Part 7/9:
President Trump has intensified his stance, signaling readiness to negotiate only after the government reopens, effectively turning up pressure on Democrats. This approach frames the situation as a political hostage scenario: Democrats can either end the shutdown and allow negotiations or face the possibility of losing their federal bureaucratic allies.
The Broader Impact: Taxpayer Savings and Political Calculations
If the legal and political battles tilt in favor of withholding back pay, taxpayers could save billions, and thousands of bureaucrats might be compelled to seek "grown-up jobs" in the private sector. Such a shift would represent a significant realignment of the relationship between government agencies and taxpayer-funded employees.