The radical left shutdown

Let the blame games begin … It's not a shutdown! … And who doesn't love Taco Bell?

“The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government.”

No, that’s not an Andy Biggs quote. It’s part of the bright red banner that started appearing on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s website yesterday.

It’s day two of the federal government shutdown, and it’s already feeling alarmingly different than past ones.

The narrative for this one isn’t framed around the border wall or DACA recipients like Trump’s last two shutdowns were, but about something that doesn’t exist: Obamacare for undocumented people.

Now, Trump threatens permanent firings in addition to the furloughs that come with shutdowns, and federal agencies are posting messaging blaming congressional Democrats for the whole thing.

In the meantime, every local news outlet has the “Arizona angle” on the shutdown. Since you can’t read them all at once, we pulled together the key takeaways.

What is going on?

In case you missed it: Democrats are holding out until Republicans agree to extend Affordable Care Act (AKA Obamacare) subsidies that will run out at the end of the year and subsequently raise monthly premiums. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for those subsidies.

Senate Democrats refused to pass a stopgap funding bill on Wednesday to temporarily keep things running.

Now, the U.S. is in what’s called a “partial shutdown,” which happens when lawmakers approve some, but not all, of the annual spending bills, leaving certain agencies to shut down or furlough workers.

That makes the actual impact harder to pin down. But each federal agency has a contingency plan, and the Congressional Budget Office estimated about 750,000 employees could be furloughed.

Federal workers who provide essential services — active-duty service members, air traffic controllers, border security workers — are required to come to work even without guaranteed paychecks. Congress passed a law in 2019 requiring immediate back pay when the government opens back up.

Impacts will vary. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid should continue, but Medicare telehealth services and WIC, a federal nutrition program, will run out of funds.

Those who live on tribal lands are especially at risk during a shutdown, since a lot of their public services run through federal grants. The Navajo Nation said yesterday that essential services are expected to continue, but that about 1,100 Bureau of Indian Affairs employees are set to be furloughed.

In shutdown coverage, the Grand Canyon is usually Arizona’s first stop. Gov. Katie Hobbs said she won’t use state funds to keep the Grand Canyon open during this shutdown, but Arizona’s biggest National Park is a good example of how the state is forced to plug holes when federal funding disappears.

In 1995, Gov. Fife Symington tried to use the National Guard to reopen the Grand Canyon. Gov. Jan Brewer spent $651,000 to keep the federal park open in 2013. And Gov. Doug Ducey spent more than $193,000 to keep it open during the 2018 shutdown.

The politics of the pause

In general, Republicans are calling the impasse the “Schumer shutdown” because Minority Leader Chuck Schumer finally found his backbone by leveraging the limited powers he has to keep the GOP in check.

Democrats are historically reluctant to shut down the government, since the instigating party often takes the political hit. Schumer wrote in a New York Times op-ed back in March that “As bad as passing the continuing resolution would be, I believe a government shutdown is far worse.”

Schumer also warned that Trump could “deem whole agencies, programs and personnel nonessential, furloughing staff members with no promise they would ever be rehired.” And WIRED reported that Elon Musk wanted a government shutdown in March to make his federal firing spree easier.

Yesterday, House Speaker Mike Johnson cast the shutdown as a potential win for taxpayers if Trump leverages it to cut the federal government in ways the Senate doesn’t have the votes to do.

Schumer did not foretell, however, that government agencies would blast Democrats in emails to federal agencies and on taxpayer-funded websites.

Not to mention, the National Republican Congressional Committee ran campaign ads calling out Democrats on the first day of the shutdown.

What are my representatives doing about it?

Democratic U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego has been particularly vocal against Republicans’ claims that this whole thing is about giving undocumented people healthcare, and he posted a video roasting Trump in response to the racist AI video the president posted.

Arizona’s other Senator, Mark Kelly, is leveling his criticism with less intensity.

Republican U.S. House leaders refused to swear in Arizona’s newly elected U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva, whose signature is the last one needed to force a vote on a bill to release the Epstein files. Democratic U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton told CNN it’s “blatantly obvious to the American people exactly what’s going on.” Democratic U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari and Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani said they’re donating their salaries during the shutdown.

Arizona’s congressional Republicans are largely doubling down on the “Schumer shutdown” narrative.

Ciscomani made the argument that he voted for spending bills under Biden, so Democrats should do the same under Trump. Republican Rep. Paul Gosar said Schumer caused the shutdown because “he’s terrified that AOC will crush him in a primary.”

And Rep. Andy Biggs declared the shutdown is not only about undocumented healthcare, but “taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries.”

What now?

The damage from government shutdowns is often measured by how long they last. The last shutdown over the border wall took 35 days. It was the longest in U.S. history.

Currently, both sides want their end of the deal before relenting to the other.

Republican leaders said they’re open to discussing the expiring subsidies, but only after reopening the government, and Democrats have varying stances on their willingness to relent.

Just like at Arizona’s Capitol, those decisions happen in back rooms we never get to see.

Until then, Republicans will likely continue proposing a “clean” extension while trying to win over Democratic votes.

The other shutdown: Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren line-item vetoed millions from the Navajo Council’s budget — specifically, appropriations for legislative staff, per the Navajo Times’ Donovan Quintero. Nygren, who has long beefed with the council and even his vice president, said the cuts, which didn’t affect the executive branch, are aimed at bringing the Council back to the negotiating table. While the vetoes won’t mean a shutdown, delegates called them illegal and destabilizing.

“If I were president of the Navajo Nation, I wouldn’t act like a king. I would be the CEO that the people elected me to be,” Delegate Eugenia Charles-Newton said.

Abuela had a traffic ticket: ICE continues to arrest undocumented immigrants with no criminal records at a breakneck pace, KJZZ’s Alisa Reznick reports, based on numbers from researchers. The data shows that 71% of those detained have not been convicted of a crime, though a significant portion of those face pending criminal charges.

Gruntspeak for president: During an appearance on CNN this week, Democratic U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego called President Donald Trump “an idiot” for proposing using “radical” Democrat-run cities like San Francisco as training grounds for the military, Cronkite News’ Tufan Neupane reports. Gallego, who served in the Marines in Iraq, said the idea is dangerous, shows that the commander in chief of the military “doesn’t actually understand how the military works,” and that soldiers would never train their guns on American citizens.

“We’re going to straighten them out, one by one,” Trump said. “And this is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. That’s a war, too. It’s a war from within.”

Lawsuits ahead: Secretary of State Adrian Fontes delivered his draft of the Elections Procedures Manual — basically all the rules around how counties conduct elections — to Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes yesterday, he announced in a press release. The once-ignored booklet has become a hotbed of controversy in recent years.¹ The detailed and technical 469-page document needs sign-off from the governor and AG, but not approval from legislative leaders, who still hate Fontes’ plan and have threatened to sue over it.

Move over, Teslas: As of yesterday, electric and alternative fuel vehicle owners can no longer use the HOV lanes on highways in Arizona and beyond, AZFamily’s Whitney Clark reports. A federal law allowing states to grant EVs access to HOV lanes expired, and while Congress could have extended the deadline or made the law permanent, it didn’t. Tickets are $400 or more.

That little tidbit could save you from a $400 fine. Local news is a worthwhile investment!

In other, other news

Republican Rep. Selina Bliss told constituents in Sedona that she and fellow lawmakers are getting serious about short-term rental regulations next year, blaming the real estate industry for killing this year’s attempts (Joseph K Giddens / Sedona Red Rock News) … The Miami Unified School District near Globe is closed for the week, at least, as they attempt to recover from last week’s devastating floods in the area (Craig Harris / 12News) … The Attorney General’s Office joined a multi-state lawsuit against Zillow and Redfin, claiming the companies violated antitrust laws when Zillow paid Redfin to shut down its apartment rental business and transfer its clients to Zillow (The Hill) … And Republican state Rep. John Gillette has no regrets about calling for Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal of Washington to be “tried convicted and hanged” for encouraging protests against Trump, except that he wished he said she should have been executed by “firing squad” (Ray Stern / Republic).

The House and Senate Victory Funds — the campaign arm of Republican state legislators — have a host of exciting events coming up.

• For a mere $15,000 per person (plus airfare), you can join House Speaker Steve Montenegro, Majority Leader Michael Carbone and friends in Nashville for a “Corvette event” featuring a luxury hotel stay and a chance to drive a fast car!

• If race cars aren’t your jam, you can join them and Senate President Warren Petersen for a Sonoita wine tour for a very reasonable $15,000 per person.

• Wine a little too fancy for your taste? Pony up $1,000 to $10,000 and you can grab some BBQ with the crew in Yuma.

Yes, it’s mind-blowing that people will pay that amount of money. But these things must work, or they wouldn’t do them.

So, in that spirit, we would like to alert you to an exciting opportunity for an exclusive trip with the Arizona Agenda to any Taco Bell of your choice in the greater Phoenix area.

Here’s the button.

1. Although the EPM is required to be drafted and approved before each election, the state didn’t create a new manual from 2015 to 2019. In 2015, then-Secretary of State Michele Reagan just blew off the task, and two years later, Gov. Doug Ducey and AG Mark Brnovich refused to approve her draft.