Here's why Dems must hang tough through this government shutdown

The Trump regime, along with Senate Republicans, say they’re only trying to fund the government with a “clean” Continuing Resolution (CR) that keeps everything as is.

Rubbish.

The CR bakes in all of the terrible policies that were in the regime’s Big Beautiful (Ugly!) Bill, as well as its rescission cuts of $7.9 billion from international assistance and $1.1 billon from public broadcasting.

To remind you: The big ugly bill is the most anti-environment legislation ever passed. It will have disastrous impacts for clean energy, electricity costs, and the health of our communities and environment.

The big ugly also provides tens of billions each year for additional ICE agents, arrests, and detentions.

And the big ugly gives the richest people in America a giant tax cut, financed largely by cuts in Medicaid and food stamps. It also makes some $500 billion in cuts in Medicare.

That big ugly was passed in the Senate using reconciliation procedures that required only 51 senators. Senate Republicans bragged at the time that they didn’t need any Democratic votes. (Vice President JD Vance provided the tie-breaking vote.)

But now Republicans do need Democratic votes to fund or “continue” these big ugly policies and rescissions.

Any Democratic senator who now votes in support of the CR is in effect voting in favor of those indefensible policies.

Today, in arguing against the CR, Democrats are focusing on one aspect of the big ugly bill — the cuts Republicans made in Medicaid and Obamacare. These are truly awful.

But Democrats also need to explain the broader aspects of the CR — how it harms a far wider range of Americans than do the cuts in health care.

My strong advice to Democrats today (after the government shut down at midnight): Tell the public what’s at stake. Tell Americans why the big ugly bill is horrific and should not be “continued.” And why the rescission cuts shouldn’t be continued, either.

Hang in there. Don’t cave.

• Robert Reich is an emeritus professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/
• Robert Reich's new memoir,Coming Up Short, can be found wherever you buy books. You can also support local bookstores nationally by ordering the book at bookshop.org.