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Congressman Jeff Van Drew’s blunt assessment that “there are no winners here” is exactly the kind of clear-eyed honesty Americans want to hear from a lawmaker in the middle of a self-inflicted government shutdown. He rightly blamed both parties for allowing the country to be held hostage by Washington dysfunction while everyday families suffer. Van Drew’s willingness to call out Democrats and Republicans alike shows the kind of common-sense independence voters are tired of not seeing from career politicians.
Worse than the political theater is the casual way some in Congress treat the pain they cause; Van Drew has reportedly forfeited his own paycheck and is cosponsoring legislation to prevent Members of Congress from collecting pay during any future shutdown. That’s the kind of accountability measure conservatives should embrace: no back pay, no retroactive reimbursements, and no special carve-outs for the political class. If lawmakers are willing to keep America shut down, they should feel the same consequences as the people they claim to represent.
Let’s be honest about who pays the real price: federal employees, small businesses that contract with the government, and ordinary Americans who rely on services that grind to a halt. Shutdowns are not abstract disputes over line items on a spreadsheet — they are direct assaults on livelihoods and public safety that conservative voters rightly resent. The human cost underlines why we need structural reforms to remove the incentive for either party to weaponize funding bills against the people.
Democrats should not get a free pass for dragging this out, especially when routine continuing resolutions have been a long-standing tool to keep the country running. But Republicans also deserve blame when they fail to present practical alternatives instead of grandstanding for the cameras. Van Drew’s call to stop congressional pay until the job is done is a powerful political lever because it exposes the moral hypocrisy of a class that shuts the country down while collecting full wages.
Real reform will be messy and will require bold steps: either automatic continuing funding to prevent shutdowns, an amendment or statute to deny pay during lapses, or electoral consequences for those who make a career of manufactured crises. Ordinary Americans are already debating these options, and grassroots pressure — not insider deal-making — should decide whether Congress keeps the privilege of being paid while the country suffers. If Washington won’t change itself, voters must.
Patriots and hardworking taxpayers should take Van Drew’s gesture as a challenge: demand results, not rhetoric. Call your representative, show up at town halls, and don’t reward the same political class that treats shutdowns like performance art. If conservatives want to win back trust, we should lead with accountability, practical fixes, and an unshakable commitment to keep America open and prosperous.
