As usual, the CJ takes the word of a MAGAt when it comes to the evils of government shutdowns. This is from the Republican rep from Kentucky’s 6th congressional district:

Every year, hardworking American families sit around their kitchen tables and make sure their bills are paid. They don’t get to “shut down” their household if they miss a deadline. They make adjustments, tighten their belts and do what’s necessary to keep the lights on and food on the table. Congress should be held to the same standard.

Unfortunately, Washington has developed a dangerous habit of letting partisanship produce government shutdown after government shutdown. In this recent episode of the government shutdown saga, House Republicans did our job; we passed a plan endorsed by President Trump to keep the government open and funded. But because of Senate Democrats and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, we are staring down the possibility of another disastrous government shutdown later this month.

Andy Barr doesn’t say the reason Democrats are doing this is because they don’t want him to kill his constituents by taking healthcare away from them.

To top it off, the historical cycle of government shutdowns predominantly fall to one party:

The claim that the Republican Party is most often associated with U.S. government shutdowns is supported by historical records showing Republicans played central roles in several recent major shutdowns, including the longest 2018–2019 closure, though contemporary coverage shows both parties blame one another for the 2025 shutdown. Contemporary reporting on the 2025 lapse describes a partisan deadlock in which Republicans and Democrats trade ownership claims, meaning the perception that one party “owns” shutdowns is shaped by both historical patterns and present political narratives ….

The 2018–2019 shutdown is repeatedly invoked as evidence tying shutdowns to Republican leadership: it was the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history and was linked to disputes over border wall funding, a signature Republican policy demand in that period ^[1]. That case is central to the claim because its duration and policy focus heightened public memory and scholarly attention, shaping narratives that Republicans are frequently the architects of high-profile budget standoffs. Yet even that case involved legislative bargaining dynamics in which both chambers and the executive interacted strategically, complicating simple attribution ^[1]….

The factual record shows a historical leaning that associates Republican-led initiatives with several prominent shutdowns, providing a basis for the claim, but the phenomenon is not exclusively partisan: institutional incentives, issue framing, and bipartisan tactical choices also produce shutdowns. Contemporary reporting from October 1, 2025, demonstrates both parties actively claim ownership and use the shutdown as leverage, meaning the statement that Republicans are “most often associated” is supportable by recent history while requiring the caveat that each shutdown’s circumstances and media framing heavily influence public attribution. 

Bottom line, you cannot take the word of a MAGA troll, because when you see whose policies do the most damage to our citizens, it most likely the result of GOP intransigence.