BLACKSBURG, Va. – After more disagreements in the U.S. Congress, the government has been partially shut down, primarily impacting the Department of Homeland Security.
On Wednesday, Virginia Tech political communications expert Cayce Myers broke down the political reasons for the shutdown, and why we have been hearing about them so much as of late.
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“The DHS shutdown has no clear end in sight because of the impasse between Republicans and Democrats on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reform."
Cayce Myers, director of graduate studies at the School of Communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
Myers cited that the Democrats have less incentive to compromise with the Republicans on this current funding matter, as much of the Democratic base is hoping for a stronger stance on ICE following the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti amid an influx of DHS members in Minneapolis.
“Meanwhile, Republicans also have low incentive to compromise, because ICE is funded partially by the legislation known as the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ that passed in the summer of 2025. Moreover, Republicans have campaigned heavily on immigration enforcement, which has traditionally had a high rate of success with their voting base. Unlike the shutdown in 2025, this shutdown also has less immediate impact on Americans as it is only partial, so government benefits and services that lapsed in 2025 won’t this time."
Cayce Myers
As for the abnormally high number of shutdowns in the past few years, Myers claimed modern-day political polarization and slim majorities in Congress are to blame.
“Shutdowns have become more common in the last few years because they are political leverage for those in the minority party in Congress. We currently exist in a political environment where shutdowns are used to amplify a political issue or message, especially during election years. It’s a political reality that Americans are growing accustomed to as polarization, slim majorities in Congress, and conflicts over major political issues like immigration and health care have become commonplace. For most of American history, until the 1970s, shutdowns were nonexistent.”
Cayce Myers
For more information and to see everything Myers had to say, click here.