October 02 2025, 08:15 
CNN Chief Analyst Harry Enten said American support for shutting down the government rather than compromising with the opposing party has skyrocketed of late.
“Traditionally, the majority of Americans want compromise, not shutdown. If you go back to 2013, just 33% said ‘stand on principle,’ even if it means a shutdown,” Enten said.
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But now, he says there is “an even split.”
“50% of Americans say they want a compromise, no shutdown, but up like a rocket, we see now 49%… on Americans either wanting a shutdown, or in fact saying they want their side to stand on principle.”
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The rise is even more prominent when focusing on Democrats. In 2013, 18% of Democrats favored a shutdown to achieve party goals. Today, it’s 47%.
“More than double, in fact, nearly triple the percentage of Democrats now say stand on principle as compared to 2013,” Enten said. “What we’re seeing is a Democratic Party that is much more so than ever before saying, ‘You know what, let’s shut down the government, no compromise, so that we can stand on principle.'”
Enten’s analysis comes after a shutdown began at midnight on October 1, following Congress’s failure to pass a funding bill due to tension over healthcare subsidies provided by the Affordable Care Act.
Republicans are refusing to negotiate with Democrats over undoing Medicaid cuts and renewing critical tax credits offered by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which are set to expire this year.
The GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill also limited eligibility for the ACA subsidies to certain legal immigrants, something Democrats want undone. The GOP has used this to accuse Democrats of wanting to provide healthcare to undocumented immigrants, which is not true.
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