How Republicans have already won the government shutdown | Opinion

Republicans have already won the shutdown. No matter what happens next — or when the government finally reopens — Democrats will bear the blame.

They will be blamed for hundreds of thousands of federal workers being furloughed. They will be blamed for active-duty troops and law enforcement officers working without pay. They will be blamed for airport security lines stretching for hours.

And they will deserve every bit of it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer deliberately forced the shutdown because his radical base demanded a showdown with President Donald Trump, even if it meant crippling the government.

Here’s the truth: The shutdown showdown was always a win-win situation for Trump.

If Democrats in Congress voted for a short-term extension on government funding, they’d look weak — and Trump would declare victory. A shutdown, meanwhile, pulls the curtain back on Washington’s waste. It gives Trump cover to do what conservatives have demanded for decades: Fire federal workers, hollow out bloated agencies and cut back the bureaucracy.

Of course, a shutdown isn’t good for most Americans. Governing by crisis is not governing at all. For too long, both parties have kicked the can down the road instead of delivering real budgets, real cuts and real long-term planning. Americans deserve discipline, not dysfunction.

But in today’s Washington, policy takes a backseat to political theater.

Which brings me to Quantico, where War Secretary Pete Hegseth assembled the nation’s top generals and admirals Monday. Speaking in front of a giant flag — reminiscent of the famous opening scene in the 1970 film “Patton” — Hegseth laid out an unapologetically direct vision.

He reminded the armed forces of their true purpose, and the nation of its: to defend America, to safeguard liberty and to deter our enemies.

The military is not a social laboratory for woke experiments. It is a fighting force. A “warrior ethos” must define it — clarity of mission, discipline and readiness above all.

You don’t have to agree with his vision to appreciate the courage of saying it plainly, on the record, for all to see. Gathering top brass in one room to discuss the future is powerful. Doing so in front of the American people is even more powerful. That is transparency at its finest.

The fact that it was unprecedented doesn’t make it wrong. That makes it overdue.

The disappointment is that it isn’t already common practice in Washington.

Trump’s remarks, on the other hand, were an incoherent mess.

These generals and admirals did not travel halfway around the globe to hear about tariffs or Joe Biden’s autopen. The moment demanded strength, clarity and vision, and the commander in chief should have used that opportunity to remind the world that America’s military power is second to none — and will remain so for the next century.

That is how you project confidence to allies and deterrence to enemies.

Instead, we got a 72-minute rambling campaign-style speech where Trump defended the use of U.S. troops in American cities to fight the “enemy from within.” That very suggestion betrays the oath every soldier takes. The Constitution is clear: The military exists to defend the republic from foreign threats, not to be wielded as a political weapon at home.

To even hint otherwise is reckless, unconstitutional and corrosive to the fabric of a free nation.

If you found yourself cheering when Trump suggested turning American troops against American citizens, then you have abandoned the very principles on which this nation was built. You’ve walked away from the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. You’ve rejected limited government, discarded checks and balances and ignored the simple truth that power exists to protect the people, not to be weaponized against them.

In short, you’ve stopped believing in America itself.

Bottom line: If your loyalty to the president blinds you to the difference between right and wrong — between constitutional government and raw abuse of power — you are likely suffering from a case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.

I don’t pretend to know the cure. But perhaps start with a couple of Tylenol — unless, of course, you’re pregnant.

Matt Wylie is a South Carolina-based Republican political strategist and analyst with over 25 years of experience working on federal, state and local campaigns.

This story was originally published October 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "How Republicans have already won the government shutdown | Opinion."