Editorial boards across America are sick and tired of the Trump Shutdown. As hundreds of thousands of workers go without paychecks and critical services go unfunded, the American people deserve more than a temper tantrum from the Oval Office. Democrats urge Trump to end this shutdown and let public servants do their jobs.

Montana Standard: “There is not a crisis on the border. Violent crime is not up, there or elsewhere in the country. It is at a 14-year low. Immigrants here illegally do not commit a disproportionate amount of crimes. In fact, they commit less, on a per capita basis, than native-born Americans do. And a wall is not viewed by experts as the best tool to use in enforcing border security.

“Why, then, is this worth shutting down the government?

“Many federal workers here in Montana are working without pay. Others have simply been furloughed. Either way, their families are suffering needless hardship.”

Houston Chronicle: “The shutdown is affecting employees ranging from air-traffic controllers to border agents to NASA scientists. Meyers, the public defender whose office hasn’t been affected by the shutdown yet, is fearful that for the first time in history, the judiciary will go unpaid as well: ‘I think people are really angry,’ she said. ‘They feel like we’re hostages to this. Just open the government and figure it out.’”

Albany Times-Union: “This isn’t TV though. It’s a real-life drama that’s hurting more than 800,000 federal workers who as of last week are no longer receiving the paychecks they need to cover their mortgages or rent, their grocery and day care bills, and all the other costs many Americans juggle paycheck to paycheck just to get by. It’s affected countless other people who work under contract with the federal government, and all the people and businesses that all those workers and contractors do business with.”

Delmarva Now: “On Delmarva, however, the pain is being felt, and will compound as this maddening standoff in D.C. continues. Assateague Island National Seashore is still accessible, but NASA Wallops Flight Facility is at a standstill. At the heart of this problem is that it impacts a lot of people’s jobs, thereby hurting their ability to pay rent and mortgages, buy necessities and carry on about their lives as a working contributor to the economy.”

Harrison Daily Times: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which funds federal nutrition programs including school lunches and food stamps, says it can fund these programs through the end of the month, but February could be another story.

“Even local breweries, who have provided a jolt to an otherwise stagnant state economy in recent years, say they are being held back by the shutdown, with the introduction of new labels on hold until the federal government gets back to work. “It’s anti-small business,” says one brewer, accurately.”

Jersey Journal: “A business owner’s foremost responsibility is to ensure his or her employees are paid – correctly and on time. Donald Trump should know that. But, either he’s so far away from the idea of cashing a paycheck before paying the rent, buying groceries or getting growing kids new shoes that he’s clueless or he simply doesn’t care about his 800,000 federal employees.”

Previously:

Austin American-Statesman: “Trump is responsible for turning it into a political crisis, and the president said nothing Tuesday night to justify the partial government shutdown that resulted from his demands over border wall funding. Congress and the president need to end this shutdown and start constructive discussions on the best ways to address the challenges at the U.S.-Mexico border.”

Chicago Sun-Times: “Take it from Illinois, this federal government shutdown is nothing but bad. And the man at the top will get most of the blame, as he should. For those of us who just lived through four years of such stupidity in Illinois, there’s a sense of deja vu in a partial government shutdown forced by a self-adoring man of business habituated to getting his way.”

New Jersey Star-Ledger: “But what started out as a symbol has become a dangerous fixation, one responsible for mothballing massive sectors of our government and keeping 800,000 federal employees at home without paychecks – despite Congress steadfastly refusing to fund his wall, despite consistent public opposition, and despite overwhelming evidence that the impact on drug trafficking would be negligible.”

Santa Fe New Mexican: “Democrats are right to rebut the ugly message that Trump spews when he discusses the southern border, as he did Tuesday night in a prime-time address from the Oval Office (complete with fundraising appeals before and after).”

Baltimore Sun: “The irony has been lost on President Trump, who has made little mention of the financial hardships those who keep the government running could be facing and has in fact tried to say such workers support the shutdown and are on his side. Does he really think workers support a shutdown he has claimed could go on for years? Who can afford that?”

CT Post: “Congress, including most Republicans, voted just weeks ago to keep the government open without funding for a border wall. The president was about to sign it into law when he changed his mind, likely prodded by conservative media personalities. This is no way to run a government.”

MassLive: “Anyone who has been paying even a bit of attention to the ongoing partial government shutdown that Trump created knows well that it’s all about the president’s demand for a wall on our nation’s border with Mexico. He wants to fulfill his prime campaign pledge, and he is refusing to budge until Congress gives him $5.7 billion for construction of part of his wall. The one he used to say that Mexico would pay for.”