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Here we go again. Another deadline. The government’s running out of money. And the big question is: Will Congress find some way to keep the lights on or will they simply shut it down?

We’ve seen this movie before, and we know how it usually ends. At the last minute, both sides find some way to keep the government open, if only for another few months. But this time’s different. Usually, it’s far-right Republicans who demand a government shutdown. These days, it’s progressive Democrats.

What’s exciting Democrats nationwide is the idea of preventing Donald Trump from doing even more harm by simply shutting down the government. It’s being pushed by many leading Democrats, including Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chris Murphy, New York Times columnist Ezra Klein, and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich. People I usually always agree with.

Believe me, I understand their frustration. We all share it. We’re watching a madman assume the powers of a dictator and totally destroy everything we believe in and everything we thought this country stands for, including: due process, the rule of law, free speech, protection of the environment, belief in science, separation of powers, democracy itself, accepting the results of an election – and telling the truth. Guardrails we once thought would protect us from such an outlaw president disappeared once Congress and the Supreme Court surrendered their independence and assumed the role of Trump’s co-conspirators. And Trump still has three years to go.

No wonder so many Democrats are advocating the nuclear option. As Robert Reich said on LinkedIn: “Keeping the U.S. government funded now is to participate in the most atrocious misuse of the power of the United States in modern times. So I for one have decided that the best route is to shut the whole f**cking thing down.”

Again, I share the frustration. But I for one argue the opposite: for Democrats, shutting down the government would be a big mistake. For several reasons.

First, as we should have learned by now, no matter the merits of the arguments made, whichever party shuts down the government gets blamed for it and pays the political price. Democrats have made a strong case for taking back the House in 2026 by pointing out how incapable Republicans are at governing. They’ll lose that advantage if they, not Republicans, shut everything down.

Second, shutting down the government will not achieve its goal of stopping Donald Trump. He’ll still find any excuse to declare an “emergency” in order to expand his presidential powers. In fact, a government shutdown would hand him one phony “emergency” to act on. And don’t count on this gang of spineless congressional Republicans to restrain him just for the sake of keeping the Smithsonian museums open.

Third, who’s a shutdown going to hurt? It’s not Donald Trump, his Cabinet, or congressional Republicans. They’ll still get paid. They’ll still be up to their old tricks. The people who suffer will be all those hundreds of thousands of federal employees (those lucky enough to still have a job) who will not get a paycheck, the millions of Americans who depend on their services – at our Veterans hospitals, national parks, customs, airports, law enforcement, health and safety agencies – and the millions of small business owners whose profits will shrink because so many regular customers won’t have any money to spend.

Average, working-class Americans will be the victims of any government shutdown, not the Republican politicians Democrats want to restrain. As tempting as it may be, shutting down the government would only backfire on Democrats.

Which is not to say Democrats should give Republicans everything they want in a budget deal. No way. They still have the filibuster on their side. Republicans need them to pass any budget. They should use that power and fight like hell against extreme right-wing proposals Republicans will try to attach to the budget, but stop short of pulling the plug.

Let’s be real. There’s only one way to stop Trump’s madness: at the ballot box, starting in 2026. With a big win in Virginia this week and another projected win in Arizona later this month, Democrats are even closer to winning back the House. With Sherrod Brown in Ohio, Roy Cooper in North Carolina and an open seat in Arizona, Democrats also now have a good chance of taking back the Senate.

That’s the ticket. Winning in 2026 should be the Democrats' one and only focus. Shutting down the government is a tempting, but dangerous, distraction.

(Bill Press is host of The BillPressPod, and author of 10 books, including: “From the Left: My Life in the Crossfire.” His email address is: bill@billpress.com. Readers may also follow him on Twitter @billpresspod and on BlueSky @BillPress.bsky.social.)

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