Well, Democrats thought they had the Trump administration cornered with a government shutdown, wielding the federal budget like a club to force concessions. But it seems they miscalculated spectacularly.
The shutdown began Wednesday morning after Democrats blocked a clean continuing resolution that would have funded the government at current funding levels through November. Their strategy seemed simple enough: force a crisis, blame Republicans, and extract political victories from the chaos.
But they forgot who they were dealing with.
President Donald Trump had warned them explicitly: Hours before the shutdown, he told reporters that Democrats were “taking a risk” because the shutdown would enable his administration to make “irreversible” cuts to programs Democrats cherish.
“We can cut large numbers of people out. We don’t want to do that, but we don’t want fraud, waste, and abuse,” Trump said, specifically mentioning Russell Vought’s ability to “trim the budget to a level that you couldn’t do any other way.”
The Eight Billion Dollar Bombshell
As Trump warned, The Democrats’ gambit collapsed within hours. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought delivered the first crushing blow Wednesday evening with a simple social media post that sent shockwaves through blue state capitals:
From ‘Breitbart’:
“Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda is being cancelled,” Vought wrote in a post on X, adding that more details would become available via the Department of Energy.
The cuts are to projects in blue, or blue-leaning states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
The targeted states read like a roll call from the 2024 election’s blue column. Every single one had voted for Kamala Harris.
The Energy Department later confirmed the scope: 321 awards supporting 223 projects terminated, spanning wind farms, solar installations, and EV charging stations. A senior administration official, speaking candidly, called them “windmills/bird grave yards” and “boondoggles or safety risks.”
Finally, someone said the quiet part out loud.
The Reckoning Expands
But Vought wasn’t finished. Earlier that same day, he’d announced an $18 billion freeze on infrastructure projects in New York City, citing “unconstitutional DEI principles.” The pattern was unmistakable – blue states were learning that obstruction carries consequences.
State officials scrambled for information, with Minnesota’s Department of Commerce admitting they had no idea which grants were affected. Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s office confessed they were “trying to ascertain what he is talking about.”
The confusion itself became part of the message: when you force a shutdown, you lose your seat at the table.
Democratic senators predictably cried foul; Adam Schiff claimed democracy was “badly broken,” while Chris Murphy called it “naked and brazen corruption.” Really? You force a shutdown and then complain when it’s used against you? That’s like punching someone and crying when they hit back.
When You Play With Fire
This is what happens when career politicians forget they’re dealing with a businessman who wrote “The Art of the Deal.” Democrats wanted to play hardball over illegal immigrant healthcare benefits, as Trump noted, saying it was “the number one reason that they want a strike.”
Instead, they handed the administration a golden opportunity to eliminate billions in climate boondoggles that would have been untouchable during normal operations.
The irony is delicious. Democrats shut down the government to protect their agenda and instead gave Trump the authority to dismantle it piece by piece. Eight billion here, eighteen billion there … pretty soon you’re talking about real money returned to taxpayers instead of funding unreliable energy schemes.
This is conservative governance in action: using the left’s own tactics against them while protecting taxpayer dollars from wasteful spending. The Democrats wanted a showdown. They got something else entirely – a lesson in what happens when you bring a government shutdown to a budget cut fight.
And the best part? We’re just getting started.
Key Takeaways
- Democrats’ shutdown strategy backfired, enabling Trump to cut $8 billion in green energy funding
- All 16 affected states voted blue, learning that political obstruction has consequences
- Conservative governance means using the left’s own tactics to protect taxpayer dollars
Sources: Breitbart, POLITICO, NOTUS
