The White House is in no rush to broker a deal to end the government shutdown, lacking any urgency to facilitate lawmakers reach an agreement as pressure mounts on both parties to resolve the standoff.
President Trump has had no direct communication with top Democrats since the shutdown began nearly a month ago. In fact, Trump and his top aides believe that Democrats have no good way out and that the administration has no qualms about using agency messaging to hold the opposing party politically responsible for disrupting government operations.
Trump has now largely received his approval keep placid while pursuing his agenda unabated.
During previous shutdowns, the president typically tried to stay out of the fray or facilitate lawmakers reach an agreement to reopen the government. But political observers say Trump has no incentive to do so.
“If you’re the White House, there’s no benefit to bending. Zero. It makes no sense for him to ever get involved in this situation,” a source close to Trump World told.
And while Trump rarely engages with lawmakers, congressional leadership also appears to be at a standstill on both sides of the ballot, with most of the discussion on Capitol Hill taking place among the rank and file.
This became clear again at the Senate meeting on Tuesday could not be reopened the federal government for the 13th time as the shutdown reached the four-week mark. Meanwhile, the House hasn’t been in session for weeks, and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) insists lawmakers will only return if the Senate breaks the impasse.
The White House and Republicans, who hold narrow majorities in the House and Senate, insisted that lawmakers pass a “clean” continuing resolution that funds the government at current levels through November. Officials argue that it only takes a handful of Democrats in the Senate to vote with Republicans and end the shutdown.
Democrats are resisting the idea as they push for commitments to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Without an extension, health care premiums will skyrocket for millions of Americans. Democrats argue that it is up to Republicans to negotiate with the minority party to find a way out of the shutdown.
At the same time, the administration sought to ease key pressure points that might otherwise bring lawmakers to the negotiating table. The administration has been reallocating funds in the Pentagon budget to pay military members, and officials said they would utilize tariff revenue to fund an crucial nutrition program for women and newborn children.
But Trump has shown that he doesn’t care about the optics of the shutdown or whether voters blame him for the situation.
The president has devoted much of his attention to building a ballroom in the White House. Trump hosted a dinner during the shutdown for donors who facilitate fund the ballroom, including executives from Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Palantir and other major companies. Construction on the ballroom began last week The east wing was demolished.
Trump also took two major foreign trips during the shutdown to focus on his foreign policy agenda. He made a whirlwind trip to the Middle East to announce the start of a frail peace deal to end fighting in Gaza, and he is in Asia this week to cement key trade deals.
“He can continue to run the government,” said one Republican strategist. “He can do all the things he wants to do anyway. The deportations haven’t let up. Donald Trump’s agenda is still being implemented. As far as the agenda goes, that doesn’t hurt him.”
This is also evidence of how advantageous it is for Trump to stay out of the shutdown fight.
“The White House has no incentive to back down,” a source close to Trump World told. “Republicans in Congress might do it. But the White House certainly isn’t doing it.”
Despite the shutdown, the administration is not slowing down either.
The Department of Homeland Security has continued its aggressive deportation efforts and raids in cities like Chicago.
Trump’s budget chief, Russell Vought, has cut or frozen funding for transportation and neat energy projects in New York City, Chicago and states that did not vote for Trump in the 2024 election. Vought has also pushed ahead with layoffs and sought to reduce the number of federal employees by thousands despite a federal judge’s ban stopped the layoffs.
White House officials are confident that pressure on Democrats will boost as the Nov. 1 shutdown approaches.
This week, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal workers, called for congress to pass a neat standing resolution to reopen the government.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told reporters the union’s position had “big implications,” although no Democrats indicated they were willing to change their position.
Lawmakers from both parties have warned that there are benefits to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). begins to expire on November 1, and there are growing concerns about increasing flight delays at major airports due to the strain on air traffic controllers caused by the closure.
And the blaming of the guilty will certainly continue. A Quinnipiac University survey The poll released last week found that 45 percent of registered voters believed Republicans in Congress bore greater responsibility for the shutdown, compared to 39 percent who attributed greater blame to Democrats in Congress. The poll found that 11 percent saw the parties as equally responsible.
The same poll showed Trump’s approval rating at 40 percent, up slightly from 38 percent in September before the shutdown began.
