Why This Tool Matters
Shutdowns aren’t just D.C. drama — they’re deliberate weapons. Fascists love to hold your paycheck, your healthcare, and your kid’s school lunch hostage to score political points. When the government “closes,” it’s not Congress that suffers — it’s you. Learning to spot the scare tactics (and how to claw back power) turns their chaos into your organizing moment.
Example of Importance
During the 2025 standoff, Trump’s cronies framed the shutdown fight as “fiscal discipline.” Translation: cut Medicaid, slash ACA subsidies, and punish the poor while bailing out billionaires. Communities that saw the shutdown for what it was — blackmail — organized mutual aid, called reps nonstop, and shamed local politicians into breaking ranks. That resistance didn’t end the shutdown, but it exposed the cruelty and helped blunt the worst demands.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Decode the Language
- “Fiscal responsibility” = cuts to your healthcare.
- “Tough choices” = starving families.
- “Short-term fix” = another round of hostage-taking in 60 days.
Step 2: Track the Impact
- Know which services in your community are disrupted. Food stamps, clinics, school programs — put faces and names to those cuts.
- Share that info loud and often: on flyers, zines, social media, and at town halls.
Step 3: Build Local Mutual Aid
- Coordinate food drives, ride shares, emergency childcare.
- Use neighborhood groups, unions, or faith centers as hubs.
- Remind people that community solidarity keeps us alive when the state won’t.
Step 4: Pressure Elected Officials
- Call and demand your reps reject bills that gut healthcare or civil rights.
- Use shame strategically: publish their votes, blast them on social media, and let constituents know exactly who sold them out.
Step 5: Amplify Resistance Actions
- Join overpass bannering, rallies, or chalk actions.
- Make the shutdown visible — fascists count on confusion and silence.
- Every banner, sticker, and poster should point the finger at the ones holding the country hostage.
Step 6: Keep Receipts
- Document which programs suffered and who pushed for cuts.
- When elections roll around, throw those receipts like confetti.
Kitty’s Final Word
Shutdowns are terror dressed in budget spreadsheets. Don’t fall for the lies, don’t let your neighbors starve, and don’t let Congress off the hook. Remember: every time they try to close the doors, we claw open new ones.