Hi! We’re Jonathan Lemire and Toluse Olorunnipa, staff writers at The Atlantic who cover politics. We have reported on what caused the current government shutdown, what the parties want from each other, and what happens next. Ask us anything!

19 comments

1. Can a new Democratic regime post-Trump reverse most of the damage he did to United States foreign policy?

2. If the shutdown is a big deal, can you A: start reporting on the Hatch Act violations done by the current admin and not use the kid gloves, and B: remind everyone who is currently in control of all the branches of government?

   It’s not possible for the democrats to be both incompetent and weak, but also some sort of unstoppable force of terror. The terror is coming from within the administration.

3. Since you guys are working for the media, I wonder what do you think about the both side-ism in the current media landscape, and what kind of line that shall not be crossed you’d set before you are forced to choose one side over the other.

   Because, man, it seems like the current Trump administration doesn’t know what it’s doing, and a lot of folks have been hurt because of it. And, yet, most of the corporate media that I see don’t exactly condemn what he’s doing and or planning to do, and still play both sides. What do you think is the line here, exactly?

4. Given they are among the largest and oldest unions in the country, what leverage over negotiations do the federal employee labor unions have, if any?

5. Was the shutdown deliberately used as a political tool to reduce the influence or effectiveness of the federal government?

6. What will be the tipping point to end the shutdown? People are not being paid as we are headed to the holiday season.

7. how does the shutdown affect military pay, including pay of National Guard units occupying US cities, and benefits for military families? Can Trump afford to alienate the military in the current situation, and can he keep all the money flowing to them during the shutdown?

8. Have Republicans actually offered proof of their “ideas” on solving the healthcare problems outlined by Democrats or are they just grandstanding while kicking the can?

9. The Republicans seem perfectly content with the shutdown: less spending, layoffs, DOGE continues. The Democrats are, in summary, asking for more spending than was explicitly passed a few months ago, rallying on healthcare which has been a winning issue for them for a while as the leaders seem under pressure to kind of do anything.

   Meanwhile Trump seems happy to seemingly violate the constitution and spend money he isn’t authorized to spend on payroll, putting Democrats in a precarious situation: do they sue to block pay?

   My question is when will the real pain start here? If Trump funds say ATC and military pay with whatever funds, then is there a path to compromise?

10. why does the media not do their job and report extactly what trump says? why does the media just sane wash was trump says?

11. With regard to the Maine Senate Race in 2026, Maine Governor Janet Mills just announced she’s launching a campaign to unseat Susan Collins in 2026, this is in spite of the fact that Graham Platner, who has already launched a campaign as a Democrat, currently polls ahead of her in a head-to-head race against Collins. In July of 2025 Mills has expressed that she was unlikely to run for Senate and had little interest in the “chaotic atmosphere” of Washington DC, but it’s rumored that she changed her mind after intense pressure from the DNC, Chuck Schumer, and other leaders in the Democratic Party.

    Do you think the DNC genuinely believes Janet Mills is a better contender against Susan Collins or would they intentionally put their weight behind a less viable candidate if that candidate’s ideology more aligned with current Democratic Party norms?

    This seems to be an ongoing trend; AOC being subbed for the House Oversight Committee, the Party’s tepid reception of Zohran Mamdani, and now the Party pushing for a messy Mills/Platner primary in Maine. Curious what your thoughts are on this and if it’s hurting the Democratic Party or part of a bigger strategy?

12. Why won’t WH reporters fact check Trump to his face? He says false things all the time, including most recently, that Democrats “want to give illegal aliens ACA and Medicare and Medicaid.” That is a blatant lie–it’s illegal to do it–but no reporter speaks up.

    They don’t ask him about Homan apparently keeping the $50k. They don’t fact check his lies about tariffs and the $17 trillion economy. They never ask what “Transgender for everyone means” — or point out that Democrats aren’t saying that–and that Biden didn’t have “open borders” or that countries weren’t emptying their prisons and insane asylum to send them here..

    I see there are many more right-wing media outlets in the WH now, but for those -genuine- reporters still left, what are they so afraid of?

13. Why are federal and military workers being held hostages in the shutdown by both sides?  why is the media playing into this?

14. I am a regular viewer of Washington Week with Jeffrey Goldberg. I watch it with my regular Fox viewer parents, who constantly declaim against its not having Republicans, as they have been trained by Fox. I tell them it is analysts and not pundits, but they won’t hear me: you are reporters and full of left-wing bias.

    Keep up the good work, because at least they do watch it. Can you tell me what the experience is of being on the show? Is Jeffrey Goldberg as jokey off air as he is on air? I myself would prefer the show be more left-wing, more progressive in the Overton window of viewpoints it considers.

15. Is there any hope of this practice of shutting down the government going away? There are always bills introduced that would prevent them but they never go anywhere. It just seems so cruel and unfair that the livelihoods of federal employees and contractors are used in this way

16. What has been the hardest thing in reporting on the government in this Trump term? Has I been a struggle since everyday is littered with multiple things so you need to pick and chose? Why do you think the media is scared to report on some of the unsavory things that are happening in the country?

17. It seems pretty obvious that Johnson is purposefully not swearing in Adelita Grijalva. And she would be the final vote on the Massie petition.

    Does this seem nakedly obvious to you all that he’s actively trying to cover up the Epstein files from being released?

    Is he delaying while others in the government are removing GOP and donor names from the files?

18. What? In your factual and informed analysis, is this really about?

19. Can you pointedly ask Trump is he the president of all the US or just the block of the US that voted for him?

Comments are closed.