Reference News Network, October 6 report: The U.S. "Wall Street Journal" website published an article on October 4 titled "Government Shutdown Exposes America's Latest Crisis: the Complete Collapse of the Trust System," authored by Damian Palatella. The full text is as follows:

Between 2013 and 2019, the U.S. federal government experienced three shutdowns, triggered respectively by Senator Ted Cruz opposing the Affordable Care Act, Senator Chuck Schumer pushing for policies on immigrant children, and President Trump demanding funds to build a border wall.

The government shutdown in 2025 involves deeper issues: the complete collapse of the trust system.

The Democrats do not believe the White House will abide by any spending agreement. For months, the White House has repeatedly ignored congressional funding requests, leading to the government's inability to disburse funds as required by Congress.

During his second term, Trump implemented "one-party rule"—passing Republican bills with a narrow majority and signing a record number of executive orders.

This has almost completely eroded the trust needed for bipartisan negotiations. Russell Watter, director of the Office of Management and Budget, has begun canceling billions of dollars in funding approved by Congress.

Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona, said regarding the failed mediation talks: "I am just trying to design a process that can first establish trust."

Meanwhile, Senator John Thune, the Senate Majority Leader and a Republican senator from South Dakota, said regarding the Democratic senators' attempts to meet with him this week: "If the meetings are just like the one they had at the White House, a photo opportunity, I don't think holding such meetings makes much sense."

The current political deadlock in Washington reflects a widespread disdain across the country for the nation's political system. A recent poll by the New York Times shows that nearly two-thirds of voters believe the country is deeply divided and unable to solve its own problems. A Quinnipiac University survey found that nearly 80% of respondents agree that the country is in a political crisis.

During the first eight months of Trump's second term, the two parties were like being in "parallel worlds," rarely producing significant bipartisan legislation.

Currently, both parties are undergoing transformation. Just as the White House Oval Office is being renovated, Trump has fully taken control of the Republican Party and reshaped it according to his own will. Compared to his previous term, there are fewer people in his cabinet who try to check Trump, and he is more adept at advancing most of his agenda. To Trump, the Democrats are nothing more than political "backdrops."

Trump recently stated: "These Democrats are crazy, so if the government shuts down, there's nothing we can do. But the reason for the government shutdown is them."

At the same time, the Democrats remain in the slump following their 2024 election defeat. Their base has lost patience (polls show the "brand appeal" of the Democrats has hit rock bottom), yet party leaders have chosen this moment to fight back. Democrats want to ensure that Congress addresses the expiration of medical tax credits and demand that Watter must allocate funds as authorized by Congress. The White House, however, insists that the government must be reopened before negotiations begin.

Representative Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, said: "We completely don't believe they (Republicans) will keep any promises."

Although Democrats appear united on the issue of the government shutdown, there is deep-seated distrust within the party. After the electoral defeat in November last year, Democrats are deeply divided on their future direction. They are helpless against Trump's ability to break apart their coalition of young voters, union voters, and minority voters. At the same time, some extreme liberal but popular politicians are pushing the party toward the left. The issue is not only that Democrats distrust Republicans, but also that Democratic voters lack confidence in their party leadership.

The crisis of trust in democratic institutions is not limited to the level of Congress and the presidency. Gallup polling shows that only 27% of American respondents have "very high" or "fairly high" confidence in the Supreme Court this year, down from 40% in 2020; only 17% of American citizens have high confidence in the criminal justice system, a drop of about 10 percentage points from 2012 and 2013.

Other democratic mechanisms are also facing a collapse of trust. Gallup's survey this year showed that only 11% of American respondents have high confidence in television news, matching the historical low of over two decades; the percentage of respondents with high confidence in newspapers has also declined. (Translated by Wu Mei)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7557948588827984394/

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