🦀 A Dead Man Rules Congress

How it plays in Marylanda

🦀 The Dead Man Rules Congress

Maryland Wire | October 2025

Editorial by Barry O’Connell

As the government shutdown drags into its second week, Marylanders are beginning to suffer. From furloughed federal workers in Prince George’s County to SNAP recipients in Baltimore wondering if their next grocery run will be covered, the pain is real. But the real kicker? The most powerful man in Congress today is dead.

That’s right. Jeffrey Epstein—whose name haunts sealed files and stalled votes—is now the ghost in the machine. Republicans can’t reopen the government without reconvening. They can’t reconvene without swearing in the newly elected Democrat. And they can’t swear in the Democrat without triggering the release of the Epstein papers. So they stall. They stall so hard, the ghost of Epstein might as well be holding the gavel.

Meanwhile, Maryland suffers. The state’s federal workforce—one of the highest per capita in the nation—is working without pay or sitting idle. Infrastructure projects are frozen. Food assistance programs are on life support. And the political blame game is starting to backfire.

📉 Polling: The Blame Is Shifting

Recent polling shows the public isn’t buying the idea that Democrats are the shutdown’s architects:

1. Morning Consult found that 43% blame Republicans in Congress, while only 38% blame Democrats¹.

2. A CBS News/YouGov poll shows 39% blame Trump and Republicans, compared to 30% who blame Democrats, with 31% blaming both equally².

3. A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll reports 53% blame Republicans, while 47% blame Democrats, and 70% of voters oppose the shutdown altogether³.

In other words, the narrative that Democrats are holding the government hostage is beginning to ring hollow—especially when the hostage is a ghost.

🐚 Maryland’s Unique Pain

In Maryland, where federal employment is woven into the economic fabric, the shutdown isn’t just a political inconvenience—it’s a slow bleed. From Aberdeen to Annapolis, families are skipping paychecks, skipping meals, and skipping hope. And all because Congress is afraid of what might crawl out of the Epstein files.

So yes, the most powerful man in Congress is dead. And until someone finds the courage to break the spell, Maryland will keep paying the price.

Footnotes

1. Morning Consult Polling – October 2025

• https://morningconsult.com/2025/10/09/government-shutdown-polling-republicans-democrats/

2. CBS News/YouGov Poll – October 2025

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-shutdown-polling-republicans-democrats-epstein/

3. Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll – October 2025

• https://harvardharrispoll.com/october-2025-shutdown-opinion-data/