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Federal shutdowns have historically centered on budgets fights. But the latest government standstill has morphed into something bigger than that, blurring the line between partisan messaging and democratic governance.
Official government communications − website banners, out-of-office email replies and autogenerated responses − that condemn “Senate Democrats” and “the Radical Left” are proof of that break from the past, writes Stephanie Martin, a public affairs scholar at Boise State University.
These messages are more than combative rhetoric. That’s because in any democracy, Martin writes, power lies not only in who signs the budgets but in who frames the story. And when the government uses its infrastructure for partisan messaging, while also claiming to govern, it destroys the neutrality on which democratic governance depends, she adds.
Also in this week's politics news:
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Screenshot of the Department of Health and Human Services homepage on Oct. 14, 2025.
HHS website
Stephanie A. (Sam) Martin, Boise State University
When websites and email systems become partisan platforms, the line blurs between state and party, diluting public trust in the idea of impartial governance.
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FCC Chairman Brendan Carr testifies in Washington on May 21, 2025.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Image
Michael J. Socolow, University of Maine
Pressuring broadcasters by leveraging the powers of the Federal Communications Commission occurs no matter which party controls the White House.
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Some surveys have reported that a large number of Americans are willing to support the use of force for political ends.
stellalevi, DigitalVision Vectors/Getty Images
Ryan Kennedy, The Ohio State University
Well-known flaws in conventional polling methods may be creating the incorrect perception that many Americans think political violence is justified.
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Kate Hua-Ke Chi, Tufts University
The International Energy Agency expects global renewable energy capacity to double by 2030, even with lower growth in the US, but fossil fuels still dominate.
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Dana El Kurd, University of Richmond
The former British leader was tapped to lead redevelopment efforts in Gaza if a deal is agreed upon.
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Gregory P. Magarian, Washington University in St. Louis
Political violence, made easier to carry out by the proliferation of guns, harms democracy by shifting the field of political disagreement from debate to aggression.
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Sam D. Hayes, Simmons University
A case being argued at the US Supreme Court could undo one of the last remaining protections for minority voters in a Civil Rights-era voting law.
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