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As temperatures drop in the nation’s capital and politicians hunker down for the holidays, here’s a look back at some of the political controversies that sent a chill through Washington, D.C., this year.
1. Shutdown showdown: 43 days that froze Washington
The government was shut down for 43 days in 2025, setting the record for the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
Republicans blamed Democrats and Democrats blamed Republicans, leaving Capitol Hill at a standstill for a staggering stretch that put Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, federal paychecks and even air-traffic safety in jeopardy.
TRUMP SAYS ECONOMY WILL ‘ROCKET’ AFTER SIGNING ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’: ‘IT’S GOING TO BE REALLY GREAT’
Congress failed to find common ground on a short-term spending bill as Senate Democrats refused to support any plan that did not include extensions of enhanced Obamacare subsidies set to expire at year’s end.
Ultimately, eight Senate Democrats broke with leadership to reach a bipartisan deal to reopen the government, and six House Democrats followed suit — ending the shutdown without securing the subsidies their party had demanded.
TRUMP SAYS ECONOMY WILL ‘ROCKET’ AFTER SIGNING ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’: ‘IT’S GOING TO BE REALLY GREAT’
2. DOGE days: Trump & Musk take on the bureaucracy
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Inauguration Day establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with a mandate to cut waste, fraud and abuse across the federal government.
Trump tapped Tesla CEO Elon Musk as a “special government employee” to spearhead spending reductions.
According to DOGE, the agency has saved approximately $214 billion through asset sales, contract cancellations, improper payment recoveries, grant terminations, regulatory rollbacks, and workforce reductions.
As Musk slashed spending, the agency overhauled federal operations, laying off tens of thousands of workers, cutting foreign-aid programs, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and shaking up global health efforts such as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
3. No Kings Days: Protest movements erupt nationwide
The DOGE disruptions and Trump’s sweeping second-term agenda triggered a wave of protest movements across the country.
In February, the 50501 Movement, a coalition of activists rejecting Trump’s “executive overreach,” organized nationwide “Not My President’s Day,” or “No Kings Day,” demonstrations. From Austin to Orlando and Boston to Phoenix, crowds marched with handmade signs, chanting and singing in protest. More than a thousand gathered at the Capitol Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., on President’s Day.
As Musk led efforts to slash government spending, some protesters targeted Tesla cars, dealerships, and showrooms as Attorney General Pam Bondi labeled the attacks as “domestic terrorism.”
By Oct. 18, millions of Americans joined another “No Kings Day,” as the protest movement showed no signs of fading throughout Trump’s second term.
4. ICE unleashed: Backlash on deportations
During Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, he promised to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in American history.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement delivered on that pledge this year, launching an aggressive nationwide effort to deport illegal immigrants.
While Republicans celebrated what they viewed as a long-overdue restoration of security at the southern border, many Americans rejected the crackdown, protesting mistaken removals, due-process concerns and ICE’s enforcement surge.
Democratic lawmakers and local officials joined demonstrations at ICE processing centers and immigration courts, urging constituents to know their legal rights.
Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles as anti-ICE protests escalated into riots in June. It was the first time in more than 60 years that a president overrode a governor and federalized a state’s National Guard for a domestic law-enforcement mission.
5. Troops in the streets: Trump’s crime crackdown
After federalizing the National Guard in Los Angeles in June, Trump deployed troops to the nation’s capital in August as part of the administration’s nationwide crime crackdown.
The White House then moved to deploy the Guard to other Democratic-led cities, including Chicago and Memphis, and attempted a similar rollout in Portland before courts intervened.
Democrats and progressive activists denounced the strategy as dangerous federal overreach, arguing that importing troops into local jurisdictions would escalate tensions rather than calm them.
Tensions reached a boiling point on Nov. 26, when two National Guardsmen — U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, and Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20 — were shot just blocks from the White House. Beckstrom later died from the injuries. Federal authorities are investigating the attack as a potential act of terrorism.
“God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement. These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!” Trump said in response.
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