For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Contact:
Erika Caldwell, Communications Director
press@ildcca.org

Republicans Shut Down the Government and Further Solidify “Reckless and Cruel” as Their New Brand

Springfield, IL — The Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association (IDCCA) and President Mark Guethle spoke out early this morning about Republicans shutting down the federal government.

“It’s pretty black and white,” said President Guethle. “Republicans are so hell-bent on stripping healthcare from the elderly, working-class folks, the poor, and people with pre-existing conditions that they’re willing to bring the entire country to a grinding halt to make sure they can do it.”

The first government shutdown in seven years was announced last night, but Guethle argues Americans have been living under a shutdown since day one of the Trump administration.

“We’ve been living in a  slow-motion shutdown since January,” Guethle said. “Trump has fired scores of career public servants without cause, hijacked independent departments to go after his enemies, installed idiotic, unqualified sycophants as heads of departments, and slashed federal budgets to punish the poor and pay the rich. That, to me, is a government not at work.”

The impact of the shutdown will hit everyday Americans fast, and Guethle sees a clear pattern.

“Thousands of government workers without pay indefinitely, chaos in American airports, courts backlogged forever—yeah, that’s exactly what a second Trump presidency was always going to bring. It’s reckless. It’s cruel. But reckless and cruel is the new Republican brand.”

“They’ve got a trifecta for God’s sake—a majority in the House, a majority in the Senate, their guy in the White House. They caused this mess, and they are going to own every second the government is shut down. Democrats will stand firm and continue to fight for every American. We will be in the streets, calling on Darin LaHood, Mary Miller, and Mike Bost to summon the courage to stand up for their constituents. We will make sure they hear from us: MAGA Republicans shut down the government to appease Trump and take away your healthcare. You deserve better.”

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