The government is headed toward a shutdown unless a deal is reached by March 14. And disagreements over DOGE may be the biggest roadblock.

For decades, conservatives in Congress have talked about the need to cut government deeply, but they have always pulled back from mandating specific reductions, fearful of voter backlash. Now, President Donald Trump’s administration is trying to make major cuts in government through the so-called Department of Government Efficiency,

The dynamic of cutting government while also cutting out those who answer to voters has alarmed even some fiscal conservatives.