Democrats should have shut it down

Yeah, but being the party of "it was all the Republican's fault for shutting down government, how irresponsible and damaging" the last time, they can't really go "but it's different when we do it".

Mostly because this time round Trump is likely to go "Go right ahead, shut down the whole useless apparatus, I'll govern with a pen and a phone like Barry did and Elon can keep firing the civil servants".

This is just rubbing it in that the Democrats lost the White House, lost the popular vote, and lost the majority in Congress.