As the government shutdown enters its second week, the Republican Party finds itself in a state of escalating turmoil, with party leaders clashing publicly and struggling to maintain a consistent message. The shutdown, initiated by former President Donald Trump, has led to mounting frustration among Americans, who, according to recent polls, overwhelmingly blame the GOP for the ongoing crisis. Meanwhile, Democrats have remained unified, focused on protecting health care for millions and pushing for a swift resolution.
The drama unfolded over the past week, with Republican leaders—most notably President Trump, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and House Speaker Mike Johnson—contradicting each other on key issues such as health care, the fate of federal workers, and the path to reopening the government. According to POLITICO, Trump muddied the GOP’s messaging when he told reporters in the Oval Office that he would “like to see a deal made for great health care” and was “talking to Democrats about it.” Within hours, he reversed his stance, leaving congressional leaders scrambling to explain their party’s position.
This lack of coherence has been on full display. On October 7, 2025, during a joint news conference, Speaker Johnson expressed openness to passing legislation to ensure that members of the military and air traffic control would continue to receive pay during the shutdown. “I’m certainly open to that,” Johnson said. “We’ve done it in the past. We want to make sure that our troops are paid.” However, Thune immediately contradicted him, stating, “You don’t need that. The simplest way to end it is not try to exempt this group or that one or that group. It’s to get the government open.”
Such public disagreements have only highlighted the party’s internal divisions. According to Navigator Research, 39% of registered voters now blame Trump and Republicans for the shutdown, compared to just 28% who fault Democrats. These numbers underscore the political peril the GOP faces as the shutdown drags on.
House Speaker Johnson’s decision to extend the House GOP’s vacation for another week has only added fuel to the fire. While Republicans remain absent from Washington, Democrats have been actively working to protect health care, lower costs, and reopen the government. DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer stated, “Donald Trump and his Republican Party are in disarray because they have no real plan to reopen the government and protect working families from the largest single-year premium price hike in U.S. history. Americans know that Republicans are responsible for taking the government hostage, and that’s why Thune and Johnson are tripping over themselves to try to get their story straight.”
At the heart of the standoff is the future of Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of 2025. Democrats have made it clear that extending these subsidies is non-negotiable, warning that failure to do so could result in 24 million Americans facing skyrocketing health insurance premiums. As reported by Democrats.org, this could mark the largest single-year premium price hike in U.S. history.
Some cracks have even begun to appear within the usually loyal ranks of Trump’s supporters. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, known for her staunch allegiance to the former president, broke ranks to criticize her party’s refusal to negotiate with Democrats on extending ACA subsidies. “I’m not some sort of blind slave to the president, and I don’t think anyone should be,” Greene told NBC News. “I serve in Congress. We’re a separate branch of the government, and I’m not elected by the president. I’m not elected by anyone that works in the White House. I’m elected by my district. That’s who I work for, and I got elected without the president’s endorsement, and, you know, I think that has served me really well.” Greene’s comments highlight the growing frustration among some GOP members with their party’s leadership and strategy.
Meanwhile, Republicans are grappling with the fallout from Trump’s threats to carry out mass firings of federal workers and withhold back pay to those furloughed during the shutdown. When pressed by reporters, Trump offered a conditional stance on back pay: “For the most part, we’re going to take care of our people, but for some people they don’t deserve to be taken care of.” This ambiguous position has left GOP lawmakers struggling to defend their party’s approach, especially in light of a 2019 law—supported by many current Republicans—that guarantees back pay to furloughed federal employees.
Senate Majority Leader Thune, when asked whether withholding back pay would violate this law, responded, “I’m not familiar, exactly, with the statute that they might be citing, but I do know that there are going to be a lot of people starting this week, who are either not going to get fully paid or being partially paid or not paid, and next week, the military gets hit by this.” Thune’s remarks underscore the real-world consequences of the shutdown for federal workers and their families.
Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, another close Trump ally, also struggled to justify the party’s shifting position. When asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins why he supported back pay for furloughed workers in 2019 but was now uncertain, Jordan said, “It’s not different now. It depends on what the president decides to do.” This admission, reported by CNN, suggests that GOP lawmakers are deferring to Trump’s whims, even if it means contradicting their own legislative records.
Behind the scenes, there appears to be hesitation within the Trump administration to follow through on threats of mass firings. A White House official told CNN, “There’s an increasing acknowledgment within the West Wing that the politics of RIFs [reductions in force], at a moment when we know our message on the shutdown is the better one, would be better later. And we do not want to appear gleeful about people losing their jobs, of course.” Despite this, the administration’s track record of large-scale job cuts has left many federal employees anxious about their futures.
On the Democratic side, leaders continue to press for immediate negotiations. Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington wrote on X, “A reminder on the 8th day of this Republican shutdown: Speaker Johnson could call Members back to negotiate to re-open the government any time he wants. He’s choosing not to. Republicans would rather raise costs and kick millions of Americans off their health care.”
The contrast between the two parties could hardly be starker. While Democrats remain focused on extending health care subsidies and reopening the government, Republicans are mired in infighting and mixed messaging. For millions of Americans, the stakes are high: without a resolution, federal workers will continue to go unpaid, and health insurance premiums could soar for those relying on ACA subsidies.
As the shutdown grinds on, the pressure on Republican leaders mounts. With public opinion turning against them and internal divisions laid bare, the GOP faces a critical test of unity and leadership. Whether they can overcome their internal discord and work with Democrats to end the shutdown remains an open—and pressing—question for the nation.
