Democrats are slowly waking up to the reality that the Schumer Shutdown is backfiring — badly.
Their attempt to hold the American people hostage to push their political agenda isn’t working. Instead of rallying support, it’s driving voters away. Republicans’ approval ratings are climbing, while Democrats’ generic ballot numbers are sinking fast heading into next year’s midterms.
Now, the cracks are starting to show. The party that thought it could use a shutdown as leverage is scrambling for an exit strategy — desperately trying to escape the political trap they built for themselves.
The shutdown is squarely on the Democrats, and their effort to pin the blame on Republicans and President Donald Trump has completely fallen flat. Even as they vote to block paychecks for military personnel, federal employees, and SNAP recipients, they’re still cashing their own checks without missing a beat. It’s a disgusting double standard — and it explains why they’re so comfortable dragging this on. It’s not hurting them.
When pressed about it on Wednesday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was asked whether Democrats would give up their pay during the shutdown. His response? A weak deflection — he said they’d be “discussing it.”
Translation: they’ll keep getting paid about it while they continue to allow Americans to suffer:
https://x.com/allymutnick/status/1983601874512302490
He wouldn’t even answer CNN’s Kaitlin Collins – who, frankly, should have reamed Jeffries over his non-answer:
Hakeem Jeffries REFUSES to say if he plans to defer his paycheck—even after being given multiple chances by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins amid the ongoing government shutdown—while air traffic controllers, TSA agents, and other federal workers are NOT being paid right now.
Collins:… pic.twitter.com/R1ZzNX2Q6A
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) October 30, 2025
Collins: “Have you made a decision on [deferring your paycheck during the government shutdown]?”
Jeffries: “I’ll be commenting on that shortly.”
Collins: “That sounds like a yes?”
Jeffries: “Well, I have more to say on that shortly.”
Actually, Kaitlan that’s a NO.
It’s now day 30 of the Schumer Shutdown, and Hakeem Jeffries is still dodging the question — offering nothing but vague promises to “discuss” whether Democrats will give up their own pay. He can’t even bring himself to say he’ll do it personally.
What exactly is there to “discuss”? Democrats are proving themselves to be total hypocrites — voting to withhold pay from military families and federal workers while continuing to collect their own salaries without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) have chosen to defer their pay in solidarity with furloughed federal employees — a gesture of basic decency you won’t find from the Democratic side.
And then there’s Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who said he “could not afford” to miss a paycheck and was “still evaluating.” Really? Federal workers are going without pay because of his party’s obstruction, but he gets a month to “evaluate” whether he can go without his? The hypocrisy couldn’t be more blatant — or more insulting.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) laid into Democrats over the issue: “They just don’t care”:
? SPEAKER JOHNSON: "The largest federal workers union, AFGE, is BEGGING them to end the shutdown. They know the pain — missed paychecks, delayed flights, rising costs."
"Democrats know it too. THEY JUST DON’T CARE."
TRUTH. pic.twitter.com/p4gWcWw41Z
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 30, 2025
