Moderate Republicans Warn Against Trump’s Partisan Shutdown Tactics

President Donald Trump’s move to withhold federal funding from Democrat-led states has unsettled several moderate Republicans in Congress, who worry that such partisan maneuvering could complicate efforts to end the ongoing government shutdown.

“You’re creating a hostile atmosphere here that could make things even harder for us,” Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican involved in informal bipartisan talks to resolve the impasse, told reporters at the U.S. Capitol this week. “They need to be very careful.”

The shutdown entered its fourth day on Saturday, making it the fifth-longest in U.S. history.

Earlier this week, Trump warned Democrats that he could make “irreversible” cuts to the federal government during the shutdown. The White House has already frozen $28 billion in infrastructure funding allocated to New York, California, and Illinois—all heavily Democratic states and strongholds of the president’s critics.

Trump and his allies have also mocked Democratic leaders online, sharing altered images of key lawmakers, including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, using caricatures based on Mexican stereotypes. Yet, in order to reopen the government, Republicans will need at least seven Democratic votes in the Senate to pass any funding bill. Vice President J.D. Vance dismissed concerns over the doctored images, calling them “just jokes.”

A handful of Republicans have warned that Trump’s approach could backfire in next year’s midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress.

Senator Tillis, who announced his retirement earlier this year following clashes with Trump, said he hoped the White House was coordinating its actions with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, who are working to persuade Democrats to support a short-term funding bill that would reopen federal agencies and keep the government running until November 21.

Not everyone shares Tillis’s concern. Johnson, for one, defended Trump’s strategy.

“President Trump wants to reopen the government as much as we do,” Johnson told reporters. “Real Americans are getting hurt by the Democrats’ games. Is he applying pressure to make that happen? Maybe. And I appreciate that.”

Concerns Over Credibility of Future Deals

Senate Democrats, who are demanding a permanent extension of federal subsidies under the Affordable Care Act to help people afford health insurance, have already rejected the funding bill four times. They are also pushing for protections against the White House withholding or canceling funds already approved by Congress.

“If the OMB keeps canceling things the way it has in past agreements, you destroy the credibility of any future deal,” Tillis said, referring to the Office of Management and Budget. “Trust me—when things work around here, they work because people honor their commitments.”

After failing to pass a spending measure on Friday, the Senate adjourned until at least Monday, extending the shutdown and raising concerns that prolonged gridlock could start to disrupt critical federal services, including air traffic control operations.

“We’re all Americans,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a moderate Republican and frequent Trump critic whom he unsuccessfully tried to unseat in 2022. “We shouldn’t be targeting certain regions in ways that feel punitive. That’s not who we are.”

“Let’s not divide people politically any further—it’s already tense enough,” she added.

Democrats, meanwhile, have accused Trump of using the shutdown to ridicule and humiliate his opponents.

“I obviously don’t agree with those insults—but let’s be fair, there’s been plenty of it on both sides,” said Senator Susan Collins, another moderate Republican. “Both parties need to stick to the facts and focus on ending this shutdown, which grows more damaging by the day.”

“Does it really help,” she asked, “when Democrats mock and insult the president in return?”