Well, the game of chicken ended with neither side swerving. The government is shut down, and Democrats and Republicans are blaming each other with some impressively theatrical finger-pointing. If you’ve been following the news — and let’s be honest, how could you avoid it with every headline screaming “SHUTDOWN” in 72-point font? — you know we’re smack dab in the middle of another D.C. standoff. And this time, the fight isn’t just about dollars and cents. Nope. It’s about healthcare, and more specifically, whether the enhanced Obamacare tax subsidies from the COVID era should live to see another fiscal year.

Republicans had passed a clean continuing resolution — a stopgap bill to keep the government open — and Democrats promptly declared it dead on arrival. Why? Because it didn’t include a renewal of those beefed-up Obamacare subsidies. Democrats have drawn a red line: No subsidies, no government.

President Trump hosted a high-stakes summit at the White House to find a middle ground. Everyone showed up. Nothing came of it. The Senate has tried, bless their hearts, to pass multiple funding bills. None have made it through. Republicans tried their best to pass a CR with short-term funding and even threw in some moderate healthcare reforms to sweeten the pot. But Democrats refused to budge unless those enhanced subsidies were included in full. Now, the federal government is officially in partial shutdown mode.

That means federal workers are furloughed or working without pay. Essential services are being maintained, sort of. National parks are closed. Passport offices are shuttered. Grants are paused. As of today, estimates say we’re losing about $15 billion in GDP for each week this shutdown drags on. It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to scream into a pillow labeled “Fiscal Responsibility.”

And while everyone’s playing political hot potato, labor unions are now suing the Trump administration over mass layoff warnings. According to them, federal agencies threatening to cut jobs during the shutdown is illegal under the Antideficiency Act.

But let’s get into the meat of the argument here, because at the heart of this debacle is a very specific and very contentious question: Are Democrats justified in shutting down the entire government if Republicans won’t agree to extend those enhanced Obamacare subsidies?

From the left’s perspective, the answer is a resounding yes. Democrats argue this isn’t some minor footnote in a budget bill; it’s a moral line in the sand. These subsidies, they say, are critical lifelines for working-class families. Without them, premiums go up. Coverage is lost. Vulnerable Americans suffer. You’ve probably heard the sob stories on cable news: the single mom with diabetes, the out-of-work dad recovering from cancer, the young family who can’t afford their kid’s asthma medication. To Democrats, refusing to extend these subsidies is the equivalent of pulling the plug on people’s health care, and they refuse to be the party holding the knife.

They also make a strategic argument. If they give in now and pass a clean CR without the subsidies, what leverage will they have later? Republicans aren’t exactly lining up to bolster Obamacare; in fact, many would love to gut it. Democrats know that. So, they’re holding out now when they have a shred of power. It’s classic poker: go all-in or fold. And folding, in their view, means selling out the people they claim to protect.

There’s also a political calculation at work. Democrats are desperate not to be painted as weak or compromising on core values, especially after watching the GOP march in lockstep for years on issues like border security, tax cuts, and pro-life legislation. If Republicans can play hardball, why can’t they? Democrats believe they’re finally learning how to fight fire with fire, and they’re not about to douse the flames just because things are getting a little hot in the kitchen.

Now, from the other side of the aisle, there’s a whole lot to be said about why this hardline Democratic stance isn’t just risky, but irresponsible.

For starters, you don’t get to call yourself the protector of the vulnerable while you’re actively inflicting harm on millions of Americans by shutting down the government. Let’s be real here: shutting down essential services doesn’t punish the wealthy. It punishes the working class, the elderly, the disabled, and the small business owners who rely on federal services. That’s not a moral high ground; that’s a legislative hostage situation.

And let’s talk about those subsidies for a minute. They were expanded during COVID as a temporary emergency measure. TEMPORARY. As in, not forever. But now Democrats want to bake them into the federal budget like it’s grandma’s secret banana bread recipe. No reforms, no expiration date, no cost controls. Just hand over the cash. That’s not compassion; that’s fiscal fantasy.

I believe in caring for the least of these, no doubt about it. But that doesn’t mean the government should operate like a bottomless pit of spending with no accountability. These subsidies need real oversight, means testing, and an expiration plan. Otherwise, they become yet another permanent entitlement dragging us closer to the fiscal cliff.

And let’s not forget the long-term consequences of playing chicken with government funding. If Democrats normalize shutting down the government every time they don’t get their way, we’re in for a very bumpy ride. Today it’s subsidies. Tomorrow it’s student loan forgiveness. Next year it’ll be a Green New Deal add-on or gender equity funding. At some point, someone has to put their foot down and say: “This is not how a functioning republic governs itself.”

But I’ll give credit where it’s due. Democrats are standing up for a policy they believe in. That’s admirable. They’re trying to prevent millions from losing health coverage, and their motives aren’t all cynical. But their methods? Absolutely reckless.

They had a chance to work with Republicans on a temporary fix, maybe even a year-long extension paired with healthcare reforms. Instead, they chose to hold government funding hostage for one policy priority. That’s not how you build consensus. That’s how you burn bridges.

In the end, this isn’t about healthcare. It’s about power. It’s about who gets to write the rules. And right now, Democrats are willing to throw the entire system into chaos just to win a single round. That might play well with their base, but to me it doesn’t look like principle at all; it looks like pride in costume, parading around as virtue.