Saturday, October 18, 2025

Special Edition: Politics, Power & the Price of a Shutdown

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The federal government is on track for the longest shutdown in U.S. history, and frustration is growing in Washington and across the country.

So why does this keep happening? What’s the real impact so far? And how might it all end?

Jonathan Burks from the Bipartisan Policy Center is here to explain what’s at stake, from which programs are already hit hard and how “essential” workers are chosen, to what it will take to finally bring Washington back to the table.

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Guest: Jonathan W. Burks

Jonathan Burks is an experienced senior public policy professional and corporate board member, who has worked over two decades in the public and private sectors. Jonathan serves on the boards of directors for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and the American Idea Foundation.

Before moving to the private sector, he served as the chief of staff to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, where he served as the Speaker’s principal adviser on policy, strategy, and management. Jonathan also advised Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on budget and appropriations issues, served as policy director of the House Budget Committee, director of legislative affairs at the Securities and Exchange Commission, senior advisor (chief of staff) to the Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, and policy advisor in the transition office of the newly created Director of National Intelligence.

Jonathan has a master’s degree from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor of science in foreign service from Georgetown University. He lives with his wife and children in Arlington, Virginia.

Be sure to tune-in again each weekday (M-F) for our regular episodes to get quick, unbiased news roundups in ~10 minutes!