Abby McCloskey, Columnist

America Is Getting Used to Broken Government

October 13, 2025 at 9:30 AM UTC

Abby McCloskey is a columnist, podcast host, and consultant. She directed domestic policy on two presidential campaigns and was director of economic policy at the American Enterprise Institute.

Seems normal.
Photographer: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

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The government shutdown barrels on. From my home in Texas, it’s easy to forget how many days it’s been going on.

I had a friend who was coming from DC to visit me over the weekend whose Congressional trip was canceled, but that’s been the extent of my interaction with it. Down here, it feels like the usual Washington dysfunction.