Darryl Wood interviews TCC President Jim Pfaff “Democrats for the Bureaucrats”
Published: March 14, 2025
Network: The Conservative Caucus
Analysis: Conservative Caucus President Jim Pfaff
The government shutdown battle has intensified as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vows to block the House-passed continuing resolution, setting up a potentially catastrophic funding deadline. In a revealing interview with Darryl Wood, Conservative Caucus President Jim Pfaff dissects the partisan standoff and explains why Democrats are “dead set on governing against the mandate” given to President Trump in the 2024 election.
Topics Covered
- The Government Shutdown Battle Over the Continuing Resolution
- Day 52 of “Democrats for the Bureaucrats”
- Positive Economic Indicators Under Trump Administration
- The Tariff Strategy: Resetting Global Trade
- Key Takeaways
The Government Shutdown Battle Over the Continuing Resolution
The current government shutdown battle centers on a continuing resolution (CR) passed by the House with only one Democrat vote—technically making it bipartisan, though barely. Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, have unified in opposition, demanding their own “clean” April 11th CR without the spending reforms Republicans seek.
Pfaff exposed the hypocrisy in Democratic calls for bipartisanship, noting that “whenever Democrats are saying they want bipartisan legislation, what they mean is they want Democrat legislation because they do not ever compromise off their own position.” Instead, Democrats demand Republicans compromise while labeling any conservative proposal as “radical and over the top.”
“This is day 52 of Democrats for the Bureaucrats—that’s essentially what you’re hearing right now.”
— Jim Pfaff, President, The Conservative Caucus
Schumer claimed Republicans drafted the CR “without any input from congressional Democrats,” positioning himself as the defender of bipartisan cooperation. Yet Pfaff pointed out that Schumer showed no interest in bipartisanship weeks ago when Democrats were “sitting on their hands” and refusing to negotiate.
What’s Actually in the House CR?
The continuing resolution maintains 2024 spending levels—meaning zero actual cuts. It simply prevents automatic spending increases while allowing a six-month period for President Trump to implement a rescission bill (requiring only a simple Senate majority) and a reconciliation bill for structural budget reforms. Despite Democrat rhetoric about “harmful cuts,” no programs are being eliminated.
The Conservative Caucus president believes Schumer is attempting to pressure House Speaker Mike Johnson, knowing that “Republicans typically cave.” However, Pfaff expressed optimism that this time will be different: “We don’t have a Democrat in the White House and we don’t have a wimpy Republican either—we’ve got a guy who is taking leadership. Donald Trump is taking leadership on this.”
Day 52 of “Democrats for the Bureaucrats”
Pfaff coined the phrase “Democrats for the Bureaucrats” to characterize the party’s unwavering defense of the administrative state against popular mandates for reform. He noted that approximately 70% of Americans back the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Trump’s efforts to streamline federal spending.
The pattern extends beyond budget battles. Pfaff highlighted how Democrats are “destroying everything”—from Tesla showrooms to Trump Tower, where activists recently “caused a ruckus.” He contrasted this destructive approach with conservative principles of creation and entrepreneurship.
“Democrats are always destroying, they’re never creating and building up. They do not believe that the American people need the kind of freedom to allow them to undertake entrepreneurial effort to grow in their careers.”
— Jim Pfaff, President, The Conservative Caucus
Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman has emerged as a notable exception, stating he’s not dedicated to “burning down the village to save the village” and indicating support for the continuing resolution. Pfaff suggested Fetterman recognizes political reality—Pennsylvania voters “pretty solidly” supported Trump in 2024.
While Pfaff doesn’t want to see a government shutdown because it could temporarily hamper ICE Director Tom Homan’s efforts to remove criminal illegal aliens, he’s “willing to go there” because “it’s going to be a Democrat shutdown.” The American people, he argues, want the spending reforms Republicans are proposing.
Positive Economic Indicators Under Trump Administration
Beyond the government shutdown battle, Pfaff highlighted significant positive economic news emerging just weeks into the Trump administration. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) has dropped to 2.8%—below 3% for the first time in months—with trends suggesting continued downward movement that could make mortgages more affordable.
When asked whether these trends might be holdovers from the Biden administration, Pfaff firmly rejected that narrative. He pointed to a brief period in fall 2024 when inflation was “creeping down,” only to “pop up precipitously before Donald Trump took office.” Since Trump’s inauguration, inflation has “dumped even further below that.”
Key Economic Metrics
Truflation Index: Dropping precipitously (tracks millions of real-time prices)
Producer Price Index: Declining for both services and manufacturing
Gasoline Prices: Down from $3.38/gallon to $3.07/gallon year-over-year
Oil Prices: Down from $72/barrel to $67/barrel
Rents: Declining, potentially indicating mortgage movement
Pfaff recommended Americans check Truflation.com, which monitors prices of millions of articles in real-time, rather than relying solely on government statistics. He noted that “you can’t always trust government numbers,” but Truflation provides independent verification of the positive trends.
Energy prices and transportation costs have both decreased significantly, providing relief to American families and businesses. These improvements come as the Trump administration implements its economic agenda, including regulatory rollbacks and energy independence policies.
The Tariff Strategy: Resetting Global Trade
The media’s characterization of current trade policy as a “tariff war” misses the larger strategic picture, according to Pfaff. While acknowledging short-term adjustments, particularly in the Canada situation, he emphasized that “in the long run we have an opportunity to entirely reset trade around the world.”
Pfaff explained that Canada “cannot sustain a trade war with the United States,” despite threats from Ontario’s premier to cut off electricity exports. While such actions might create “little tweaky things” affecting states like Michigan, “all of that’s going to get worked out.”
“Whatever the short-term results of the tariff situation will be, in the long run we have an opportunity to entirely reset trade around the world.”
— Jim Pfaff, President, The Conservative Caucus
The Conservative Caucus president, who identifies with the “Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, von Mises wing of economic policy” and “totally takes into Austrian economics,” criticized fellow free-market advocates who reflexively oppose all tariffs. His frustration stems from their failure to understand that current arrangements involve “us reducing our tariffs while every other country does just fine.”
“They call it free trade for us to reduce our tariffs—that is not right,” Pfaff argued. Americans face “Draconian high amounts of tariffs” when exporting to other countries, creating an asymmetric system that disadvantages U.S. producers and workers.
The goal, Pfaff explained, is to move away from multilateral bodies like the World Trade Organization and the USMCA (which Trump negotiated to replace NAFTA) toward “unilateral arrangements with individual countries” based on reciprocal trade. This approach would ensure that American exporters face the same tariff rates that foreign exporters face when selling into U.S. markets.
Key Takeaways
- Democrat Obstruction Risks Shutdown – Senate Democrats’ refusal to support the House continuing resolution represents “Democrats for the Bureaucrats” prioritizing the administrative state over voter mandates, with 70% of Americans supporting Trump’s spending reforms.
- No Actual Spending Cuts in CR – Despite Democrat claims about “harmful cuts,” the continuing resolution maintains 2024 spending levels with zero cuts, simply preventing automatic increases while allowing time for rescission and reconciliation bills.
- Economic Improvements Are Trump’s – Inflation dropped to 2.8%, energy prices declined, and multiple economic indicators improved since Trump took office, contradicting claims these are Biden-era holdovers, with independent sources like Truflation confirming the positive trends.
- Tariffs Enable Trade Reset – Current tariff policies aim to establish reciprocal trade agreements that end the asymmetric system where America reduces tariffs while facing “Draconian” tariffs abroad, with short-term adjustments worth the long-term strategic gain.
- Trump’s Leadership Makes the Difference – Unlike previous Republican administrations that “typically cave” to Democrat pressure tactics, President Trump’s willingness to take leadership on spending fights and trade negotiations fundamentally changes the political dynamics in Washington.
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About The Conservative Caucus:
The Conservative Caucus is a grassroots public policy action organization, formed in 1974. Headed by President Jim Pfaff, the Caucus is committed to advancing free enterprise, limited government, and traditional values.
Originally broadcast March 14, 2025 on The Conservative Caucus.
Peter J. Thomas is a veteran conservative political strategist and seasoned policy expert dedicated to upholding the principles of the Constitution and democracy. As a founder and the chairman of the Conservative Caucus, he has played a pivotal role in promoting and shaping the conservative agenda across the nation for over half a century.