Analysts say shutdown won’t have long-term negative impact on lawmakers

Public opinion analyst Karlyn Bowman and Democratic pollster Anne Greenburg on Friday said that the ongoing government shutdown likely won’t have a negative impact on lawmakers in the long-run. 

“I’m not sure it will,” Bowman, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told Hill.TV’s Jamal Simmons on “What America’s Thinking.” 

“The parties are so polarized, and people know who their senators and reps are, and so I really don’t think it’s going to hurt senators,” she continued. 

“Shutdowns have a shelf life,” Greenburg said. “Two years is an eon in our politics, and so while there may be a short-term sort of hit for Republicans, particularly because if you look at the polls, people are more likely to blame Trump and the Republicans for the shutdown, but as soon as it’s over and people start getting their paychecks again and people getting their loans from Farm Bureau, you know it just dissipates over time.” 

The government shutdown entered its 21st day on Friday, which marked the first paycheck missed by federal employees impacted by the shutdown. 

Trump and Democratic lawmakers have not been able to agree on a deal for border security that would allow various federal agencies to reopen.