Say Something Real
By Michelle Bryant
Michelle Bryant
With every passing day, the Trump administration’s disregard for democratic norms grows more audacious, and the consequences for ordinary Americans become more severe. What once felt like overblown warnings from political rivals or pundits is now our lived reality: a government shutdown that doesn’t just inconvenience, but fundamentally endangers millions of people. The harm to democracy is no longer the stuff of campaign-season bogeymen. It’s a real-life nightmare, and every day it drags on, more Americans feel shut out by a government that was supposed to work for them.
The current government shutdown has done more than close parks and delay paychecks. It has exposed the fragility of our safety net and the callousness of an administration that seems to treat ordinary Americans as collateral damage. Federal employees, hundreds of thousands across the country and thousands in Wisconsin, have been furloughed, fired, or forced to work without pay. For families living paycheck to paycheck, this means missed mortgage payments, skipped meals, and mounting anxiety about what tomorrow will bring.
And for those who rely on critical government services, the shutdown is more than disruptive: it’s potentially catastrophic. Americans are being told that their healthcare coverage could no longer be within reach, as agencies overseeing Medicaid and ACA marketplaces are understaffed, overwhelmed, and on track to be financially inaccessible. SNAP benefits and other food assistance programs are on the brink of suspension, threatening the food security of millions. In Milwaukee and across the nation, programs are at risk, leaving our children, seniors, and disabled neighbors wondering if help will come.
Perhaps the most egregious display of executive overreach is the demolition of the East Wing of the White House, undertaken without any real input from legislative leaders or the American people. This isn’t just about bricks and mortar; it’s about tearing down the very structures, literal and figurative, that have symbolized our country’s commitment to shared governance and transparency. When such monumental decisions are made unilaterally, without the consent or even the consultation of the people’s elected representatives, we are no longer witnessing a government by the people. We are witnessing governance by fiat.
As an example, that no one will go unscathed, our nation’s farmers, many of whom are Trump supporters, have been battered by ill-conceived trade wars. Now they find themselves with nowhere to sell their crops and livestock. The administration’s solution? A $3 billion bailout, a taxpayer-funded bandage on a self-inflicted wound. However, what they need are stable markets and fair prices. Instead, they’re being forced to watch decades of hard work unravel while Trump props up their competitors in Argentina.
The longer this shutdown continues, the more Americans see the truth: Our democracy is not just under threat, it is being actively undermined. The very idea that government should be of, by, and for the people has been sidelined in favor of executive instability and partisan gamesmanship.
Americans must speak up. This is not just about ending a shutdown. It’s about reclaiming a government that functions, that cares, and that serves. Until we do, millions will remain not just shut down—but shut out.