The US government shutdown threatens the purchasing power of Congress

As Republican and Democratic lawmakers blame each other for the US government shutdown, some are starting to worry that the impasse will cede their authority over federal spending to an increasingly assertive President Donald Trump.

The White House during the government shutdown has frozen billions of dollars in funds intended for Democratic-controlled jurisdictions, sought to lay off thousands of federal workers and diverted funds to ensure that military personnel and gun-carrying law enforcement officers would not have their pay cut.

Nonpartisan observers say this further marginalizes Congress at a time when Trump is already pushing the limits of presidential power in other areas, such as military action and international trade.

“This seems like a real threat to the power of Congress,” said Molly Reynolds, a government expert at the nonpartisan Brookings Institution think tank. “How do you negotiate a long-term spending deal, something that takes more than a few weeks, when you’re not sure the executive branch will implement whatever options you put in the bill?”

The US Constitution vests financial powers in Congress and not in the president. Trump’s fellow Republicans have narrow control of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The government shutdown began on October 1, the first day of the 2026 federal fiscal year, as Republican and Democratic members of Congress failed to agree on legislation to fund government services.

Democrats have said they will not vote to continue federal funding unless Congress also addresses subsidies for 24 million Americans that are set to expire at the end of the calendar year. Republicans say Congress must first pass a temporary spending bill that would allow the government to reopen.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 50% of Americans blamed Republicans, while 43% blamed Democrats.

Although Democrats have planned a fight over health care costs, some say they are reluctant to pass a spending bill without assurances that Trump won’t simply abandon it.

“We can’t do an appropriations deal and have the president start firing more people and cutting programs,” Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia told Reuters.

Republicans have often remained silent this year as Trump unilaterally raised tariffs, took military action and changed state spending, actions that normally fall within the purview of Congress. Some Republicans said they understood the concerns raised by Democrats.

“If I were a Democrat, I would need a lot of public commitments or legal language to make sure that this is a tough commitment,” Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina told reporters.

Democrats focused much of their invective on White House budget director Russell Vought, the chief architect of the White House funding strategy. Trump appeared to indulge in their concerns last week, praising the budget director’s actions and likening him to “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader.

Democrats also say Trump has exceeded his authority by ensuring the salaries of military, immigration and law enforcement officials were not interrupted during the government shutdown, and leaving other federal workers unpaid.

“We want a bill that provides fair pay to all of them, not just Trump’s personal favorites,” Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut told Reuters.

With Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson not taking part in the hearing and Senate Democrats unwilling to support a stopgap spending bill, Republicans worry that a government shutdown will prevent Congress from passing a detailed spending bill to fund government agencies in the current fiscal year.

“This is a disservice to Congress in general. We’re not doing our job, and we have to start doing it,” Republican Mike Simpson of Montana told Reuters. “We’re running out of time.”

Simpson called the White House’s unilateral actions to restrain spending unconstitutional.

Other Republicans said they could support legislation that would simply extend funding for a longer period and give the White House authority to determine which programs to fund.

“We believe the president and Russ Vought will do well if Democrats do not allow us to complete an appropriations bill,” Representative Chip Roy of Texas, a member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, told reporters.
Source: Reuters