Right-wing media outlets are downplaying the devastating effects of government shutdowns, despite the massive negative impact previous shutdowns have made on the U.S. economy.
Led by multibillionaire Elon Musk, Republicans scuttled a bipartisan proposal to keep the government funded ahead of the Dec. 20 deadline. Without the passage of a funding bill, the federal government will have to enter a partial shutdown.
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On Fox News, host Sean Hannity didn’t see a problem.
“I think it’s a misnomer that a government shutdown is the worst thing in the world. We survived a 30-plus day shut down in 2019,” Hannity said during his broadcast on Wednesday night.
On Thursday, Fox anchor Bret Baier echoed the sentiment, noting, “if you get a government shutdown, there’s a lot of people in America that say, ‘You know, it’s okay, isn’t it, for a couple days?’”
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On Newsmax, host Greg Kelly specifically advocated for a shutdown.
“Go ahead and shut it down. What’s the big deal? They talk about it like it would be the Armageddon. Shut it down. The government shuts down every weekend. No problem. Shut it down,” Kelly said.
His fellow Newsmax host Chris Plante said, “I love a good government shutdown. I always enjoy a government shutdown no matter the time of year, but Christmas makes it especially nice, I think.”
The pro-Trump media outlets share the same sentiment as Donald Trump himself, who wrote on his social media account, “If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under ‘TRUMP.’”
Vice President-elect JD Vance claimed that in opposing the Trump and Musk-approved revised spending bill that failed to secure passage, Democrats “asked for a shutdown, and I think that’s exactly what they’re going to get.”
There were two government shutdowns under Trump in his first term, including the longest one in American history lasting for 35 days. The Congressional Budget Office later assessed the damage the shutdown that spanned from December 2018 to January 2019 caused and estimated that it reduced the GDP of the U.S. by $3 billion.
Not only did the shutdown cause a financial hit, but “nonessential” services like the National Parks were closed. Those closures led to massive pileups of garbage and feces at some of the premiere attractions that have been a point of pride for American culture.
Shutdowns lead to furloughs of hundreds of thousands of federal workers who do not receive paychecks until the shutdown is resolved. Workers at the TSA are required to work without pay, and in the past they have called in sick—leading to travel delays.
Republicans may ultimately find a way to avoid a shutdown—if they can please “co-presidents” Trump and Musk—but Republicans will continue to operate with extremely narrow margins in Congress that they must please. Defections can lead to similar legislation being stalled and may trigger future shutdowns, which despite the protests of right-wing media, are in fact a “big deal.”
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