Davis: Mississippi deserves better than a Washington shutdown
By Lesley Davis
Mississippians pride themselves on hard work, individual responsibility, and wise stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Yet once again, our state finds itself caught in the fallout of a federal shutdown engineered by Democrats in Washington.
No one is winning. Workers are missing paychecks, small businesses face uncertainty, air traffic control slows, and safety net programs that truly needy families depend on grind to a halt. While there’s plenty of finger-pointing, Mississippians deserve to know what really caused this and what’s at stake.
The truth is simple: Republicans in Congress proposed a clean government funding bill, one that would keep the government open without new policy riders or new pet expenditures from either side. Democrats refused. After Republicans reduced wasteful spending under President Trump’s leadership, Democrats are now demanding that many of those same programs be restored, holding essential services hostage to fund their pet projects and left-wing priorities.
At the risk of pay for our soldiers, border agents, police officers, and the operation of national parks, Democrats have demanded funding for things like:
- LGBTQI+ programs in Uganda and the Balkans
- Dance and pastry classes for male sex workers in Haiti
- Pride parades in Lesotho
- Transgender and sex-worker training in Nepal
- An “Iraqi Sesame Street” project
- A Pride parade in Lesotho
- Electric buses in Rwanda
- Free health care for illegal immigrants
That’s not “good governing.” Those radical, wasteful items have no place in a simple bill meant only to keep the lights on and pay those who keep us safe. Democrats knew that, but they gambled that mainstream media spin would again blame Republicans. They stalled vital government operations for the sake of political theater, hoping to claim victory and appease their activist base.
Every year, Congress must pass appropriations bills to fund federal agencies. Even with a Republican majority, the Senate has only 53 seats, and it takes 60 votes to advance most legislation. That means Republicans cannot act alone; cooperation from Democrats is required to keep the government open.
When agreement can’t be reached, lawmakers can approve a short-term “continuing resolution” to keep funding steady while debate continues. Republicans offered exactly that, a clean bill to prevent a shutdown, protect essential services, and give both sides more time to negotiate.
Democrats refused, choosing instead to double down on partisan demands that most Americans do not support.
Without agreement, the government ran out of authority to spend. The result: another shutdown that hurts the very people Democrats claim to champion.
The White House estimates each week of a shutdown costs Mississippi about $82 million in lost economic output and over $350 million if it lasts a month. Those aren’t abstract numbers. They represent lost paychecks, delayed contracts, and real uncertainty for families and small businesses across our state.
Key Mississippi impacts include:
- 6,000 federal employees statewide furloughed or working without pay, from agriculture to defense installations
- 357,000 Mississippians (including 139,000 children) at risk of SNAP interruptions ● 61,000 mothers and children losing WIC support immediately
- Small-business loan delays exceeding $15 million statewide
- Seniors facing delays in Social Security checks
Behind every statistic is a neighbor wondering when their next paycheck will arrive—or a small business owner waiting for a government contract to resume. These numbers show how deeply Mississippi’s economy depends on decisions made in Washington, and why fiscal discipline in Congress matters.
Republicans aren’t seeking chaos or cuts to essential services. We’re seeking discipline: a government that lives within its means, prioritizes its core duties for American citizens, and eliminates waste and fraud. That’s not ideology; it’s common sense.
America’s debt now exceeds $35 trillion. Every dollar Washington spends is borrowed from our children and grandchildren. Expanding government without reform isn’t compassionate, it’s reckless and unsustainable. The longer we delay reform, the more vulnerable we become to the next fiscal crisis.
Government should focus on what it was created to do: defend our nation, secure our borders, ensure our God-given freedoms, maintain critical infrastructure, protect the truly vulnerable, and foster economic opportunity for every citizen. Every dollar spent beyond those priorities is a dollar taken from future generations.
Congress should immediately pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government and restore stability for soldiers, families, airports, federal parks, and businesses. Then, lawmakers can turn to the real debate: Should American taxpayers fund transgender training and sex-worker programs in Nepal—or the basic constitutional duties our federal government owes to its own citizens?
Lesley A. Davis lives in Flowood. She is a long-time advocate for women and children, an attorney, and President and CEO of Mississippi Advocacy Group.
