Skip to content
RollCall logo

Podcasts

The great ‘meh’: Scenes from a shutdown

Political Theater, Episode 384

The blinds at the ticket window for the ferry to Fort Sumter are closed in Charleston, S.C., on Oct. 2, 2025 due to the government shutdown.
The blinds at the ticket window for the ferry to Fort Sumter are closed in Charleston, S.C., on Oct. 2, 2025 due to the government shutdown. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
By Jason Dick and Mary Ellen McIntire
Posted October 3, 2025 at 11:18am

Jason Dick and Mary Ellen McIntire talk about how the government shutdown hasn’t created much urgency on Capitol Hill, even though the effects could be significant, why each party thinks they have the upper hand and how it might play in upcoming races like the Virginia governor’s race, where a lot of furloughed federal workers have a vote. 

Show Notes:

Recent Stories

President Donald Trump speaks at an event at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

At Las Vegas campaign stop, Trump slams Michigan winner Abdul El-Sayed

Abdul El-Sayed waves to supporters after addressing them at his election night event in Detroit.

Will El-Sayed play in Pontiac come November?

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, here at the U.S. Capitol in January, has pushed for a redraw of the state's congressional map. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Maryland voters to weigh in on redrawing state’s congressional map

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and his wife, Sarah Jukaku, leave a news conference in Detroit on Wednesday.

Republicans rush to define El-Sayed as Democrats try to move past bitter primary

The Capitol dome is seen through a window in the Cannon House Office Building this spring.

They once condemned bad behavior in the House. Now, it’s ‘not my business’ 

Capitol Lens | Double impact