The Democrats have shut down the government because they’re putting illegal immigrants ahead of American citizens.
Do not listen to Chuck Schumer or any of his allies in the corporate media when they spin about this critical point. As Vice President JD Vance correctly points out: “It’s not something that we made up. It’s not a talking point. It is in the text of the bill that they initially gave to us to reopen the government.”
The Dems nuked a near-term CR budget fix because they insisted on taxpayer-funded healthcare for foreign migrants who do not even belong in America, and no longer have legal status here, under President Trump’s leadership.
So, here we are. We didn’t ask for this fight. But in politics – and in life – sometimes the fight comes to you, and you have no choice but to engage. In this case, if the Trump administration pursues the correct, and totally legal, agenda, then we can make the Democrats regret ever going down this path. In other words, “Dems, don’t threaten us with a good time!”
It is time to counterpunch, and not mildly. Rather, it’s time for a Floyd “Money” Mayweather approach to politics and policy. The Democrats just flung the door open for the America First movement to make good on the promises of the 2024 campaign, to truly reshape, resize, and remake government in permanent ways that can benefit Americans for decades to come.
The main mechanism, of course, is mass firings. Not temporary furloughs of unnecessary federal bureaucrats, mind you, but rather a thorough, legal, lasting deck cleaning. Saying a permanent goodbye to legions of non-critical federal workers, that kind of action represents the “Mayweather” punch back at the radical Democrats. It is not some wild, purely reactionary defensive salvo, but rather a precise and unstoppable counterpunch knockout to the administrative state of Washington, D.C.
That industry of Permanent Washington, it exists for its own benefits and perquisites. Consider, for example, that the average federal employee in the Washington, D.C., area makes $127,000 per year in salary and benefits, according to Zip Recruiter. Even worse than the lavish pay that we provide, these bloated bureaucrats are often lazy and, when they do decide to work, have abused their power to reign like unelected monarchs over regular Americans and small businesses.
But the people now have the legal route to strike back. Even the Washington Post admits this reality, writing that “President Trump and his budget director, Russell Vought, now have extraordinary power…[deciding] which government workers to permanently lay off.”
So, this Democrat-created crisis represents a truly unique opportunity to clean house, slash waste, reduce deficits, and restore a government built on common sense and restraint. Plus, the timing could not be more opportune, as America struggles to manage a gargantuan $37 trillion federal debt.
And here’s the tactical side of the showdown: These are the fights Donald Trump has thrived on his entire career. “The Art of the Deal” isn’t about pinstripes and flash – it’s about leverage, persuasion, and turning the tables. His adversaries get distracted by the show, just like in “A Bronx Tale,” missing the moves that really matter.
Like the honey badger, he doesn’t care. And neither do the American people. We’re focused on results – delivering on the mandate voters gave us.
That mandate is for prosperity – and for an America that doesn’t just survive, but leads the world into a new golden age. And as we approach our 250th anniversary, that vision matters more than ever.
We live in an era of disruption. It’s unstoppable. Government resisted this disruption only through artificial means because of the inertia of Washington to grow constantly for over a century, since the awful Progressive Era. But now, time is up, and the Dems themselves just handed Republicans the power to finally, at long last, start to crush the pernicious administrative state, along with the punishing debt it created.
In a sense, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries did us a huge, historic favor. Thanks, guys! Now get ready to help your Washington bureaucrat pals pack up their stuff, cause we are taking back our country.
As we head into the mighty semiquincentennial birthday of our amazing Republic, it is time to act. Knock out the Leviathan. In its place, build a society of prosperity and security that evolves into America’s golden age. Let’s get it done.
Steve Cortes is president of the League of American Workers, a populist right pro-laborer advocacy group, and senior political advisor to Catholic Vote. He is a former senior advisor to President Trump and JD Vance, and a former commentator for Fox News and CNN.
Original article link: RealClearPolitics
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. Putin Warns Of Swift Response If Europe Provokes Russia - TIPP Insights
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday that Moscow would respond swiftly if Europe provokes it, claiming nearly all NATO members are engaged against Russia in Ukraine.
Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Putin said Russian forces are advancing along the front and dismissed Western claims of weakness.
“The elites of united Europe continue to whip up hysteria,” he said, urging European leaders to focus on domestic issues instead of fueling confrontation.
2. Russian Advance Into Ukraine Slowed In September, Monitoring Group Says - CNN
Russia’s advance into Ukraine slowed by almost half in September, according to the monitoring group DeepState, with Moscow capturing its smallest amount of territory since May.
“The Russians managed to capture 259 square kilometers (100 square miles)” in September, DeepState, a Ukrainian open-source mapping site that charts the war’s front lines, said in a report released Wednesday.
3. Israeli Naval Ships Intercept Gaza-Bound Flotilla - TIPP Insights
Israeli forces have intercepted boats carrying aid to Gaza and detained activists aboard, among them Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.
4. Telegram Founder Claims He Survived 2018 Poisoning Attempt - TIPP Insights
Telegram founder Pavel Durov has revealed he survived an apparent poisoning attempt in 2018 but chose not to disclose it until now. Speaking on Lex Fridman’s podcast, Durov said he collapsed after noticing a suspicious neighbor leaving something at his door.
He described excruciating pain, loss of vision and hearing, and paralysis that left him unable to walk for two weeks. “That was the only instant in my life when I think I was dying,” Durov said.
5. Beijing’s Top Diplomat In Hong Kong Sets Out Four Red Lines For New US Consul General - AP
China's commissioner in Hong Kong urged the new US consul general not to interfere in Hong Kong's affairs or meet with activists after taking up her post.
The commissioner laid out 'four don'ts' for the consul general, including not meeting certain people, not colluding with 'anti-China forces', and not interfering in national security cases.
Tensions remain high between Beijing and Washington over Hong Kong, with disputes over issues like the case of jailed media mogul Jimmy Lai.
6. Report Finds Taiwan Spent $1.3 Billion On Russian Oil Products In 2025 - TIPP Insights
Taiwan imported $1.3 billion worth of Russian naphtha in the first half of 2025, according to a report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
The purchases, totaling 1.9 million tonnes, made Russia Taiwan’s largest supplier of the vital petrochemical feedstock.
The report noted Taiwan has spent $4.9 billion on Russian naphtha since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, despite Taipei joining Western-led sanctions and export controls.
7. BYD Closing In On Tesla As EV Race Tightens Globally - TIPP Insights
Chinese automaker BYD, which saw EV sales rise 31% despite no presence in the U.S., is on track to surpass Tesla as the world’s largest electric carmaker.
Tesla reported a sharp rebound in third-quarter sales, delivering 497,099 vehicles worldwide between July and September, a 29% jump from the previous quarter and a 7% increase over last year.
8. Gold Nears $4,000 An Ounce Amid Economic Uncertainty - TIPP Insights
The new gold rush has seen the precious metal repeatedly set new price records in 2025, extending its rapacious run last year.
Bullion ended October 1 at $3,867.90 per troy ounce after U.S. lawmakers failed to reach a deal on federal funding, triggering the first government shutdown in almost seven years.
9. ETFs Are Flush With New Money. Why Billions More Are Flowing Their Way – Dow Jones
Investors are putting more money than ever into exchange-traded funds, and Washington just took a step that all but ensures the billions will keep flowing.
U.S.-listed ETFs have taken in a net $917 billion through Sept. 29, according to FactSet. If that pace holds during the fourth quarter, when inflows tend to pick up, it will be the market’s second straight record year. In 2024, ETFs added $1.1 trillion.
Some of the fastest-growing segments are relatively exotic. BlackRock continues to rake in money with its iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (ticker: IBIT), which tracks the price of bitcoin. Launched in early 2024, IBIT is the fastest-growing ETF of all time. BlackRock generates more revenue from the fund than all of its larger offerings, thanks to a modestly higher 0.25% annual fee. The fund has taken in nearly $24 billion this year, putting it fifth among all ETFs.
10. Big Consumers Of Ultra-Processed Foods Show Most Inflammation: Study - Health News
New research shows that the biggest consumers of ultra-processed foods have "significantly elevated" levels of a protein associated with systemic inflammation that can signal cardiovascular disease.
A brief, observational study conducted by researchers at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and published in The American Journal of Medicine on Sept. 3 finds a correlation between those whose diets had the most UPFs and worrying levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a well-known marker of inflammation and a strong predictor of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
11. Forget Youthful Brilliance —The Human Mind Actually Peaks At 60 - The Times
A new measure of mental and personality traits suggests the late 50s are your cognitive prime.
The paper, published in the journal Intelligence, draws on decades of psychological research to produce what the authors have called the cognitive-personality functioning index (CPFI), a single measure that tracks how intelligence, judgment and other key mental and personality traits evolve over the average lifespan.
The results indicate a pattern: that the overall functioning of the human brain reaches its zenith between 55 and 60.
📊 Market Pulse — Oct 2, 2025
📈 S&P 500 — 6,715.35 ▲ +0.06%
Stocks advanced, lifted by healthcare and hopes of further Fed rate cuts.
📉 10Y Treasury — 4.09% ▼ -2 bp
Yields slipped modestly as traders digested soft payroll data and political risk.
🛢 Crude Oil — $61.78 ▼ -0.95%
Oil declined for a third straight day as demand concerns outweighed supply risks.
💵 U.S. Dollar — 97.87 ▲ +0.17%
The dollar steadied, breaking a four-day losing streak.
🪙 Bitcoin — $120,919.72 ▲
Bitcoin surged, topping $120K in a broad crypto rally.
🥇 Gold — $3,865.08 ▲ +0.15%
Gold hovered near record highs on safe-haven demand amid the shutdown.
