If Congress is unable to pass a spending bill by this Friday at midnight, the government will shutdown for the first time since 2013. With elections looming in 2018 and presidential elections in 2020, Parties and the President must decide whether it would be better to allow a government shutdown then to cede their policy concerns. The spending bill is currently stalled over immigration issues. A bipartisan proposal was recently rejected by President Trump, who wanted stronger restrictions on immigration and more funding for his border wall. The Democrats meanwhile are unwilling to cede on certain immigration issues, such as an easier path to citizenship for the dreamers. So the question is then, if the current stalemate were to result in a government shutdown, which party would it reflect poorly on?

President Trump recently tweeted that “the Democrats want to shut down the Government over Amnesty for all and Border Security.” Meanwhile, Democrats are claiming that the President is racist, citing his “shithole” comment. In 2013, both parties tried to blame the other for the government shutdown. Therefore, it is possible that no party will look good in light of a government shutdown. But the President might: Trump has tweeted before that the government needs a good shutdown, and indeed, the comment is in line with the anti-government rhetoric upon which he ran. It may be that the Republican party will be harmed by a government shutdown, however if Trump comes out unharmed, it won’t matter.

Associated Press/Evan Vucci