Amid Government Shutdown, Republicans Are Showing Us What Autocracy Looks Like

"But on Capitol Hill over the past four weeks, during a protracted government shutdown, Republicans have been displaying the opposite. The quiet, moribund center of American government looks anything but like a democracy. The deserted hallways and empty offices portend something radically different: a future where the messy work of legislating on behalf of the public is replaced by the whims of a ruling oligarchy."

"It began when Democrats refused to vote for a continuing resolution to fund the government last month. Democrats wanted Republicans to reauthorize expiring Obamacare tax credits, subsidies enacted during the pandemic to make insurance premiums more affordable for millions of Americans. Republicans allowed them to lapse in the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill." Democrats have called the end of these credits a crisis. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 2.2 million people will lose health insurance if the subsidies"

They are anticipating that vast structural changes will ultimately keep them in power, regardless of how they legislate. A popular chant at recent No Kings protests proclaimed "This is what democracy looks like." On Capitol Hill during a four-week government shutdown, Republicans have behaved oppositely, creating a quiet, moribund center of government. Deserted hallways and empty offices suggest a future where legislating for the public is replaced by the whims of a ruling oligarchy. The shutdown began when Democrats refused a continuing resolution after Republicans let pandemic-era Obamacare tax credits lapse in the "Big Beautiful Bill." The Congressional Budget Office estimates 2.2 million people will lose coverage if the subsidies end.

Read at Truthout