Capitol News

Congressman Tom Barrett, who represents Michigan's 7th Congressional District, addressed the ongoing federal government shutdown in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) between October 11 and October 12, 2025. Barrett’s messages focused on funding legislation and its impact on essential services.

On October 11, Barrett stated that "The clean, bipartisan funding bill we passed 3 weeks ago simply continues funding that Democrats already voted for during the Biden administration. They even supported it again this spring. It’s disappointing that Senate Democrats are keeping the government closed to appease the". In this post, he criticized Senate Democrats for not advancing the funding bill and suggested their actions were prolonging the shutdown.

Later that day, Barrett emphasized his concerns about federal responsibilities: "Michigan taxpayers expect Uncle Sam to hold up his end of the bargain, keep our nation safe, and maintain essential services. Check out my op-ed explaining why Senate Democrats should pass our clean funding plan and reopen the federal government.

https://t.co/VGRL3PAuAJ". He called attention to an op-ed where he further explained his stance.

On October 12, Barrett highlighted issues faced by air traffic controllers during the shutdown: "This is exactly why I support the Aviation Funding Stability Act to pay our air traffic controllers who are still working tirelessly throughout the shutdown. Their jobs are too important to be done without compensation." He advocated for legislation ensuring payment for these essential workers.

The current government shutdown stems from disagreements between congressional Republicans and Democrats over appropriations bills needed to fund federal agencies. Previous funding measures expired three weeks prior to Barrett’s initial post, leading to partial closure of government operations. During such shutdowns, some employees—including air traffic controllers—are required to work without pay until new appropriations are approved by Congress.

Barrett’s comments reflect broader debates in Congress regarding short-term funding bills known as continuing resolutions (CRs), which maintain previous spending levels when annual budgets have not been finalized.