Government Spending & Shutdown Costs - Government shutdowns can cost taxpayers money [1] - A 2013 shutdown led to an estimated $10 million loss due to uncollected fees and charges [2] - Back pay to furloughed employees during the 2013 shutdown amounted to $25 billion [2] Discretionary vs Mandatory Spending - Congress controls approximately $18 trillion in discretionary funding for fiscal year 2024 [3] - Mandatory programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid cost $41 trillion in the same fiscal year [3] - Interest payments alone totaled $881 billion [3] Economic Impact - Shutdowns can be quite expensive for American taxpayers due to their impact on the economy [3]

Joining us now, a couple of Capitol Hill insiders. Former Republican Congressman Garrett Graves from Louisiana and Michael Hardaway, former spokesperson for Democratic leader Hakee Jeff. And I know Michael, you're trying to get that if in your ear so you can hear when we play those sound bites.Good to have you both as part of this conversation. Thanks so much. Here we are, day two of the shutdown.Congress isn't in session. We just listened to uh at least Speaker Johnson talk this morning about the pain that ...

Government Shutdown Standoff - The potential government shutdown is being used by the Trump administration as an excuse to shrink the size of the government and gut agencies [4][5] - The administration's threat of mass firings of federal workers could backfire and give Democrats an upper hand if key federal functions are disrupted [18][19] - Democrats are skeptical of Republican proposals for a short-term continuing resolution, fearing changes to previously passed legislation [12] Political Strategies and Negotiations - President Trump initially believed Democrats would cave, but their low approval rating and voter pressure to fight the administration are significant factors [6][8] - Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries indicated Republican leadership urged President Trump to have a meeting to avoid blame for a potential government shutdown [9] - Democrats are trying to restore healthcare benefits, arguing that the federal government should ensure Americans are taken care of [13] Republican Perspective - House Majority Leader Steve Scalise stated there is a need for rightsizing of the federal government to save billions and tens of billions of dollars in waste, fraud, and abuse [15][16] - The administration has repeatedly rehired workers that were previously fired, raising questions about the seriousness of the threat of mass firings [16]

Public Perception vs Reality - Americans overestimate the proportion of the federal budget spent on foreign aid, with an average estimate of 26% [1] - The actual proportion of the federal budget spent on foreign aid is approximately 1% [1]