The Hypocrisy Behind The Democrat Government Shutdown
By: Congressman Anthony D’Esposito
The American people expect their leaders to govern responsibly. They expect Congress to find ways to keep the lights on, protect our families, support our troops, and ensure that government services are not held hostage to political gamesmanship. Yet here we are again—facing the fallout of a government shutdown, a crisis not born out of necessity but out of political posturing. And leading the charge into this reckless brinkmanship is none other than Laura Gillen, who campaigned as a so-called “moderate,” promising stability and pragmatism, but has governed as a rubber stamp for the radical agenda pushed by Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, and the far-left flank of her party.
At the center of this battle is something known as a Continuing Resolution (CR). For decades, CRs have been used when Congress hasn’t finished passing a full-year budget. They are not ideal—they simply extend current spending levels temporarily—but they are infinitely better than shutting the government down. A CR keeps the government open while lawmakers negotiate. While in Congress, I voted for every CR, not because I wanted to continue the reckless spending of the Biden administration, but because I am pragmatic and a CR kept government open and allowed negotiations.
Here’s the hypocrisy: Gillen voted against the CR. She voted to shut down the government, despite her past rhetoric warning that a shutdown would cause “suffering for our military, federal employees, and other American families.” She slammed Republicans as a “circus” when they raised concerns about spending, but when given the chance to keep the government running while negotiating, she voted to turn off the lights. That isn’t leadership. That’s hypocrisy.
Government shutdowns aren’t abstract political exercises. They have real, painful consequences for ordinary Americans. By voting to shut down the government, Gillen aligned herself with an agenda that hurts the very people she claims to represent. More than 1.3 million soldiers will be forced to work without pay, straining families already under pressure, and nearly 50,000 members of the U.S. Coast Guard will also go unpaid. Over 150,000 federal law enforcement officers, including Border Patrol and ICE, will be asked to put their lives on the line while Washington refuses to compensate them. Wildland firefighters, who are crucial in protecting communities from devastating fires, will see their pay halted. Critical food assistance programs like WIC, which serve women, infants, and children, will lapse. Veterans’ care will be disrupted, with essential programs grinding to a halt. Seniors relying on Medicare will lose access to telehealth and other treatment options, cutting off care for some of the most vulnerable. Rental assistance and homeless veteran programs will dry up, leaving those who served our nation exposed to hardship. During peak hurricane season, flood insurance will halt, leaving millions of families unprotected. And over 13,000 Air Traffic Controllers, along with countless TSA agents, will work without pay, risking air travel chaos that threatens to ripple across the nation. Her actions could be crushing to Main Streets across Long Island. Each one of these consequences represents a promise broken. Soldiers promised paychecks. Veterans promised care. Families promised protection. And Gillen, with her vote, betrayed them.
Shutdown hypocrisy is only one chapter in Gillen’s record. Long Islanders remember her votes on taxes too.
She voted for the largest tax hike in American history. She backed Biden’s inflationary spending spree that drove prices up for every family. She voted against restoring the SALT deduction, a lifeline for middle-class Long Islanders crushed under New York’s property tax burden. She voted against the “No Tax on Tips” bill, dismissing it as a “billionaires’ bill.” Let’s be honest: what billionaire is worried about tax on tips? The answer is none. This was a bill to help working-class people—waiters, bartenders, hairdressers, hotel staff—and Gillen turned her back on them.
This pattern is clear: Gillen campaigns as a friend of the middle class but governs as a tax-and-spend progressive in lockstep with Washington Democrats.
Gillen also failed to stand up for fairness in girls’ sports. When asked to support legislation protecting female athletes from unfair competition, she sided with the progressive line, abandoning the very women and girls Title IX was designed to protect. This isn’t moderation; it’s submission to the loudest voices on the far left.
Laura Gillen claims to be an independent voice for Long Island. But look closer at her record, and you’ll see someone who doesn’t lead—she follows. She takes direction from Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, and the progressive wing of her party.
When it came time to fight for Long Island taxpayers on SALT, she caved.
When it came time to stand up for working-class tip earners, she caved.
When it came time to protect fairness in women’s sports, she caved.
And now, when it came time to keep the government open while negotiating, she caved.
That’s not leadership. That’s obedience to the party bosses.
Let’s not forget what Gillen herself said during her campaign:
A government shutdown would cause “suffering for our military, federal employees, and other American families.”
She was right then—but she’s hypocritical now. Her vote to shut down the government did exactly what she warned against. Our soldiers, our veterans, our families are all suffering because of the decision she made.
This shutdown underscores a larger truth: the Democratic Party, despite branding itself as “moderate” in districts like Long Island, is beholden to the progressive agenda. Schumer, Gillen, and Jeffries would rather weaponize shutdowns and play politics than negotiate responsibly.
They call Republicans a circus, but it’s their refusal to compromise that turned off the lights in Washington. They preach moderation during campaigns but vote like radicals once in office. They talk about affordability while hiking taxes and strangling the middle class.
The good news is that Long Islanders aren’t fooled. They’ve lived through Gillen’s tenure in Hempstead, where she voted for tax hikes and failed to deliver relief. They’ve seen her side with Washington progressives over local families. We’ve watched as she claims to support Israel and the Jewish people, yet befriends people like Malik Nadeem Abid, who read a Quran reading at her swearing in and has made statements accusing Israel of “genocide” and alleging that an Israeli pier was built over the bodies of Palestinians. They’ve seen her say one thing and do another.
Long Islanders know what leadership looks like. It looks like standing up for cops and first responders, not defunders. It looks like restoring the SALT deduction, not voting against it. It looks like fighting for working families, not dismissing a tax break for tip earners as a “billionaires’ bill.” And it looks like keeping the government open while fighting for fiscal sanity, not shutting it down for political games.
Laura Gillen’s hypocrisy on the government shutdown is just the latest in a pattern of betrayal. She promised moderation, but she delivered radical votes. She promised stability, but she delivered chaos. She promised to protect Long Islanders, but she delivered higher taxes and fewer freedoms.
The shutdown is not an accident—it is the product of a party that prioritizes political theater over responsible governance. Gillen voted to shut down the government, to hurt our soldiers, to punish our veterans, to deny working families the services they rely on. And she did it while lecturing others about the dangers of shutdowns.
The hypocrisy is breathtaking. But Long Islanders see it. And when the time comes, they will remember.
Congressman Anthony D’Esposito was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as Inspector General of the Department of Labor. Previously, he served in Congress, representing New York’s 4th Congressional District. Anthony served as a Councilman in the Town of Hempstead after retiring from the NYPD as a highly decorated Detective. He also served as Chief of the Island Park Fire Department and helped lead the all-volunteer organization’s response to Super-Storm Sandy. The Congressman appears frequently on Fox News, Newsmax, ABC National News, and 77 WABC Sid and Friends in the Morning. To contact, email [email protected].
