The longest government shutdown in history is over. Congressman Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) voted to reopen the government last week, but expresses chagrin for the Democratic Party, whom he says forced the shutdown.
“There will be long-term economic impacts from the shutdown on Long Island from this Democratic shutdown,” LaLota told The Messenger, of ramifications particularly to Brookhaven National Laboratory. LaLota had expressed concern for the facility, as well as air traffic controllers at Islip MacArthur Airport (ISP) when the shutdown commenced in October.
“This was Democrat-driven on many fronts, not just at the expense of federal workers or those on federal programs.”
Of the political ramifications, LaLota said that the Democrats’ better-than-expected showing on Election Day two weeks ago doesn’t necessarily correlate to their play of a shutdown card.
“I don’t think that the Democrats winning in blue places like Virginia, New Jersey, California, or New York City is indicative of much. However, I think they do like that the government is open again,” said LaLota. “It seems that the shutdown was done for Democratic politics. It’s shameful that federal workers and programs were held hostage to achieve those objectives.”
However, if the government shutdown was responsible for Democrats’ good showing two weeks ago, LaLota hopes they won’t play the same card before the crucial 2026 midterms.
“I hope that cooler heads will prevail and that they resist the temptation to once again hold workers and the American people hostage for a political agenda,” said LaLota. “Unfortunately all bets are off right now. Their insatiable appetite for anything anti-Trump guides them to some pretty whacky places.”
