Jasmine Crockett predicts January government shutdown amid stalled funding talks

WASHINGTON, DC: With the federal funding clock ticking once again, Rep Jasmine Crockett is openly bracing for the worst. Speaking candidly to her supporters this week, the Texas Democrat said she sees little chance Congress will avoid another government shutdown when current funding expires at the end of January.

During a Facebook livestream on Tuesday, Crockett said the lack of progress on appropriations bills has left Washington stuck in a familiar cycle of brinkmanship and dysfunction, one she believes will almost certainly end in a shutdown.

Jasmine Crockett predicts January government shutdown 

“I see the government shutting down,” Crockett said during her livestream, titled Crockett’s Quarterly Update. “One of the reasons that I am going to be a little bit more absent than I would like to be in my district, especially in January, is because we are going to have to stay in DC, and if the government shuts down, I won’t be able to get out.”

Crockett’s comments come as lawmakers remain deadlocked over how to fund the federal government beyond January 30, when the current continuing resolution expires. Congress has yet to pass any of the 12 required appropriations bills needed to keep federal agencies operating through the rest of the fiscal year.

Rep Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) speaks during a hearing with the Subcommittee on Delivering On Government Efficiency in the US Capitol on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)

The Texas lawmaker, who recently announced her campaign to challenge Sen John Cornyn (R-Texas), said the looming shutdown should not be viewed through a purely partisan lens, even as she placed blame squarely on Republican leadership.

“There is just one group of people that couldn’t care less about doing what they’re supposed to do, which is to govern,” Crockett said, criticizing House Republicans during the stream.

Congress still hasn’t passed funding bills since last shutdown ended

The most recent government shutdown began on October 1 and stretched for 43 days, becoming the longest shutdown in US history before lawmakers agreed to reopen the government through a short-term spending deal. That continuing resolution kept agencies funded only through late January, leaving Congress with little time to finish the full appropriations process.

“We went out basically [on] Oct. 1, and after we went out, we couldn’t get anything done,” Crockett said. “It’s now technically two months later. Still nothing’s been done. So I don’t see how we are going to get to the point that we end up in a space in which the government does not shut down.”

Since the government reopened, no additional appropriations bills have been passed, fueling concerns that lawmakers are once again heading toward a deadline with no viable long-term solution in place.

Affordable Care Act subsidies and healthcare costs loom over shutdown talks

Democrats may find themselves with added leverage this time around as healthcare issues resurface following the last shutdown. During that standoff, Senate Democrats pushed Republicans to negotiate over expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, which help keep monthly insurance premiums affordable for millions of Americans.

Although eight Democratic senators ultimately agreed to reopen the government without securing an extension of the subsidies, the consequences are now becoming clearer. Monthly payments for many Americans are projected to rise sharply, a development Democrats could use to pressure Republicans during the next round of funding talks.

In the Senate, Democrats are also weighing whether the threat of another shutdown could be used to challenge recent White House moves, including President Donald Trump’s suggestion that he may dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.

Donald Trump and Democrats trade blame over shutdown threats

Trump, for his part, has sought to flip the narrative. Speaking at a rally in North Carolina last week, the president accused Democrats of being willing to shut down the government over healthcare politics.

“The problem is that Democrats will shut down the government because they are beholden … to the insurance companies,” Trump said. “So I don’t know what they can do about it, but they’ll probably close down the government. It’s so simple.”

Crockett rejected that framing, arguing that Congress has had ample time to act since the fall shutdown ended and warning that continued inaction will leave federal workers and the public paying the price once again.