Why This Shutdown Is Different

"During the previous government shutdown, President Trump reveled in the chance to fire federal workers, expand his executive authority, and steer taxpayer dollars toward his allies and away from his perceived political enemies. After a record-setting 43 days of gridlock-during which Trump pursued those goals with varying degrees of success-several Democrats abandoned their quest to force Republicans to negotiate a health-care deal, and voted to end the shutdown."

"The second government shutdown of Trump's second term ended today with much less fanfare and bravado from the commander in chief. This time, Trump negotiated both before and after the government was closed, going so far as to call Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to work out a deal on the main point of contention: his administration's mass-deportation campaign."

"(If you need evidence, in recent days, he has abruptly announced plans to close and completely rebuild the Kennedy Center, suggested that he wants to "nationalize" the midterm elections, and threatened Iran with an attack from "a massive Armada.") But his push to quickly resolve the latest shutdown highlights how much the political landscape on immigration has shifted following daily, videotaped clashes between masked federal agents and Minneapolis residents, two of whom were killed last month."

The previous shutdown lasted 43 days and involved efforts to fire federal workers, expand executive authority, and redirect taxpayer dollars to political allies. Prolonged gridlock led several Democrats to abandon forcing Republicans into a health-care negotiation, and Congress passed a funding bill that Trump framed as a partisan victory. The later shutdown ended with less fanfare as Trump negotiated both before and after the closure, including direct talks with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer over a mass-deportation campaign. Daily videotaped clashes between masked federal agents and Minneapolis residents shifted the immigration political landscape, prompting a quicker resolution; accountability negotiations for federal immigration agents remain unresolved.

Read at The Atlantic