Polarization is paralyzing a nation

Editor's note: CGTN's First Voice provides instant commentary on breaking stories. The column clarifies emerging issues and better defines the news agenda, offering a Chinese perspective on the latest global events.

The United States has just entered the most extended federal government shutdown in its history: This time, the shutdown has surpassed the previous record set in 2019, when the White House demanded that Congress allocate money for a U.S.-Mexico border wall.

The current shutdown of the U.S. federal government, which began on October 1, 2025, is more than a moment of crisis – it is a vivid symptom of deep-seated dysfunction in American political life. At its root lies polarization so intense that governance itself grinds to a halt, and everyday Americans pay the price.

Issues at the heart of this shutdown include healthcare benefits and changes to voting rules in the U.S. Senate, among others.  On the critical healthcare issue, Democrats have demanded the extension of the enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act set to expire at the end of this year, and that any agreement must address their demands regarding healthcare benefits. Republicans have repeatedly stated that they want to negotiate the health insurance subsidies separately and will only do so when the government is reopened. The White House has been unwilling to offer substantive concessions. Analysts said that in this way, the White House believes the Democrats will bear the brunt of public blame.

The political theater of this government shutdown shows how political polarization can paralyze a country. First, increasingly, the aim of American politics is geared toward scoring political points rather than finding a settlement. In such an environment, one party comes to view compromise as a betrayal, and the other views any retreat as a sign of weakness. Legislation is no longer judged on its merits or its benefits to the citizenry, but on its purity as a political tool. This dynamic transforms the annual budgeting process from a deliberative exercise into a hostage situation, where critical services – from food safety inspections to military pay – become bargaining chips in a political war. 

Second, America's broader social climate is feeding this fracture. U.S. citizens, media, and elected officials increasingly live in echo chambers. The other side is not just wrong, it is threatening. That intensifies every policy confrontation, making long-term deal-making increasingly difficult. When compromise becomes politically toxic, plausible deals are ignored or demonized. The shutdown is a clear consequence: The functional act of governing is subordinated to theatrics and positioning.

The price of such paralysis is real. The suffering is being outsourced to millions of ordinary Americans. Federal employees – TSA agents, national park rangers, and NASA scientists, among them – are forced to work without pay or furloughed indefinitely. These people, like everyone else, are on mortgage payments, paying for groceries, or incurring medical costs. 

Additionally, the ending of programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is threatening millions of Americans who rely on them for food. Farmers now have to wait for crucial assistance payments. Families planning trips to national monuments or parks find gates closed, visitor centers shuttered, or flights delayed, even canceled. The list goes on. 

The U.S. economy takes a beating, too. The longer the impasse, the more businesses – especially small ones and those tied to federal contracts – face instability. Historical figures indicate that even brief shutdowns have resulted in billions of dollars in lost economic activity. What's worse is when the government cannot guarantee its own operations, broader private investment decisions freeze, and confidence erodes.

Inevitably, how America runs politically has been called into question, both at home and abroad. 

Each shutdown deepens the cynicism of the American electorate, reinforcing the narrative that Washington is a broken, self-serving entity incapable of addressing the problems among the American people. In return, such erosion of trust in governance further fuels the anger that partisan media outlets and political campaigns so effectively weaponize, creating a vicious cycle where dysfunction begets more dysfunction. And overseas, the longer the shutdown lasts, the more the international community ponders whether America can deliver on its foreign policy promises.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)