ROOKE: Trump Scores Major Optics Win In Schumer Shutdown Battle

President Donald Trump has found a way to fund federal programs, despite Senate Democrats — led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — keeping the government shut down.

On Monday, the Trump administration funded the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) during what Republicans have rightly dubbed the “Schumer Shutdown,” by redirecting revenue generated from Trump’s tariffs on imported goods. The White House announced the move as a temporary stopgap measure to prevent immediate disruptions to the nearly 7 million low-income pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and young children up to age five, who rely on the program for nutritional assistance, breastfeeding support, and other related services.

While Trump hasn’t been able to secure funding for essential federal employees, such as U.S. military members, the Secret Service, and air traffic controllers, they haven’t missed a paycheck yet. However, the deadline for that, Oct. 15, is coming up quickly. And, yes, most of these employees will receive back pay for any missed pay periods, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll be able to survive without some loan assistance.

Chairman @AugustPfluger answering a question during the @RepublicanStudy leadership call regarding a OMB memo circulating that allegedly states that federal workers who are furloughed may not necessarily be given back pay.

“The law specifically says the fact they will be…

— Ashley Brasfield (@BrasfieldAshley) October 7, 2025

Democrats have a decision to make about whether their radical left policies are worth continuing the government shutdown or if they’ll do the right thing and vote for the House-passed continuing resolution (CR). Recent polling indicates they are losing the narrative battle on this issue. Almost half (40 percent) of Democrats think their party’s positions are not worth shutting down the government, leaving essential workers and programs unfunded, according to CBS News. Only 28 percent agree with Senate Democrats in holding the funding hostage. (Sign up for Mary Rooke’s weekly newsletter here!)

It begs the question of why Democrats believe it’s politically expedient to keep this fight going when a majority of their base wants them to capitulate to Republicans. Especially taking into account that Democrats essentially lost the 2024 election because elected members chose to embrace the radical left wing of their party, sending many independents who would have otherwise voted blue into the ballot box to support Republicans. How are Democrats expecting to bring these voters back if they are choosing to fund healthcare for illegal immigrants over paying U.S. military members and funding programs like WIC?

And while Republicans are fighting a similar internal struggle, with a majority of voters begging for the shutdown to end, the optics that Trump has been able to create by using tariff revenue to fund WIC is a masterclass in garnering political capital. Here, he addresses an issue (tariffs) that, while successful, hasn’t made a significant difference in solving kitchen-table issues and directly links it to being able to keep mothers and infants fed.

While Democrats put Americans last and allow the WIC program to run out this week, President Trump delivered a solution to keep funding in place — ensuring mothers and children don’t go hungry.

Political games won’t stop the Trump Administration from putting Americans first. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/QVsjfPBUd3

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 8, 2025

Trump has taken away a major weapon in the Democrats’ political arsenal by serving the most vulnerable in our country despite the Democrat led shutdown. If Republicans were smart, they’d bring these mothers on media hits with them to explain what this funding means to their families, similar to how Trump gave a mic to mothers who lost children to violent illegal immigrants. Then, to drive home the narrative, remind the American people that while our military members are faithfully serving overseas, their wives with small children are suffering due to Democrats refusing to fund the government. (ROOKE: UK’s Digital Dystopia Is A Warning For America — But Some Are Treating It Like A Roadmap)

Trump, more than any politician in our lifetime, understands the importance of controlling the optics in winning the narrative war. His move to fund WIC with tariff revenue killed two birds with one stone. It made Democrats politically vulnerable on a critical issue, while also protecting vulnerable mothers and their children.

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