Congress left for recess without resolving the shutdown, and Trump still regularly goes to Palm Beach in wartime.

Americans are being impacted in all sorts of ways. The ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security has left air travelers standing in long lines at airports, while motorists are paying higher prices at the pump. Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed, and two more died of noncombat causes, in the Iran war.

Yet, there is little evident disruption in the lives of the policymakers whose action — or inaction in some cases — has created stresses for Americans living with the consequences of Washington’s decisions.