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Let’s be blunt: when our federal government shuts down, it’s not a chess match the rest of us signed up for. Indeed, it's a hit to people’s paychecks, to public safety and the fragile systems that keep communities running, safe and thriving.

No side looks good when they weaponize the budget. What we should expect from our leaders — regardless of party — is competence, not theatrics.

For most Americans, the first impressions during a shutdown are practical: airports slow down, food-safety inspections are delayed and entire pay cycles for federal employees and contractors are interrupted. Those are not abstractions. They affect real people — including the air-traffic controllers who keep planes in the sky, the nurses and h

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