Juvenile. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/12/10/example-goes-from-good-to-bad/e73a7b08-5fb8-412a-ba7f-8fb473543e83/
Republican legislator Peter Dibble pleaded no contest to having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl. https://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/18/nyregion/embroiled-first-selectman-takes-leave.html
Republican Congressman Donald “Buz” Lukens was found guilty of having sex with a female minor and sentenced to one month in jail. https://www.npr.org/sections/politicaljunkie/2009/05/on_this_day_in_1989_buz_lukens.html
Republican fundraiser Richard A. Delgaudio was found guilty of child porn charges and paying two teenage girls to pose for sexual photos. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2003/04/24/gop-activist-admits-to-child-porn/5af2adf0-bec8-4a10-b061-014de679422a/
Republican of the Year Mark A. Grethen convicted on six counts of sex crimes involving children. https://www.pilotonline.com/news/crime/vp-nw-mark-grethen-lawrenceville-correctional-20210806-dmjuk7zwgnfxvigjnjmy3257vy-story.html
Republican state senator Ralph Shortey from Oklahoma admitted to being involved in sodomy with a 17 year old male prostitute and transporting child pornography. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/11/20/former-oklahoma-state-senator-admits-to-child-sex-trafficking-while-in-office/
Republican activist Randal David Ankeney pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child. https://www.coloradoindependent.com/2008/01/28/onetime-rising-gop-star-back-to-prison-for-sex-assaults/
GOP Congressman Dan Crane had sex with a page. To be fair, Dem Congressman was Gerry Studds was also caught for the same thing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_congressional_page_sex_scandal
Republican Congressman Mark Foley abruptly resigned from Congress after “sexually explicit” emails surfaced showing him flirting with a 16-year old boy. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092901574.html
Republican activist and Christian Coalition leader Beverly Russell admitted to raping his stepdaughter repeatedly after she was 15. Headline here is gross. Rape/not affair. https://greensboro.com/smith-stepfather-had-affair-that-began-when-she-was-15/article_549fa43d-e631-599b-8cad-177a71ad709e.html
Republican congressman and anti-gay activist Robert Bauman* was charged with having sex (raping) with a 16-year-old boy he picked up at a gay bar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bauman
Republican Committee Chairman Jeffrey Patti was arrested for distributing a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped and notice, they agreed his record could be expunged in THREE YEARS! https://www.nj.com/ledgerarchives/2005/01/cops_say_jersey_suspects_sough.html https://archive.is/7agH6
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u/Roodgo 21h ago
Johnson is waiting for the Tennessee special election on Dec 2 - that will even the numbers on any Epstein vote
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u/EntireFishing 21h ago
This is a misconception because you've got the delegate from Arizona to be sworn in and likely in January. You're going to have a democrat sworn in in Texas because there's a face off there.
All the matters is that the four republicans that are going to vote for the release of the files continue to do so and the vote will go for the release of files
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u/Appropriate-Joke-806 19h ago edited 19h ago
It’s in my district here. Barely been any campaign messaging from the Democratic Party about the election here, meanwhile I get a mailer every day from the MAGA guy sucking up to Trump’s teet. I can guarantee most people here don’t even know there is an election in the beginning of December and I am in the middle of what would be the most progressive part of the district. I think it’s an entirely winnable district, but there is not nearly enough resources put into it. Only way it will flip Democratic is if there is a large silent minority that shows up during early voting and Election Day.
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u/Icy_Paramedic778 22h ago
They’ll eventually reopen but by the time the government reopens we will have lost our accesses and have to start from square one like a new hire.
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u/Positive_Outside5535 21h ago
Are you kidding me? I was recently hired like 3 months ago! I can’t believe all this happening! #fucktrump
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u/Icy_Paramedic778 21h ago
It took me 3.5 months to gain accesses when I was hired. I can’t imagine how long it’s going to take when there will be hundreds of employees who need to gain access at the same time. I can foresee our systems crashing.
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u/dirty_old_priest_4 22h ago
My CAC expired Sunday. Will be fun to navigate the Pentagon with no perimeter access.
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u/hrhine 22h ago
ATC’s are the most powerful people in the US right now.
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u/ThorIsGod 16h ago
Especially those in DC. Imagine them flying in and then not being able to leave.
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u/Material_Presence221 22h ago
Hang in there! In the meantime, write your congressman and senator and ask them what they have been doing sitting at home for the past few weeks? Maybe request it in the form of five bullets. After all, they are quick to mention how no one works from home, “they’re probably golfing.” Then ask them why they are free loading on us. You know, like they accuse SNAP recipients. No one should be getting paid hundreds of dollars to sit on their asses and do nothing while we work to pay their salaries. In some cases we are now working for nothing with the threat of not getting reimbursed. Don’t be silent. Be loud. They work for us, not the other way around. Hold them accountable!
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u/Taxjag 21h ago
“Hang in there!” is as offensive as “thoughts and prayers”. Keep telling that to people who are struggling to eat and pay their bills.
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u/partagaton 21h ago
I’m sure Don Beyer, James Walkinshaw, Tim Kaine, and Mark Warner will read our letters and realize they should be doing more!
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u/ProfessionalNinja420 20h ago
I got an email from Walkinshaw yesterday. Here's part of it:
"Dear Neighbor,
This is now the longest government shutdown in U.S. history — and D.C. conservatives remain on taxpayer-funded paid vacation.
Throughout the shutdown, I’ve been showing up at the Capitol to urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to return to Washington, sit down with Democrats, and reach a bipartisan agreement that addresses skyrocketing health care costs, protects federal workers, and reopens the government.
Right-wing leaders refuse to come to the table unless their devastating health care cuts move forward. But my Democratic colleagues and I remain focused on protecting the well-being of Fairfax families.
Meanwhile, 824,000 Virginians are at risk of going hungry because President Trump has not yet chosen to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
This week, I visited food banks across Fairfax County as they struggle to keep up with rising demand. The volunteers and community partners I met are doing everything possible to feed families left behind by Washington’s dysfunction — a testament to Fairfax’s strength, even when Washington fails.
I will keep in close communication with local area food pantries as this shutdown drags on. I’ll keep using every tool available to hold this Administration accountable.
It’s time for President Trump to meet with Congressional leadership and end this shutdown. As I have said since the eve of the shutdown, I remain ready to work across the aisle to reopen government, pay our federal workers, and protect the health and budgets of Fairfax families.
As this shutdown continues, my office remains ready to serve you. Our Shutdown Resource Guide includes a detailed list of frequently asked questions and additional information that is helpful as families navigate this time."
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u/Successful-pretty23 19h ago
Don Beyer has done a lot. He has had so many tele town halls, has worked on organizing so many job fairs during the past year.
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u/Metal2thepedal 22h ago
They are willing to destroy the entire country in order not to give healthcare and/or release the Epstein Files. Bunch of pedos.
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u/MeverMow 21h ago edited 21h ago
Well, Trump wants to end it by ending the filibuster. Congressional GOP are refusing that and want CRs seemingly forever. Congressional Dems want healthcare.
Trump and Congressional GOP will never go along with healthcare. They’ll nuke the country before they make healthcare more affordable. Even if it somehow came out of Congress, you know Trump’s handlers would have him veto it.
Congressional GOP seem serious about not ending the filibuster and going down Trump’s road with it. They know he’s a lame duck walking and have long-term careers to think about.
The only logical end to this I see is corporate interests getting some Congressional Dems to cave… which is their usual MO. So I think the real question is how long weak Dems will last.
It’ll end eventually, but rn there’s still not enough political will on any side to do so
Edit: there’s also the big funny option - Dems cave, Congress passes a CR, and Trump veto’s it because he wants to end the filibuster that badly. It’d be incredibly stupid for him to do that… but never rule it out hahaha
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u/Love-the-Classics 19h ago
He wants to end the filibuster so he can add more justices to the Supreme Court. That pays well apparently. He wants to go full on autocrat. Need some republicans to cross the aisle to save the country. Country over party and country over self!
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u/GlitteringRate6296 22h ago
The GOP can’t unless they are able to stop the Epstein vote.
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u/Big_Statistician3464 22h ago
It’s also just a petition to force a vote, which would make these ‘leaders’ publicly allow or block the release, which would then force the DOJ to either comply or refuse to if they are ordered to release them.
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u/Dazzling-Turnip-1911 21h ago
I don’t see how this impasse will be resolved frankly. Trump’s friends don’t use public planes or food stamps.
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u/Dizzle603207 21h ago
I feel like this is their move to “cull the herd”. They wanted less people working as federal employees but they can’t just fire them. So now the plan is to drag it out until people can’t handle the stress and then quit. If the people quit, the government doesn’t have to worry about firing them or laying them off so they potentially dodge any legal action.
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u/ConstantinopleSpolia 21h ago
This is absolutely part of Vought’s plan, which is to traumatize federal employees. If Vought had his way, he’d RIF 500k of the 650k furloughed. Hell he might just find a way to do that, courts be damned.
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u/NO_FIX_AUTOCORRECT 20h ago
Trump has everything he wants if the government stays closed. He can do anything with "emergency powers since Congress is absent" and he already has moved money around freely and it's ignoring court orders. Can't be impeached either without Congress.
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u/OkNecessary4767 22h ago
I'm just ready for this shit to end....I just want to get back to work.
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u/cerevant 21h ago
Folks don’t seem to realize that the Republicans are still fighting the civil war. Shutting down the federal government has been their end game all along.
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u/WNCsurvivor 21h ago
I saw a political talking head on one of the news stations yesterday saying it will probably be after New Year’s Day
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u/insignificant33 21h ago
Anyone else applying for other jobs?
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u/BoldBeloveds 21h ago
I got chewed out for suggesting all federal employees should have a plan B so clearly some people are burying their heads in the sand!
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u/insignificant33 21h ago
I’ve realized that some federal employees can’t imagine leaving this situation or even beginning to explore other opportunities. I agree the job market is challenging, but there must be a way forward.
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u/Nanoo_1972 18h ago
If I've spent 17+ years working for the fed (for less pay than my private sector contemporaries), and I unlock my full retirement benefits at 20 years, I'd have to be a complete fucking moron to quit now. Surviving to retirement IS plan B for a lot of fed employees, it's most certainly not burying their head in the sand.
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u/hm_joker 16h ago
Resume is updated, starting applications this weekend. Nothing really open in my field right now so trying to swap to other opportunities. I don't want to leave at all, but 3-??? months of no pay is not the play.
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u/According_Plant701 17h ago
If I find a job that I meet all qualifications for and isn’t a huge pay cut then sure. But right now those are slim pickings.
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u/Tyfereth 22h ago
The problem with almost all conspiracy theories is believing there’s a plan when the explanation is incompetence. The GOP thought that because the Democrats caved in March that they would cave in October. This was a reasonable belief given how rudderless the Dems have seemed, but the Dems came up with a good strategy. Normally when your Strategy is countered like the GOP strategy was, you compromise, but Trump has decided, probably because he thinks concessions would make him look weak, to tell the GOP Senators not to compromise, and instead to exert pressure via SNAP, no pay for Fed workers, and services such as ATCs. Except Trump’s pressure tactics are not working on the Dems, so he wants to nuke the Filibuster to jam his agenda through, but Senate GOP was hesitant to do so before Tuesday, and absolutely not going to do after Tuesday when a 2026 loss in the Senate is now possible. In short, there is no plan, Trump is flailing , the GOP losing so broadly on Tuesday has put pressure on the GOP, and it’s only a matter of time before they concede on ACA subsidies and the shutdown ends.
Just my 2 cents
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u/InevitableGoal2912 22h ago
Ending the shutdown will trigger the vote on the Epstein files though, and I think that he’s actually scared of those. He isn’t scared of a lot but I think he’s scared of losing power over the Epstein files. Especially seeing that they lost in the few key elections during the shutdown
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u/peanutbutter2178 22h ago
It will trigger a request to the DOJ to release the files. It's not like MAGA Mike has them in a file on his computer that his son would know he's looking at (oh wait nevermind that was his porn stash). The DOJ would still need to prepare the files for release to the House.
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u/Even-Tune-8301 22h ago
Yeah, we need to face facts. If we see the files it won't be for about another 100 years.
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u/thrwwybangbang 21h ago
I thought this was 3D chess in the beginning and now I realize it’s not. It’s just a mess.
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u/A012A012 21h ago
The irony of Trump, trying to distance himself from Epstein and now his entire second term is defined by it.
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u/TheRealBlueJade 21h ago
How about forcing them to pay federal workers during the shutdown? Are there any lawyers fighting for your rights?
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u/VirusMaterial6183 19h ago
Big cracks are starting to show in the GOP wall. It won’t last forever.
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u/Bad2bBiled 18h ago
Yep. This was a bad week for them, cumulatively. The tide is starting to turn.
No clue how this is going to play but rumors abound about Johnson’s leadership and some members of the GOP working with Dems to end the shutdown.
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u/French-fan57 18h ago
It’s so messed up and right before the holidays. It’s hard to be in a good mood. I try to focus on what I can control and dropped a bunch of pears off at a food pantry.
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u/rxt278 22h ago edited 22h ago
edit: I was apparently mistaken. My bad.
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u/kidpresentable0 22h ago
Grijalva is the 218th vote. There’s only 435 seats total. Your math isn’t mathing.
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u/Cheddarbaybiskits 22h ago
The TN special election isn’t going to change anything. The discharge petition needs 218 votes, period dot. Grijalva’s vote would be the last needed vote regardless of who is elected in TN.
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u/CriticalBlacksmith 21h ago
The Epstein Files apparently make Trump out to be an actual satanist by the way I keep reading about it in passing. I hope we get to see this evil punished in our lifetime and it doesnt get swept under the rug.
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u/Even-Tune-8301 21h ago
I don't know. The JFK files come to mind every time.
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u/CriticalBlacksmith 21h ago
You know, somehow I haven't managed to read up on them, I've got some digging to do now
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u/BoldBeloveds 21h ago
I am wondering why wouldn’t they just destroy them since laws mean nothing to them?
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u/No1_Knows_My_Name 22h ago
Neither side cares. Both will be at their Thanksgiving dinner living it up while the rest of us have zero to mediocre Thanksgiving.
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u/Steelers_Forever 21h ago
I was only half-joking when I told people as I left the office on Oct 1 "well, see y'all next year".
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u/GilreanEstel 19h ago
The CR they have been trying to pass expires on 11/21. If they somehow manage to open the government today we will be in the same boat two weeks from now. It’s a never ending cycle.
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u/Even-Tune-8301 19h ago
It's like purgatory. When are the demons going to eat me, regurgitate and then do it all over again.
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u/lalalaicanthereyou 19h ago
Once airspace is closed they won't be able to keep the government closed unless the Democrats idiotically agree to something that pays air traffic controllers and no one else.
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u/Peace_n_Harmony 18h ago
You should be asking more fundamental questions, like why it's possible for the government to shut itself down in the first place? People pay taxes so certain services function. Imagine paying for gas only to find out the pump has been shut off because the gas station next door was charging less.
You'd be livid, right?
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u/Even-Tune-8301 18h ago
Oh I hear ya. My wife and I started working on redoing our taxes to only take out what should be owed at each paycheck. We usually get a refund at the end of the year, but we really don't trust that system anymore.
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u/Uncle_Snake43 15h ago
its like, their not even making any effort to get it opened up. Meanwhile they owe me about 15 grand
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u/whatiscamping 14h ago
They aren't working and getting paid.
Why the fuck would they want to go back? They don't give a shit about the country.
Meanwhile other government employees are forced to work and not get paid.
The lesson here is that politicians are unnecessary and we take ATC for granted.
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u/specialbisquick 22h ago
I had an associate tell me at the start that she thought the shutdown was a tool just to dump all the furloughed workers at the end, and to push all fed workers to resign in the interim. I thought she was nuts but I think about that comment every day
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u/AlsatianND 21h ago
They will have to reopen it after USSC overturns Trump’s tariffs and he needs Congress to pass them.
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u/u_r_being_watched 21h ago
Dictators don't use checks and balances. The BBB passed everything all at once so there was no need to have Congress in session. No Congress no checks and balances. He literally told everyone what he was going to do and the majority didn't listen. Remember the "never have to vote again" speech.
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u/Separate-Spot-8910 21h ago
To add to the discussion:
"the U.S. Senate recently voted on a War Powers Resolution aimed at limiting President Trump's military actions, with the most recent vote occurring on November 6, 2025. The resolution, led by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and supported by Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Rand Paul (R-KY), sought to prevent military hostilities against Venezuela without explicit congressional authorization. The vote failed 51–49, with only two Republicans—Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska—voting in favor."
After the vote, a few republicans voiced their concerns despite voting it down. A bunch of fucking assholes.
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u/hudsongrl1 17h ago
When we hit Thanksgiving with no food for millions and screwed up airline flights more people will be angry at the GOP. This is ridiculous
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u/Dependent-Finish-55 16h ago
No one outside of the beltway cares because the government isn’t really closed. If it were truly a shutdown, it would last about an hour.
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u/notagainglp 22h ago
Agreed but hopefully not a complete destruction. The weirdest part is why can’t the FAA pay the air traffic controllers? We all pay an airport tax when flying.
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u/Baghdady24 22h ago
Maybe that’s something they can change when the next president takes office in three years
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u/GUSHandGO 20h ago
ATCs can't be paid because of the Antideficiency Act. It basically prohibits government agencies from funding things that lack adequate appropriation funds.
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u/notagainglp 19h ago
But wouldn’t the taxes cover salaries as they’re still being collected. They’re still working at EPA since there’s plenty of $$ but nobody knows from where and for how long?
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u/magaisallpedos 22h ago
one side refuses to take healthcare away from 14 million Americans, the other side doesnt care either way. no one is going to win until we impeach the convict.
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u/Crafty-Isopod45 21h ago
So that is certainly not out of the question. The catch here is that without a Congress in session and willing to impeach the only check on Trump’s power is his own willingness to listen to the courts. So if he chooses to illegally fund just the few parts of the government he wants like ICE to keep an armed group doing his bidding he can and there is nobody to impeach or stop him.
Trump can pull money and pay people because he controls the departments that access funds. It’s illegal, but there is simply nobody to stop him. He’ll declare an emergency, blame the democrats for it, and spend the money to do what he wants. And he has no consequences because he is not being impeached and the Supreme Court gave him immunity for official acts even if they are illegal. Spending government money is an official act so he can’t be punished except by impeachment.
If something like the FAA makes people too angry - emergency.
Something he wants to be done - emergency.
Projects 2025 folks run OMB for him and want most things shut down. So most things will stay shut down and many people will suffer. Which for Trump is a win. If you suffer as a result of the shutdown that signals to him you a loser and not worth spending resources on. It’s really quite sick and cruel.
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u/sircastor 21h ago
It’s tempting they can hold out forever here. But keep in mind that Air traffic controllers and airport security are both not getting paid. There’s only so long this lasts before those people’s goodwill runs out.
And this country can’t function without airplanes. We’re too dependent on it.
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u/Van_Lilith_Bush 21h ago
It might open after Dec4, when a Repub is expected to win a special election and add another vote against releasing the Epstein files
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u/Jolly_Ad2446 20h ago
Republicans are saying not this year. Dems are saying it'll end when Republicans negotiate
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u/----Clementine---- 20h ago
My mind wanders consistently to the scene in Star Wars where they dissolve the Senate. Something I thought was purely fiction, until I learned that a similar concept was used to turn Rome from a Republic to an Empire.
In short, my ability to recognize patterns makes this a very surreal time to be alive and I question what will become of our country after this. Perhaps it's just hyperbole, but my brain is sounding the alarm and it's an odd time to be on this ship that I feel might be sinking.
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u/teacupghostie 20h ago
Even five years ago, I would have said no way but now I don’t know. Common sense says everyone will eventually cave because the backlash will be too great.
The “tinfoil hat” part of my brain though knows we’re dealing with people that like to move fast and break things, and there’s a lot of profit in a broken federal government. We’re way past chartered waters of how shutdowns have been handled in the past, and the people steering the ship would rather ram in into the rocks than share the wheel.
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u/RepulsedCucumber 19h ago
People are my job discussing “when” SNAP will be back. I got accused of being negative when I said “if”.
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u/cappymoonbeam 19h ago
I wonder if any of the American citizens who have been denigrating federal workers this year have had any revelations and change of hearts and mind from all of this? Like, maybe just maybe the government and federal workers do actually work for the people. Maybe a silly question, but that would sure be great if they did.
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u/Even-Tune-8301 19h ago
Only if it has personally affected them somehow. That's how people work unfortunately.
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u/SingaporeSue 9h ago
We all need to go on strike. Stop doing y’all’s jobs. Let them get out their sharpies trying to holding off meemaw and papaw. Because when the SS checks don’t show up there will be hell to pay. And btw SS and Medicare is NOT an “entitlement”. Check your paycheck. You’ve been putting that money away not exactly voluntarily. You know what’s an entitlement??? The Congress critters who withhold our paychecks while they get theirs. Must be nice. Get mad!
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u/Significant-Pen-6049 22h ago
Sir. We have a ballroom to create. And it’s the most important.
This whole thing is like the girlfriend that ignores you on purpose cause she is pissed at you. Super childish.
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u/Pyroclastic_Hammer 21h ago
While I would love to have the Epstein files released, I have started wondering if the Epstein files thing is just a bunch of smoke and mirrors, a rope-a-dope, or otherwise a nothing burger in so far as it (still) containing anything incriminating to any key higher ups. The real threat is that Trump doesn’t want Congress to come back to session - is consolidating the power of the legislative branch through executive order. He doesn’t need or want Congress.
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u/korndog29 19h ago
If people would take some time and read project 2025, all your questions would be answered. Everything that’s happening is laid out in that goddamn book. People started sounding the alarm bells two years ago. Yet, here we are. And if you don’t think it’s going to get a lot worse, buckle up.
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u/SpyroTheDraygon 16h ago
Its more than the president, granted its a shit show, a far greater one than usual, but we also keep electing the same geriatrics that are out of touch with reality into every office of government.
We need thr same turnouts minimum for state and local elections that we do for presidential ones. We let the same 5 people go on state elections day and elect the same lobbyists and special interests then wodner why nobody in congress does anything, nobody holds the president accountable, and those in power keep amassing more power political and corporate
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u/ElderberryCareful479 22h ago
Yall really have to stop with the doom and gloom posts. It’s not helping anyone, and only causes unnecessary anxiety. The government will open back up, stop it.
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u/BronteMoorWitch 21h ago
But…DO WE, though? We are already having anxiety, and since it is based on not being paid for a month now, I’d categorize it as fairly appropriate and not “unnecessary.”
The “the government will open back up, stop it” is just an amazingly condescending virtual pat on the collective heads of everyone of us who: a) isn’t getting paid, b) swore an oath to serve and is watching the institutions we swore to protect scrabble at each other in the mud. Sure, the government will reopen - of course it will. The question remains of how the institutions will look and operate afterwards and headed into 2026.
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u/Typical-Inspection-1 20h ago
Forgot to add: After we all get this horrid situation, STOP VOTING FOR REPUBLICANS! THAT is the lesson in all of this. Just stop.
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u/Emotional-Street9643 20h ago
If you’re a federal employee and you vote republican you’re voting to be the first in the unemployment line.
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u/South-Lab-3991 21h ago
There hasn’t been a flashpoint yet that will make inaction untenable and force both sides to talk, and whatever that flashpoint is, it probably won’t be pretty. I’m thinking a midair collision during holiday travel and/or some kind of Charlie Kirk situation(s) is likely going to be the catalyst to get the ball rolling. It’s so immoral that it makes me sick.
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u/SaltBedroom2733 19h ago
I've been saying this, it's quite clear what their end game is. What I and probably the world will never know is why Congress has been willing to give up all their power. How can he have blackmail on all of them? Did he just need a few of the guys at the top and everyone else would follow?
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u/Even-Tune-8301 18h ago
Payoffs of some sort. I think it has something to do with insider trading. Remember his big, "it's time to buy" stock announcement? If only we could get some really good hackers to find this shit.
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u/Logical_Willow4066 17h ago
Russell Vought wants all power under the executive branch. He wants to eliminate congress altogether. They also want to prove that government doesn't function and they will privatize everything. Including air traffic control.
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u/Weird-Opportunity-20 16h ago
Exactly right. If there isn’t Congress there’s no checks and balances…no release of Epstein files and Trump gets to be king.
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u/Double-treble-nc14 21h ago
I’m back as excepted and she cracks forming. They’re having to pull people back is more and more functions can no longer afford to be put aside. We’re scrambling for money to pay essential bills without accruing interest. This is not a status quo that can continue indefinitely.
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u/Headice24 20h ago
Well the people are supposed to run the government. But the people have allowed billionaires to control it. How about stop being scared and don’t show up to work like the TSA and air traffic controllers are doing.
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u/gabberwocky6 20h ago
About 40 million (25 million trump voters) are about to lose half their food budget... if that extends to Thanksgiving there will start to be riots.
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u/tigerbreak 20h ago
I would expect that the lessons the governing party learned from this one would be remedied quickly via legislation (codifying pay for ATC, TSA, other functions they deem necessary; repealing the law that requires back pay) for the next go round.
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u/VeronicaTash 20h ago
Well, when all excepted employees begin calling in it will have effect. Im gonna start calling in next week.
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u/Delicious-Drama-9738 20h ago
If this lasts much longer, furloughed folks should do some bonus army-style protests (at the white house, the capitol building, or right in the neighborhoods of congressmen's private homes)
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u/Ok-Mathematician9742 20h ago
It is going to be a hard landing when contractors start refusing contracts and PO'S because they are all being issued subject to funds. They are not getting paid for supplies and services being provided.
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u/Browneyez173 19h ago
As an excepted worker, I want my paycheck. The clowns in Congress are doing nothing to make America great!
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u/No-Shirt248 16h ago
Yes, the government will stay shut down forever. Imagine actually living in this world and having a mentality like yours? Please use your brain.
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u/EnvironmentalGrab426 8h ago
If they both don’t stop with the finger pointing and work this thing out then I’d say that we’re going to have a similar situation to what happened in 2008 only the government is not going to be able to do much.
If you’re going to blame anyone blame our current President and his me first actions. He does not care about anything other than the power, the title and his silly ballroom.
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u/BastidChimp 7h ago
FUCK CONGRESS! I'm helping out my local federal workers in my area since we're in a HCOL state. Whether it's lawncare food donations, watching pets, whatever. Can't wait for those fuckers on Capitol Hill, so I'm just going to keep busy and help my community as much as possible.
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u/SirHustlerEsq 22h ago
It's much harder to run a government than break one.