The latest federal government shutdown is not just another Washington standoff. It’s a symptom of deeper dysfunction: Congress’s inability to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars while our national debt soars past $35 trillion.
North Carolina offers a telling contrast. Under state law, when lawmakers in Raleigh cannot agree on a new budget by July 1, the previous budget remains in effect until a new one is enacted. Government services continue, teachers are paid, and law enforcement isn’t left waiting on a political deal. This structure protects citizens from the reckless brinksmanship that has now paralyzed Washington.
Shutdowns are enormously costly. They furlough workers, stall disaster relief, delay paychecks for military families, and rattle the economy. And yet, they don’t fix the underlying problem: Washington spends more than it takes in, year after year. The shutdown chaos only adds insult to injury by wasting even more taxpayer dollars.
Both parties bear responsibility for decades of unchecked spending. They have also turned fiscal debates into partisan fights while ignoring the larger problem. Under President Biden, federal spending ballooned during the pandemic, expanding entitlements and programs with little thought to long-term costs. Instead of patching the holes in America’s financial lifeboat, Biden and his congressional allies drilled new ones, expanding the size of government while the national debt raced toward unsustainable levels.
MIRRORING THE WASHINGTON SWAMP
And the same playbook is being run in Raleigh. Gov. Josh Stein’s threats to slash Medicaid reimbursement rates starting Oct. 1 smack of political theater, say Republicans. The state legislature approved $600 million to fund Medicaid, providing time for lawmakers to reach consensus on a rebase plan. Right now the state House and Senate have not agreed to a final plan, with the Senate passing the Healthcare Investment Act, and the House passed Additional Medicaid Funds and Requirements. The bills differ, and the chambers are due back Oct. 20, 2025.
A manufactured crisis like this mirrors the dysfunction of Washington: creating panic for leverage. It’s brinksmanship at the expense of patients and providers.
While the General Assembly has assigned about $600 million for the Medicaid rebase, it is important to note that “rebase” is not new spending; it’s a reset to keep up with rising costs as federal aid disappears. When the federal government expanded Medicaid spending during the COVID-19 pandemic, that money was used to supplement the state’s spending on the program. Now, that federal money is expiring. We are seeing the impact of a short-sighted approach to government spending.
FOLLOW NORTH CAROLINA’S EXAMPLE
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Just as North Carolina avoids shutdowns through its budget-continuity law, Congress could adopt an automatic continuing resolution to keep agencies open at prior funding levels until a new budget is passed. This would prevent shutdowns from becoming bargaining chips and refocus debate on the real issue: how much Washington spends.
The answer cannot be “more.” Spending more without accountability only deepens our debt crisis. Fiscal restraint, setting enforceable caps, prioritizing core functions, and demanding efficiency must become the rule, not the exception.
Both parties share the blame for repeated failures. But leadership requires courage: the courage to tell voters the truth about debt, the courage to make tough choices about spending, and the courage to put the country’s stability above partisan leverage.
Shutdowns are optional. Fiscal responsibility is not. Congress must abandon governing by crisis and embrace reforms that prioritize taxpayers and the nation’s financial future.
