Days until the deadline for the Utah Legislature to approve a final congressional map proposal and submit it to the court (10/6/2025) - 6
Days until Election Day (11/4/2025) - 35
Days to the start of the 2026 Utah Legislature (1/20/2026) - 112
Days until the 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026) - 399
Days until the 2028 presidential election (11/7/2028) - 1,134
Who will voters hold accountable if the government shuts down?
The federal government stands on the brink of shutdown as Congress careens toward a midnight deadline to pass a funding bill. With Republicans and Democrats locked in a standoff over healthcare funding, one question looms large: Who will American voters say is to blame?
According to a half-dozen national polls released this month, voters say Republicans would bear more of the responsibility for the shutdown than Democrats.
Congressional Democrats are refusing to back any GOP funding package without a commitment to protect Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire this year. Without those subsidies, millions of Americans who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act will see their premiums increase significantly.
Six publicly released polls in September asked about who voters would blame for a government shutdown. An average of the results shows voters would blame President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans more than Democrats for a shutdown by about 15 percent.
🔴 Trump and congressional Republicans - 45%
🔵 Congressional Democrats - 29.7%
Data for Progress (Democratic pollster) - R+25
Morning Consult - R+13
Rasmussen (Republican pollster) - R+12
Navigator (Democratic pollster) - R+19
YouGov - R+12
Those polling results reflect reality, as Republicans hold a political trifecta with control of both congressional chambers and the White House.
When you remove the three partisan-aligned firms from the mix, you still see that voters would blame Republicans more than Democrats by 12 points.
President Trump told Politico that he is not worried about being blamed for a possible shutdown.
“I don’t worry about that,” Trump said during a brief phone call, “because people that are smart see what’s happening. The Democrats are deranged.”
A quarter of the electorate remains undecided or would blame both parties equally for a shutdown. That's a large bloc that could ultimately determine the political fallout from this situation.
Tuesday morning's headlines
Utah and the West
Mitt Romney says he personally asked the Biden administration to preemptively pardon Donald Trump. [CNN]
Utah Republican legislators urge U.S. Senate to avoid "damaging" government shutdown. [Utah News Dispatch]
Utah is "committed" to keeping national parks open in federal government shuts down. [KSL]
Utah State students feel safe ahead of Turning Point USA campus event. [Fox 13]
Prescriptions no longer needed in Utah to receive COVID-19 vaccine. [Fox 13]
Government shutdown
How government shutdowns affect the economy. [Wall Street Journal]
Government shutdowns usually have little economic impact. This time could be different. [CNBC]
US plans thousands of shutdown furloughs but silent on firings. [Bloomberg]
Airlines warn US government shutdown may slow flights. [Reuters]
Democrats embrace shutdown strategy they once opposed. [ABC News]
Congressional Democrats are warning the Pentagon not to use money from the reconciliation package passed earlier this year to cover costs during a shutdown. [Punchbowl News]
Nation
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a meeting of the military's top leadership that they must "prepare for war." [Newsweek]
Billions in taxpayer dollars have become virtualy untraceable. [NOTUS]
Louisiana's governor asks for Naitonal Guard deployment to New Orleans and other cities. [Associated Press]
Mormon church gunman was marine "who supported Trump." [The Telegraph]
World
Trump's Gaza peace plan met with support, and skepticism, as world awaits Hamas' response. [NBC News]
Top Trump aides push for ousting Maduro from power in Venezuela. [New York Times]
Stephen Miller takes leading role in strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats. [Guardian]
Putin orders highest fall conscription target in 9 years. [Moscow Times]
Economy
Gold punches through $3,800 an ounce as risk of U.S. shutdown rattles markets. [Financial Times]
Technology
AI data centers are sending power bills soaring. [Bloomberg]