Trump voters feel shutdown’s pain but stand by him
• Despite personal financial hits, they remain steadfast in their allegiance
• Interviews show Democratic lawmakers get blame for the impasse by linking a funding bill to healthcare subsidies
• Anxiety grows among those not furloughed yet
WASHINGTON: The US longest government shutdown is affecting millions financially, as federal workers miss paychecks and families face disrupted public benefits, however, many Trump voters remain supportive despite the disruption.
Conversations with Trump voters, part of a group of 20 whom Reuters has interviewed monthly, reveal that despite tangible hardships from the shutdown, their opinion of Trump or their core beliefs remain unchanged.
While both Democrats and Republicans worry about the political consequences of the shutdown, the interviews show that pre-existing ideological divisions are holding firm.
Most of the 20 voters on the panel align with the two-fifths of Americans who, according to a recent Reuters-Ipsos poll, blame Democratic lawmakers for the impasse.
The central conflict is Democrats want to extend expiring healthcare subsidies via the Affordable Care Act and demand Republican agreement before voting to reopen the government.
A few voters on the panel see both parties at fault or object to the administration’s shutdown strategy.
Here is how the shutdown has affected these voters:
A 74-year-old retiree Joyce Kenney from Prescott Valley, Arizona, felt the shutdown’s impact when her goddaughter, a federal employee and tenant, was furloughed in October.
Kenney advised her to seek unemployment benefits to help pay her bills, including the $2,000 monthly rent. However, these benefits cover only two-thirds of the rent, leaving little for other expenses.
“It’s a domino effect,” Kenney noted. “Her lack of pay means I don’t get paid, requiring me to cut back, affecting others downstream.”
Kenney blames Democrats for the shutdown due to VP JD Vance’s claim that extending healthcare subsidies will aid undocumented immigrants, a view rejected by Democrats and budget analysts.
Blows to small business
In Tampa, the shutdown cost Steve Egan a $4,000 sale after a Veterans Affairs hospital cancelled its order for beaded necklaces for the Gasparilla Pirate Festival due to withdrawal from the event.
Flight delays and longer customs processing times have also forced Egan, 65, to shorten the lead time he can offer clients for overseas orders.
When a sheriff’s office needed 300 T-shirts for a November event, Egan found a good overseas supplier deal.
Usually, clients have 45 days to decide, but due to shipping uncertainties, Egan could only offer half that time, which was too tight.
Egan, who has previously expressed regret for his Trump vote, blames both parties for the shutdown.
He wants Republicans to compromise on healthcare subsidies, urging them to fund it.
Robert Billups, a 34-year-old accountant in Washington state, feels pressured by the shutdown. He worries federal cuts will intensify competition in an already tight job market.
His last interview was for a government contractor role, and he suspects the position went to a recently terminated federal employee who already had the required security clearance.
Meanwhile, his mother, an IRS contractor, has been furloughed since mid-October, worsening her job anxiety caused by federal workforce cuts since early 2025.
While his mother blames Republicans for the stalemate, Billups understands their spending limits’ focus.
He sees no winner, stating the polarisation harms both sides.
Anxiety for non-furloughed
Federal employees with paychecks are anxious. Amanda Taylor, 52, in Georgia fears her husband’s federal job may be at risk if the shutdown continues.
Despite having voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, she blames Democrats “100pc for the shutdown”.
She criticised Democrats for tying Obamacare supplements to the budget, noting they’re not expired yet, and suggested passing the budget first.
Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2025
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