Authored by Steve Cortes via RealClearPolitics,

The Democrats have shut down the government because they’re putting illegal immigrants ahead of American citizens.

Do not listen to Chuck Schumer or any of his allies in the corporate media when they spin about this critical point. As Vice President JD Vance correctly points out: “It’s not something that we made up. It’s not a talking point. It is in the text of the bill that they initially gave to us to reopen the government.”

The Dems nuked a near-term CR budget fix because they insisted on taxpayer-funded healthcare for foreign migrants who do not even belong in America, and no longer have legal status here, under President Trump’s leadership.

So, here we are. We didn’t ask for this fight. But in politics – and in life – sometimes the fight comes to you, and you have no choice but to engage. In this case, if the Trump administration pursues the correct, and totally legal, agenda, then we can make the Democrats regret ever going down this path. In other words, “Dems, don’t threaten us with a good time!”

It is time to counterpunch, and not mildly. Rather, it’s time for a Floyd “Money” Mayweather approach to politics and policy. The Democrats just flung the door open for the America First movement to make good on the promises of the 2024 campaign, to truly reshape, resize, and remake government in permanent ways that can benefit Americans for decades to come.

The main mechanism, of course, is mass firings. Not temporary furloughs of unnecessary federal bureaucrats, mind you, but rather a thorough, legal, lasting deck cleaning. Saying a permanent goodbye to legions of non-critical federal workers, that kind of action represents the “Mayweather” punch back at the radical Democrats. It is not some wild, purely reactionary defensive salvo, but rather a precise and unstoppable counterpunch knockout to the administrative state of Washington, D.C.

That industry of Permanent Washington, it exists for its own benefits and perquisites. Consider, for example, that the average federal employee in the Washington, D.C., area makes $127,000 per year in salary and benefits, according to Zip Recruiter. Even worse than the lavish pay that we provide, these bloated bureaucrats are often lazy and, when they do decide to work, have abused their power to reign like unelected monarchs over regular Americans and small businesses.

But the people now have the legal route to strike back. Even the Washington Post admits this reality, writing that “President Trump and his budget director, Russell Vought, now have extraordinary power…[deciding] which government workers to permanently lay off.”

So, this Democrat-created crisis represents a truly unique opportunity to clean house, slash waste, reduce deficits, and restore a government built on common sense and restraint. Plus, the timing could not be more opportune, as America struggles to manage a gargantuan $37 trillion federal debt.

And here’s the tactical side of the showdown: These are the fights Donald Trump has thrived on his entire career. “The Art of the Deal” isn’t about pinstripes and flash – it’s about leverage, persuasion, and turning the tables. His adversaries get distracted by the show, just like in “A Bronx Tale,” missing the moves that really matter.

Like the honey badger, he doesn’t care. And neither do the American people. We’re focused on results – delivering on the mandate voters gave us.

That mandate is for prosperity – and for an America that doesn’t just survive, but leads the world into a new golden age. And as we approach our 250th anniversary, that vision matters more than ever.

We live in an era of disruption. It’s unstoppable. Government resisted this disruption only through artificial means because of the inertia of Washington to grow constantly for over a century, since the awful Progressive Era. But now, time is up, and the Dems themselves just handed Republicans the power to finally, at long last, start to crush the pernicious administrative state, along with the punishing debt it created.

In a sense, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries did us a huge, historic favor. Thanks, guys! Now get ready to help your Washington bureaucrat pals pack up their stuff, cause we are taking back our country.

As we head into the mighty semiquincentennial birthday of our amazing Republic, it is time to act. Knock out the Leviathan. In its place, build a society of prosperity and security that evolves into America’s golden age. Let’s get it done.