Playbook: “It’s hard to see the angry Democratic forces that are pushing Schumer into this shutdown suddenly letting him off the hook within a day or two. If the aim is to take a public stand and show supporters the party has some backbone, then folding inside 48 hours hardly squares.”
“The Trump administration, meanwhile, seems almost pleased at the prospect of a shutdown — which again makes a quick deal hard to envisage.”
“Federal agencies are preparing for a possible government shutdown with detailed plans that call for temporary furloughs but not permanent mass firings — even after the White House pressed departments to consider reductions in force as part of their contingency planning,” Bloomberg reports.
“At least eight cabinet departments comprising more than two-thirds of the federal workforce had detailed their shutdown plans as of Monday afternoon. Together they call for more than 400,000 employees to be sent home as nonessential.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris urged Democrats not to back down in the government shutdown fight, Politico reports.
Said Harris: “Republicans run the Senate. They run the House, and they run the White House…stand firm as the Republicans shut down the government… Because it won’t be the Democrats, it will be the Republicans.”
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President Trump told Politico he was unconcerned that Republicans might end up blamed for a government shutdown in the eyes of a frustrated public, even though the party holds a trifecta across government.
Said Trump: “I don’t worry about that. People that are smart see what’s happening. The Democrats are deranged.”
Punchbowl News: “In 2013, Republicans shut down the government to repeal Obamacare. In 2018, Republicans shut down the government to try to get money for Trump’s border wall, even though Trump was president.”
“Both efforts failed. Shutdowns rarely work as a negotiating ploy.”
“Republicans have the luxury of a simple message this time: We’re willing to negotiate, but not with the threat of a government shutdown hanging over us. It’s the same message Democrats have employed successfully in past showdowns.”
“By contrast, Democrats have a lot of demands.”
“Even though the House Republican leadership is making what we think is a bone-headed move by keeping the chamber out of session while federal agencies run out of money, the straightforwardness of the GOP’s message is useful.”
Playbook: “The GOP is supremely confident that given the Democrats are the party rejecting a clean, short-term funding bill, they will ultimately be blamed by the public.”
“Vice President JD Vance said he believes the US government is on track to shut down, seeking to pin the blame on Democrats one day before federal funding is set to lapse,” Bloomberg reports.
Said Vance: “I think we’re headed into a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing. I hope they change their mind, but we’re going to see.”
“Democrats inside and outside of Congress erupted in fury over a proposal circulated among Senate Democrats to reopen the government for seven to 10 days if a shutdown happens,” Axios reports.
“It is an early glimpse at the kind of intense public backlash the Senate Democrats risk from the rest of their party, especially their base, if they do anything short of allowing a government shutdown.”
“For months, President Trump warned Hamas that it had to release all remaining hostages or face Israel’s wrath. On Monday, he issued an ominous message: Agree to a 20-point peace plan for Gaza within 72 hours, or suffer complete annihilation,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“In effect, Trump threatened the prospect of more war in order to end nearly two years of fighting.”
“Military leaders have raised serious concerns about the Trump administration’s forthcoming defense strategy, exposing a divide between the Pentagon’s political and uniformed leadership as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth summons top brass to a highly unusual summit in Virginia on Tuesday,” the Washington Post reports.
“If a government shutdown wasn’t already exceedingly likely, President Donald Trump might have made it a near certainty Monday night,” Politico reports.
“The president posted a vulgar AI-generated deepfake video to his Truth Social slamming the top Democratic leaders — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — just hours after he hosted the two for an Oval Office meeting…”
“Jeffries appeared to reply on X: ‘Bigotry will get you nowhere. Cancel the Cuts. Lower the Cost. Save Healthcare. We are NOT backing down.’ Later, he posted a photo of Trump with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.”
Jonathan Chait: “As the president knows too well, efforts to censor or convict foes can often make them more popular.”
“This can be done the easy way, or it can be done the hard way.”
— Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, quoted by the New York Times, warning Hamas if it rejects the proposed U.S. peace plan.
“The QAnon shaman has sued Donald Trump for $40 trillion in a rambling lawsuit that targets Elon Musk, T-Mobile, and Warner Bros,” The Independent reports.
“Jacob Chansley, infamous for wearing a horned warrior outfit while storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, has claimed that he is the rightful commander-in-chief.”
“In his 26-page complaint, he has claimed that an elite group has launched a conspiracy to violate the Constitution. The entire complaint, which is more akin to a manifesto than a formal legal document, is presented in a single paragraph.”
“The selection of Bad Bunny to headline the Super Bowl halftime show is about more than music,” the AP reports.
“The move signals a cultural spotlight for Latin identity at America’s most-watched television event. It also raises fresh questions about how much space there will be for his trademark symbolism and social commentary — including his past criticism of President Donald Trump — given the NFL’s history of keeping performances tightly managed.”
Colombia’s foreign minister has “renounced” her U.S. visa to protest a decision by the U.S. State department to revoke the visa of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, the AP reports.
New York Times: “In order for Newsom and California Democrats to be able to draw new maps, however, voters in the state must decide whether to temporarily remove the state’s independent commission that regularly draws maps and instead hand over that power to Democrats in the State Legislature, via a measure known as Proposition 50.”
“And, in a particularly 2025 twist, the Republicans and others seeking to thwart Newsom’s efforts have been borrowing language most commonly used by Democrats ever since Trump rose to power in 2016 — language that warns that representative democracy is at stake.”
I spoke to Julie Mason on her fantastic radio show about this week’s likely government shutdown.
“The Trump administration is escalating its fight with Harvard University by starting a process that could make the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university ineligible for federal grants over allegations of antisemitism on campus,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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