AMNA NAWAZ: As the clock ticks down to a government shutdown and union workers continue their strike against car manufacturers, there could be major implications for the U.S. economy and the political landscape.

Here to break down the stakes are Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report With Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR.

Great to see you both.

Thanks for being here.

(CROSSTALK) AMNA NAWAZ: We know five days left until that deadline to fund the government, or there is a shutdown.

Speaker McCarthy said today he is a believer that they can get a short-term stopgap funding bill done.

But, Amy, the holdup here is, it's just Republicans inability to reach consensus, right?

So if there's a shutdown, is that clear to the American public?

Is that how they're viewing this right now, that this is a potential Republican shutdown?

AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: I don't know if they're paying as close attention to this.

There's a lot of other news going on right now.

But I think the reality is that we're going to be spending a lot of time talking about one person in particular, and that's Kevin McCarthy, and the number of Republicans in the House who are saying, we're OK with the shutdown because we didn't get what we wanted.

So I think the fact that the focus will be on him will make that somewhat clear.

The real question is what the implications are in the months and weeks to come.

Does this last for a significant amount of time, so significant that it has a real impact on real people's lives, on the economy, and how people see the Republican Party, who's trying to run, obviously, in 2024, on, make us stewards of the economy because Biden has been terrible, Democrats have not done a good job at keeping inflation low?

If the conversation in the next few weeks is, well, actually, this is the Republicans who are creating some of this unnecessary damage to the economy, well, it makes -- that muddies the water, certainly, to their argument.

AMNA NAWAZ: Tam, what about the Democrats' role in any of this, right, in averting a shutdown?

We saw a number of them from the administration, from Congress asked about it at interviews this weekend.

Is anyone saying, we have a role or we should play a role in averting a shutdown?

TAMARA KEITH, National Public Radio: They feel as though they can play a role eventually.

But, first, Republicans have to figure it out.

And I talked to Congressman Colin Allred over the weekend in an interview, and others are out there.

And the basic message is, Republicans can't pass anything right now on their own.

Democrats are not willing to bail them out by passing a partisan measure.

So, only a bipartisan measure that can make it out of the Senate is something that Democrats in the House would be willing to support.

In the end, whenever the shutdown ends, and we don't know when that will be, a large number of Democrats are going to end up voting for it.

It's quite possible that more Democrats will vote for it than Republicans, because that's the way it always is with every government funding bill.

There are something like a dozen, maybe 15 House Republicans right now who have never once voted for funding the government.

And the challenge for Kevin McCarthy is that the majority that he has is so narrow that some people who have never voted to fund the government before would have to do it for them to be able to pass a partisan bill that would just get sent over to the Senate, where the Senate is not going to support it, and then you would be back at square one.

That's why a lot of people, a lot of House Republicans, in fact, and they don't even see that upset about it, are predicting that the government is going to shut down this weekend.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, the clock is ticking.

We're going to keep watching that.

Meanwhile, the strike by United Auto Workers has widened against both General Motors and Stellantis.

They say there's progress in the Ford talks.

Tam, as you know, President Biden is going to be joining them on the picket lines in Detroit tomorrow.

Former President Trump will be in the state on Wednesday to address autoworkers.

But let's just take a look at how union households have viewed the parties in the past.

When you take a look back at 2020, union households make up some 20 percent of voters in that year.

And they broke decisively from Mr. Biden, 56 to 42 percent.

So we know unions make up a very strong part of the constituencies in a number of key swing states, Michigan among them.

So how are they viewing all of this?

And is there room for them to break one way or the other?

TAMARA KEITH: Michigan, Wisconsin, lots of very important -- Pennsylvania -- states.

The way the White House sees this, and I have talked to them about this, is, they're looking at a different poll.

They're looking at polling that says that union members and unions have never been more popular with the American public than they are right now.

And they really feel that the president being on the side of workers is something that is better for the president than being on the side of business.

And going to the picket lines is a very big way of showing that.

I interviewed Congresswoman Debbie Dingell recently of Michigan, very, very well-connected to the UAW.

She said that, in 2015 and 2016, she was shouting from the rooftops that Donald Trump was talking about trade and showing people in the union movement that he cared deeply about them.

Now, did he follow through on all the things he said he was going to do with trade?

No.

But she said that there is a real risk to Democrats if they don't come in a full-throated way and show support for union workers.

AMNA NAWAZ: Amy, the big picture here is that there's a government shutdown looming and an autoworkers strike and messages being sent to unions across the country about how this is unfolding.

And let's be clear, the economy has been improving.

Inflation has been coming down and employment is at historic lows.

But what does this mean ahead for Democrats, for President Biden, in particular, if the economy doesn't continue to improve?

AMY WALTER: And I want to also make really clear the difference -- in talking to some Democrats about this, the difference between what the challenges are for UAW unions and the realities of electric vehicles and what that means for those specific union workers.

And then when, I talked to them, they said, but the building trades are very, very happy with President Biden.

AMNA NAWAZ: Right.

AMY WALTER: Because they have so much work thanks to the infrastructure bill.

Each state is going to have different constituencies that are unionized.

And so when we see a big number like labor households, there are a lot of different types of workers and trades involved in that.

AMNA NAWAZ: Yes.

(CROSSTALK) AMNA NAWAZ: Not all unions are the same.

AMY WALTER: That's right.

That's right.

And the issues are very different.

TAMARA KEITH: And we should say that the AFL-CIO, almost all of the members of the AFL-CIO came out and endorsed President Biden earlier than ever.

UAW held back, though they have also made quite clear they have no intention of endorsing Donald Trump.

AMNA NAWAZ: No endorsement yet, though.

TAMARA KEITH: Yes.

AMY WALTER: Yes.

AMNA NAWAZ: But the bigger picture here on the economy?

AMY WALTER: But the bigger picture is for a president right now who's looking at a pessimistic public, anything that makes them feel as if there are headwinds, there are things that are continuing to drag down the economy, besides just the cost of things, is not going to be particularly helpful.

AMNA NAWAZ: In the two minutes we have left, I want to get to both of you, if I can, on this, because this is big news.

Just days after the DOJ indicted him on corruption and bribery charges, New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez said he will not resign today.

He's saying, when the facts are all out, he will be exonerated.

We have seen a number of New Jersey Democrats, including the governor, call for him to resign.

Amy, there's been some who are silent, though, for instance, his fellow Senator Cory Booker.

AMY WALTER: Most of his -- yes.

AMNA NAWAZ: What does the silence stay to you?

AMY WALTER: Yes.

It's really fascinating right now.

We have only had two Democratic senators come out, call for his resignation.

I think there's something of a reticence right now among many Democrats after what happened a few years back with Senator Al Franken.

This was at the height of the MeToo movement.

There were accusations that he had sexually harassed someone he worked with.

There were photos of this.

And almost immediately, many of his colleagues called on him to resign.

Many of those people looking back now say, maybe we jumped too soon.

We should have allowed this process to play out.

But I think this is a very challenging place to be for Democrats.

This is 2023.

We have Democrats running on a message right now in 2024 on, don't elect Donald Trump because of the corruption.

AMNA NAWAZ: Right.

AMY WALTER: To not come out and say that we have a member, when we say corruption, we mean both -- we mean everybody, no matter who you are.

I think that I'm very curious to see, now that we have seen two senators step out, if we won't see more.

And, by the way, he also has a challenge in his primary from a fellow congressperson in New Jersey.

AMNA NAWAZ: That's right.

Tam, how are you viewing on it?

We have got a minute left.

So... TAMARA KEITH: Yes, so this is not his first rodeo.

This is not the first time that he has been indicted on federal charges.

He went to trial last time.

And, ultimately, the jury was deadlocked.

There was a hung jury.

So, he has some experience with this.

He didn't resign then either.

And I think that might be some of the history.

Also, we're in a time in politics where shame and people calling on you to resign is not enough to make people resign.

Just look at George Santos, who is also indicted.

And, like, everyone on earth has called on him to resign for Congress for his many lies.

And he's staying put for now.

So there is this thing in the justice system where you are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

And you might lose your committees, but you can stick around.

AMNA NAWAZ: We will watch it as it plays out.

Tamara Keith, Amy Walter, always good to see you both.

Thank you.

AMY WALTER: Yes.