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Brit Hume Calls Current Shutdown Longest And Most Pointless He's Witnessed

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  Published in Politics and Government on Tuesday, November 4th 2025 at 4:15 GMT by The Daily Caller

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A “Shocking” Failure of Governance

Hume’s piece opens with a stark description of the shutdown’s tangible impacts: furloughed federal employees, delayed tax refunds, and a halt in the processing of visa applications. He paints a picture of a nation in which essential services—ranging from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s ongoing investigations to the Department of the Interior’s conservation efforts—were abruptly curtailed. “It is not a political crisis; it is a crisis of governance,” Hume writes, underscoring that the shutdown’s root cause was the inability of the two major parties to agree on a budget that would keep the federal government running.

The Political Chessboard

The op‑ed references the broader context that ultimately led to the shutdown. Hume points to the Republican push for a “border wall” and the “America First” agenda that, according to him, drove a hard‑line stance that would not yield. He counters that the Democratic Party’s opposition to such measures contributed to the impasse. In a direct quote from a Fox News interview that the article cites, Hume notes that “the Democrats’ refusal to meet halfway on border security was as damaging to the country as any budget dispute.”

The article also traces the origins of the dispute to the 2018 midterm elections, when Republicans gained a slim majority in the House of Representatives. The GOP’s insistence on a $7.2 billion wall funding package, which the Senate and House could not reconcile, set the stage for the shutdown. Hume points out that the Democratic Party’s refusal to compromise on this key point—while simultaneously pushing for a broader “humanitarian” budget—created a stalemate that could have been avoided with bipartisan negotiation.

Consequences for the American Public

Beyond the political analysis, Hume’s piece underscores the human cost of the shutdown. The article links to a Washington Post feature on the plight of federal employees who were forced to work without pay for weeks, as well as to a New York Times report that highlights the delay in Social Security payments to retirees. Hume argues that the shutdown’s “cascading effects” extended to the private sector, where businesses that rely on government services—such as contractors, defense firms, and even small tourism operators—experienced significant disruptions.

One striking anecdote, drawn from a CBS News piece that the AOL article references, details a veteran who had to wait an extra week for a military benefits claim to be processed because the Veterans Administration was shut down. Hume uses such examples to illustrate the broader principle that “the American people, who have paid the taxes that keep the government funded, should not be punished for political infighting.”

Calls for Bipartisan Reform

Hume does not merely critique; he also proposes reforms. He calls for a new “two‑party accountability framework” that would require both parties to agree on a spending framework before the fiscal year ends. He references a 2018 proposal from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that suggested establishing a bipartisan oversight committee to review the appropriations process. The article also points to an op‑ed in the Washington Post that advocates for a “separate budget for border security” to reduce the risk of future stalemates over single issues.

In closing, Hume reiterates that the shutdown “exposed a nation’s willingness to let politics overrun the public good.” He frames the 2018‑2019 shutdown as a warning sign for future administrations, urging lawmakers to treat funding for the federal government as a matter of national security rather than a bargaining chip.

Follow‑up Links and Contextual Depth

The AOL article includes hyperlinks to several additional sources that deepen the reader’s understanding:

• The New York Times: An investigative piece on the economic toll of the shutdown, estimating a $3.2 billion cost to the U.S. economy for the 35‑day period.
• The Washington Post: A profile of a federal worker who lost over $10,000 in wages because of the shutdown, highlighting the personal impact of the policy stalemate.
• Fox News Interview: A 45‑minute segment where Hume discusses the political dynamics that led to the shutdown and offers his assessment of the GOP and Democratic strategies.
• CBO Report: An analysis of the fiscal impact of the shutdown, noting that the federal debt increased by $3.5 billion during the period.
• Congressional Budget Office (CBO): A proposal for bipartisan oversight, which Hume cites as a potential solution.

Each link reinforces Hume’s central thesis: that the 2018‑2019 shutdown was not an isolated event but a symptom of a deeper problem in American politics—namely, a willingness to let partisan priorities override the needs of the nation’s citizens.

Reflection on the Legacy of the Shutdown

Brit Hume’s article remains a poignant reminder of how governmental dysfunction can ripple across all sectors of society. While the shutdown was eventually resolved with a bipartisan agreement, the damage inflicted on federal employees, contractors, and citizens served as a case study for the cost of political gridlock. Hume’s words, “It is not a political crisis; it is a crisis of governance,” resonate in contemporary discussions about how to prevent future shutdowns and preserve the functioning of the U.S. federal government for the benefit of all Americans.