A Crisis of Governance: Shutdown Highlights Congress’s Inability to Function

The ongoing government shutdown is more than just a funding dispute; it is a full-blown crisis of governance that highlights the fundamental inability of the current Congress to perform its most basic functions. The repeated failure to pass a funding bill, including another set of rejections in the Senate on Wednesday, is a symptom of a deeper political sickness.
A functioning government requires negotiation, compromise, and a shared understanding of priorities. The current shutdown demonstrates a complete lack of all three. Instead of negotiation, we have partisan entrenchment. Instead of compromise, we have maximalist demands. And instead of shared priorities, we have a clash of ideologies.
The effects of this dysfunction are now undeniable. Critical public services like air travel are being strained, and the government is on the verge of failing to meet its obligation to pay its military personnel. These are not the signs of a healthy democracy.
The rhetoric of the key players, such as Speaker Mike Johnson’s accusations of “communism,” further underscores this crisis. It shows a breakdown in the basic comity and respect necessary for a legislative body to operate.
Until this underlying crisis of governance is addressed, shutdowns and standoffs will continue to be a regular feature of American politics. The failed votes on Wednesday were just the latest evidence that the institution of Congress itself is in a state of severe distress.