Government Shutdown

Here's the brief explanation given by Search Assist:  

"The U.S. government is at risk of a shutdown on October 1, 2025, as Congress has not yet passed any of the necessary appropriations bills for the new fiscal year. Both parties have rejected proposals to keep the government funded, leaving the situation uncertain."

Update:  This is an excellent explanation of the shutdown and why it's such a big deal this time - 

Government Shutdown on the Horizon—Why It Matters - by Heather Cox Richardson

Update 2:  Sept 26, 2025: Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought has sent a memo to government agencies instructing them to prepare for “mass firings” of federal employees if a government shutdown occurs. This threat of mass firing is much more extreme than the typical furloughing of federal employees that follows a shutdown and instead would permanently eliminate jobs in programs “not consistent with Trump’s priorities.” - 5 Calls

Politico says, "Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are insisting on bipartisan negotiations that Republicans see no reason to engage in."

Democrats offered up a stopgap proposal which would be good until October 31. ~ Politico

House Republicans proposed legislation to continue funding the government through November 21. Democrats are looking to halt the current funding bill due to concerns over expiring health care subsidies. Some are also hoping to roll back changes that Republicans previously passed restricting the Medicaid program. ~ Newsweek

On Friday, the House passed the Republican-led funding bill. The vote was 217-212. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine was the lone Democratic member to support the bill.  The Senate rejected competing measures on Friday. ~ PBS

If the government shuts down, the Republicans would put the blame on Democrats and some have said they would welcome the shutdown in order to paint the Democrats in a bad light.

The Senate will need 60 votes to advance the spending deal.  Currently the Senate has 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and 2 Independents.

Jeffries and Shumer wrote a letter demanding to meet with trump about the shutdown.  trump has not met with the Democratic leaders at the White House all year.  Senate Democrats have also signaled that there may, in fact, be a shutdown this time around. Unlike in March, when Mr. Schumer and some members of his caucus provided the votes to avert a government shutdown and paid a political price for it, they appear more willing to stand up to Mr. Trump this time.  - New York Times

I have seen a few people advocate for capitulating in order to keep the government open.  Honestly, I have not seen anyone make a strong or compelling case for that. Maybe you have.   Lots of people fighting against trump's policies are advocating for shutting down the government. They are hoping Schumer and Jeffries will NOT bend the knee and allow bad policies to go through.    I have seen plenty of folks talk about shutting down on podcasts, YouTube, and more.  

Should Democrats Shut Down the Government?  (Robert Reich on Substack)

Time To Play Hardball  (Dan Rather on Substack)

Here's a good one on YouTube from ResistorVic (who describes himself as "just some guy trying to get a message out every now and then.") -  

From the Rumor Mill 

(This is likely true, but I didn't have time to verify with other sources.)

"We are heading for a government shutdown. Republican Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson has ordered House members not to be in congress on the only two days they can vote to end the shutdown. Trump ordered Republicans not to talk with Democrats, let alone negotiate."

Contacts

Personally, I am advocating for shutting it down and NOT joining with Republicans on any measures that strip our rights, harm our protections, or go against our laws.  But, if you completely disagree with shutting down, you can still use these contacts to make your opinion known.

Chuck Schumer (D)

Senate Minority Leader

322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Phone:   (202) 224-6542

Hakeem Jeffries (D)

House Minority Leader

2267 Rayburn House

Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Phone:  (202) 225-5936

Jeff Merkely

Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee

531 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

Phone: (202) 224-3753

More - Congress Call List (includes phone numbers, addresses, Websites, etc)

SPECIFIC TO GEORGIA

Raphael Warnock

Georgia Senator

717 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC   20510

Phone:  (202) 224-3643

Jon Ossoff

Georgia Senator

317 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510

Phone:   (202) 224-3521

Republicans

If you have something to say about this to Republicans, here are a couple of addresses -

John Thune (R)

Senate Majority Leader

United States Senate SD-511

Washington, DC 20510

Phone:   (202) 224-2321

Mike Johnson (R)

House Speaker

521 Cannon House Office Building 

Washington, DC 20515 

Phone: 202-225-2777

SPECIFIC TO District 3 in GA, (including Fayette, Coweta and more)

Brian Jack (R)

3rd District Congressman, Georgia

Newnan, GA Office

1601 E HWY 34, Suite B

Newnan, GA  30265

Phone:   (770) 683-2033

MORE CONTACTS

If you want to write or call someone who is not on this page, check the CONTACTS PAGE. I have ready info for those I contact frequently.  This page ALSO has links to help you easily find others - senators, representatives, committee members, etc.