Dupage Policy Journal

Politicians have shut down the government. Not because they’re looking out for your hard-earned tax-dollars or because they're concerned with the efficacy of government. But because Chuck Schumer is worried about a primary from the far-left of his party. Once again, Washington’s ideological circus has left everyday Americans holding the bag, while politicians protect power.

The solution to avoid this mess was simple: a clean, temporary funding extension. Republicans supported it. Democrats supported it 13 times under President Biden. It would’ve kept the government running through November 21st, giving Congress time to finish its job without disrupting the lives of seniors, veterans, and federal workers.

But this time, Democrats said no. Why? Because political theater took center stage. According to a report in Axios, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his team – under threat of a primary challenge from the extremist-wing of his party – strategized with far-left activist organizations to force a shutdown. This wasn’t an accident. They planned it.

And who pays the price? Working families. Law enforcement officers who work without pay. Veterans who face delays in critical health and housing programs. Farmers in Illinois without access to USDA offices during harvest. Families and businesses who had flood insurance renewals suspended in the middle of hurricane season.

This isn’t leadership. It’s coordinated chaos, a high-stakes game in which working families are the pawns. And Americans are sick of it.

Senate Republicans fought for stability: keeping paychecks steady, benefits flowing, and essential services running. They didn’t demand partisan concessions or ideological riders. They simply proposed continuity while a new budget was negotiated. Democrats rejected it, even though they’d supported the same measure just months ago.

In my home state of Illinois, the fallout was immediate. Over 150,000 federal employees face financial uncertainty. Farmers are left in the lurch. Veterans and retirees’ benefits hang in the balance. And because of decades of corruption and mismanagement at the hands of Democrats – not the least of which is the inept leadership and failed policies of JB Pritzker and Juliana Stratton – families and businesses are already struggling under high costs and weak job growth. So, when Washington fails, Illinois families feel it.

Unfortunately, rather than defending the people who elected them, our Congressional representatives like Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) and Robin Kelly (IL-02), DC Democrats who now want a promotion to the U.S. Senate, used the moment to politicize the funding bill. Like so many in Washington, they confuse outrage with leadership and posturing with progress.

I’m running for the U.S. Senate because Illinois needs strong leaders who will stand for common sense solutions over extreme agendas. We need leaders who represent everyday Illinoisans, not the political class or Washington insiders. It’s time to replace dysfunction with common sense, politics with integrity, and theater with results.

The shutdown was avoidable. It happened because political ambition trumped common-sense and responsibility. The American people deserve a government that works: one that stays open and serves its citizens and ensures they can work, save, and dream.

It’s time to stop the madness. Washington doesn’t need more performers. It needs public servants. That’s what I’ll bring to the Senate: a commitment to defending your ability to pursue the American Dream. No drama, no excuses. Because the American Dream isn’t self-sustaining. It demands leaders with the courage to defend it.

About Don Tracy:

Don Tracy is a community leader from Central Illinois who has spent his career fighting for small businesses and working families. An attorney for nearly 50 years, Don is Senior Counsel at Brown, Hay & Stephens, the oldest law firm in Illinois. He has served in a number of public service positions, including Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, Chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board, Secretary of the Illinois Bar Foundation, and President of the Abraham Lincoln Association. Born and raised in Mount Sterling in Western Illinois, Don and his wife, Wanda, raised their 4 children and 8 grandchildren in Springfield.