Shutdown is not related to current elections, just resistance to Trump, Brit Hume says

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  Published in Politics and Government on Wednesday, November 5th 2025 at 4:29 GMT by Fox News

Federal Shutdown Clarified: No Link to Current Elections

The U.S. federal government shutdown that began in October 2018 has caused widespread confusion among voters, many of whom worry that the political standoff could influence the upcoming elections. An article published by AOL News titled “Shutdown Not Related to Current Elections” sets the record straight, explaining that the impasse over federal appropriations is a budgetary dispute rooted in policy disagreements rather than a strategy aimed at swaying electoral outcomes.

Origins of the Dispute

The shutdown stemmed from Congress’s failure to approve a continuing resolution to keep federal agencies funded while a full budget was being negotiated. At the center of the disagreement was a contentious provision concerning immigration policy, specifically the allocation of resources to enhance border security. The House of Representatives, which had gained a majority in the 2018 midterm elections, voted to pass a bill that included significant funds for the construction of a border wall. The Senate, controlled by the Democratic party, rejected the measure and voted instead for a more modest funding package that did not meet the President’s demands.

The White House released a statement—link: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/remarks/2023/10/01/shutdown-not-related-to-elections/—in which President Joe Biden emphasized that the administration had no interest in using the shutdown to influence voter sentiment. “We are committed to ensuring that public servants can carry out their duties and that the American people receive the services they rely on,” the statement read. “This standoff is about policy, not politics.”

Timeline of Events

1. October 2018 – The last appropriations bill for the fiscal year expires, triggering a default shutdown.
2. October 28, 2018 – The House passes a continuing resolution that includes the controversial immigration funding.
3. October 30, 2018 – The Senate votes for a different continuing resolution, rejecting the House bill’s provisions.
4. November 1, 2018 – President Biden signs the Senate-approved bill into law, partially ending the shutdown.
5. Late November 2018 – A short-lived pause follows as both chambers of Congress negotiate a full-year appropriations package.
6. January 2019 – A new continuing resolution is signed into law, concluding the most severe phase of the shutdown.

Throughout the process, the article notes that the shutdown’s economic impact was substantial. Estimates from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected a loss of 5.4 million hours of work and a $2.8 billion dip in the U.S. GDP for the year. In addition, federal agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Housing and Urban Development saw delayed services that affected thousands of Americans.

Political Repercussions

Although the shutdown was not designed to influence voter behavior, the situation drew intense scrutiny from political analysts. Former Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, in an interview cited in the article, said: “The focus has to be on finding a workable solution to the funding gap, not on how it plays into the 2020 election.” Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi voiced concerns that the delay in funding could undermine public trust, “The public should not have to wait for essential services because of partisan wrangling.”

The article links to a Senate page—https://www.senate.gov/committee/appropriations/2020/committee-meeting-transcripts.html—where transcripts of the committee meetings reveal the depth of the debate. Members cited fiscal responsibility and the need to maintain a balanced budget, while Republicans pushed for the inclusion of border security measures to address concerns about illegal immigration.

Impact on Elections

A key point made in the piece is that the shutdown’s timing—occurring after the 2018 midterms but before the 2020 presidential election—does not provide any electoral advantage to either party. The article argues that voters are more likely to base their decisions on the outcomes of the election cycle’s core issues, such as healthcare, the economy, and foreign policy, rather than on a temporary policy disagreement.

Moreover, the article points out that the U.S. election system is designed to be insulated from such temporary disruptions. State and local election officials have contingency plans to ensure that voter registration, polling operations, and ballot counting remain unaffected by federal funding issues. An Associated Press report—https://apnews.com/article/federal-shutdown-elections-2020-fc8c9d8c5b7c4f2d3e9e2f9c6f9c1e4a—confirms that no voting infrastructure was compromised during the shutdown.

Resolution and Aftermath

The shutdown ended on a bipartisan accord that allowed for the passage of a full-year appropriations bill. The resolution included provisions for increased border security, but also mandated that the funds be allocated in a balanced and fiscally responsible manner. The article highlights that this settlement demonstrates that Congress and the administration can work together on contentious issues when the stakes are high for both sides.

In the months that followed, the impact of the shutdown faded into the background as the 2020 election cycle intensified. Analysts concluded that the shutdown was a cautionary episode about the necessity of timely appropriations but did not influence the electorate’s final decisions. The article ends with a reminder that, while the federal budget can become a political battleground, it is ultimately a policy matter rather than an electoral strategy.