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Tag: Chuck Schumer

  • Senate rejects extension of health care subsidies as costs are set to rise for millions of Americans

    The Senate on Thursday rejected legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, essentially guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year.Senators rejected a Democratic bill to extend the subsidies for three years and a Republican alternative that would have created new health savings accounts — an unceremonious end to a monthslong effort by Democrats to prevent the COVID-19-era subsidies from expiring on Jan. 1.Ahead of the votes, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York warned Republicans that if they did not vote to extend the tax credits, “there won’t be another chance to act,” before premiums rise for many people who buy insurance off the ACA marketplaces.”Let’s avert a disaster,” Schumer said. “The American people are watching.”Republicans have argued that Affordable Care Act plans are too expensive and need to be overhauled. The health savings accounts in the GOP bill would give money directly to consumers instead of to insurance companies, an idea that has been echoed by President Donald Trump. But Democrats immediately rejected the plan, saying that the accounts wouldn’t be enough to cover costs for most consumers.Some Republicans have pushed their colleagues to extend the credits, including Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who said they should vote for a short-term extension so they can find agreement on the issue next year. “It’s too complicated and too difficult to get done in the limited time that we have left,” Tillis said Wednesday.But despite the bipartisan desire to continue the credits, Republicans and Democrats have never engaged in meaningful or high-level negotiations on a solution, even after a small group of centrist Democrats struck a deal with Republicans last month to end the 43-day government shutdown in exchange for a vote on extending the ACA subsidies. Most Democratic lawmakers opposed the move as many Republicans made clear that they wanted the tax credits to expire.The deal raised hopes for bipartisan compromise on health care. But that quickly faded with a lack of any real bipartisan talks.The dueling Senate votes are the latest political messaging exercise in a Congress that has operated almost entirely on partisan terms, as Republicans pushed through a massive tax and spending cuts bill this summer using budget maneuvers that eliminated the need for Democratic votes. They also tweaked Senate rules to push past a Democratic blockade of all of Trump’s nominees. An intractable issueThe votes were also the latest failed salvo in the debate over the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s signature law that Democrats passed along party lines in 2010 to expand access to insurance coverage.Republicans have tried unsuccessfully since then to repeal or overhaul the law, arguing that health care is still too expensive. But they have struggled to find an alternative. In the meantime, Democrats have made the policy a central political issue in several elections, betting that the millions of people who buy health care on the government marketplaces want to keep their coverage.”When people’s monthly payments spike next year, they’ll know it was Republicans that made it happen,” Schumer said in November, while making clear that Democrats would not seek compromise.Even if they view it as a political win, the failed votes are a loss for Democrats who demanded an extension of the benefits as they forced a government shutdown for six weeks in October and November — and for the millions of people facing premium increases on Jan. 1.Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said the group tried to negotiate with Republicans after the shutdown ended. But, he said, the talks became unproductive when Republicans demanded language adding new limits for abortion coverage that were a “red line” for Democrats. He said Republicans were going to “own these increases.”A plethora of plans, but little agreementRepublicans have used the looming expiration of the subsidies to renew their longstanding criticisms of the ACA, also called Obamacare, and to try, once more, to agree on what should be done.Thune announced earlier this week that the GOP conference had decided to vote on the bill led by Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, the chairman of the Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions Committee, and Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, even as several Republican senators proposed alternate ideas.In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has promised a vote next week. Republicans weighed different options in a conference meeting on Wednesday, with no apparent consensus.Republican moderates in the House who could have competitive reelection bids next year are pushing Johnson to find a way to extend the subsidies. But more conservative members want to see the law overhauled.Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., has pushed for a temporary extension, which he said could be an opening to take further steps on health care.If they fail to act and health care costs go up, the approval rating for Congress “will get even lower,” Kiley said.___Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.

    WASHINGTON —

    The Senate on Thursday rejected legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, essentially guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year.

    Senators rejected a Democratic bill to extend the subsidies for three years and a Republican alternative that would have created new health savings accounts — an unceremonious end to a monthslong effort by Democrats to prevent the COVID-19-era subsidies from expiring on Jan. 1.

    Ahead of the votes, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York warned Republicans that if they did not vote to extend the tax credits, “there won’t be another chance to act,” before premiums rise for many people who buy insurance off the ACA marketplaces.

    “Let’s avert a disaster,” Schumer said. “The American people are watching.”

    Republicans have argued that Affordable Care Act plans are too expensive and need to be overhauled. The health savings accounts in the GOP bill would give money directly to consumers instead of to insurance companies, an idea that has been echoed by President Donald Trump. But Democrats immediately rejected the plan, saying that the accounts wouldn’t be enough to cover costs for most consumers.

    Some Republicans have pushed their colleagues to extend the credits, including Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who said they should vote for a short-term extension so they can find agreement on the issue next year. “It’s too complicated and too difficult to get done in the limited time that we have left,” Tillis said Wednesday.

    But despite the bipartisan desire to continue the credits, Republicans and Democrats have never engaged in meaningful or high-level negotiations on a solution, even after a small group of centrist Democrats struck a deal with Republicans last month to end the 43-day government shutdown in exchange for a vote on extending the ACA subsidies. Most Democratic lawmakers opposed the move as many Republicans made clear that they wanted the tax credits to expire.

    The deal raised hopes for bipartisan compromise on health care. But that quickly faded with a lack of any real bipartisan talks.

    The dueling Senate votes are the latest political messaging exercise in a Congress that has operated almost entirely on partisan terms, as Republicans pushed through a massive tax and spending cuts bill this summer using budget maneuvers that eliminated the need for Democratic votes. They also tweaked Senate rules to push past a Democratic blockade of all of Trump’s nominees.

    An intractable issue

    The votes were also the latest failed salvo in the debate over the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s signature law that Democrats passed along party lines in 2010 to expand access to insurance coverage.

    Republicans have tried unsuccessfully since then to repeal or overhaul the law, arguing that health care is still too expensive. But they have struggled to find an alternative. In the meantime, Democrats have made the policy a central political issue in several elections, betting that the millions of people who buy health care on the government marketplaces want to keep their coverage.

    “When people’s monthly payments spike next year, they’ll know it was Republicans that made it happen,” Schumer said in November, while making clear that Democrats would not seek compromise.

    Even if they view it as a political win, the failed votes are a loss for Democrats who demanded an extension of the benefits as they forced a government shutdown for six weeks in October and November — and for the millions of people facing premium increases on Jan. 1.

    Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said the group tried to negotiate with Republicans after the shutdown ended. But, he said, the talks became unproductive when Republicans demanded language adding new limits for abortion coverage that were a “red line” for Democrats. He said Republicans were going to “own these increases.”

    A plethora of plans, but little agreement

    Republicans have used the looming expiration of the subsidies to renew their longstanding criticisms of the ACA, also called Obamacare, and to try, once more, to agree on what should be done.

    Thune announced earlier this week that the GOP conference had decided to vote on the bill led by Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, the chairman of the Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions Committee, and Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, even as several Republican senators proposed alternate ideas.

    In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has promised a vote next week. Republicans weighed different options in a conference meeting on Wednesday, with no apparent consensus.

    Republican moderates in the House who could have competitive reelection bids next year are pushing Johnson to find a way to extend the subsidies. But more conservative members want to see the law overhauled.

    Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., has pushed for a temporary extension, which he said could be an opening to take further steps on health care.

    If they fail to act and health care costs go up, the approval rating for Congress “will get even lower,” Kiley said.

    ___

    Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.

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  • Trump condemned by Democrats after he accuses 6 lawmakers of

    Washington — Top Democrats in Congress called for President Trump to be “condemned forcefully” after he said on social media that Democratic lawmakers who urged members of the military to disobey illegal orders should be arrested and face trial for “seditious behavior.” 

    The president said in a later post, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” He also reposted “HANG THEM, GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD!” 

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, speaking from the Senate floor Thursday morning, said “the president of the United States is calling for the execution of elected officials.” Schumer called it an “outright threat” that is “deadly serious.”

    “Every time Donald Trump posts things like this, he makes political violence more likely. None of us should tolerate this kind of behavior,” said Schumer, a New York Democrat. “He is lighting a match in a country soaked with political gasoline.”

    Mr. Trump’s posts came in response to a video featuring Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, along with Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire. In the video, the lawmakers, who are veterans and former national security officials, cited threats to the Constitution while urging service members and members of the intelligence community to “refuse illegal orders.”

    The lawmakers in the video issued a statement on Thursday saying “what’s most telling is that the President considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law.” 

    “But this isn’t about any one of us,” the statement said. “This isn’t about politics. This is about who we are as Americans. Every American must unite and condemn the President’s calls for our murder and political violence. This is a time for moral clarity.” 

    Slotkin posted a video response, saying, “I would hope that people of all backgrounds — Democrat, Republican, Independent — would agree that threatening death for people you disagree with is beyond the pale of who we are as Americans.”

    “I refuse to be intimidated out of defending the country I love,” she said.

    Houlahan said in an interview, “This is the president of the United States calling for the death of a member of Congress, six members of Congress, and that is a different brand of political violence and political retribution.”

    Schumer told reporters at the Capitol that he asked for special Capitol Police protection for Senators Slotkin and Kelly. 

    He said “every American, regardless of party,” should condemn the president’s words “immediately and without qualification,” adding, “if we don’t draw a line here, there is no line left to draw.”



    “He must be condemned forcefully, loudly and without excuses, before someone takes his words as permission to do the unthinkable,” Schumer said. “Anything less enables the flames of hatred to grow and spread.”

    Democratic leaders in the House likewise condemned what they called the “disgusting and dangerous death threats against Members of Congress,” calling on Republicans to do the same. The Democrats said they have been in contact with the House Sergeant at Arms and the United States Capitol Police to “ensure the safety of these Members and their families.”

    “Donald Trump must immediately delete these unhinged social media posts and recant his violent rhetoric before he gets someone killed,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a joint statement. 

    House Speaker Mike Johnson initially declined to criticize the president’s remarks, telling reporters it’s “wildly inappropriate” for lawmakers to encourage members of the military to disobey orders.

    “We have got to raise the bar in Congress, this is out of control,” said Johnson, a Louisiana Republican.

    Johnson said the president was “defining the crime of sedition” with his comments. 

    But he was asked again later in the day about Mr. Trump’s comments and replied that “the words that the president chose are not the ones that I would use, okay?”  

    “Obviously, I don’t think that these are crimes punishable by death or any of that,” Johnson continued, and he said of Mr. Trump, “Sometimes he uses heated rhetoric.” Referring to the Democratic lawmakers in the video, he said, “Do any of you agree that that’s appropriate, that they should be telling young members of the military to defy orders?”

    White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, too, was asked whether the president wants to execute members of Congress. 

    “No,” Leavitt said. “Let’s be clear about what the president is responding to, because many in this room want to talk about the president’s response, but not what brought the president to responding in this way. You have sitting members of the United States Congress who conspired together to orchestrate a video message to members of the United States military, to active-duty servicemembers, to members of the national security apparatus, encouraging them to defy the president’s lawful orders. The sanctity of our military rests on the chain of command.”

    Jaala Brown and

    Patrick Maguire

    contributed to this report.

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  • Stephen A. Smith calls out AOC, Schumer, and Newsom for avoiding his show

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    Podcast host Stephen A. Smith claimed that high-profile Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have been ignoring invitations to appear on his show.

    During his show on Friday, Smith addressed the backlash he’s received from close friends over his critiques of Democratic politicians like Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

    He stood by his comments and claimed that he had invited several Democrats, like Crockett, AOC and Newsom, along with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, to appear on his show, only to be met with silence.

    STEPHEN A SMITH BLASTS ‘SHAMEFUL’ CRITICS OF HIS JASMINE CROCKETT COMMENTS

    Stephen A. Smith asked Democrats why they seemed more reluctant to come on his show than Republicans. (Lou Rocco/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. via Getty Images)

    “Jasmine Crockett has been on this air — invited on this show for four months,” Smith said. “AOC has been invited on this show for four months. Gavin Newsom has been invited on this show longer than that. Props to Hakeem Jeffries. He’s a friend of the show, always welcome on here. I like that man. I respect him. Chuck Schumer has been invited on this show. Hasn’t shown up. Where they at?”

    He added, “Every single Republican I have asked to show up on this show has either said yes, or that they’re coming. Not the Dems. Why?”

    STEPHEN A. SMITH CALLS OUT DEMS LIKE AOC AND JASMINE CROCKETT AS BAD LOOK FOR FACE OF THE PARTY

    Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett, Ocasio-Cortez, Newsom, Jeffries and Schumer’s offices for comment.

    AOC, Schumer, Newsom

    Stephen A. Smith claimed Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Gov. Gavin Newsom, have ignored invitations to come onto his podcast. (Shutterstock/AP)

    Of those he referenced, Jeffries was the only Democrat who appeared on his show recently after being interviewed by him in October. However, in the past month, Smith has interviewed other Democrats such as Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Pennsylvania Rep. Madeleine Dean, Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.

    LIBERAL MEDIA FIGURES TURN ON DEMOCRATS AFTER CONTROVERSIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN VOTE WITH REPUBLICANS

    Regarding Republicans, Smith recently interviewed Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and House Speaker Mike Johnson earlier this month. He also spoke to Texas Rep. Chip Roy in October.

    Smith has drawn criticism from other folks in the media after he called out Crockett last month for focusing on what he considered performative politics over helping her constituents.

    Stephen A. Smith and Rep. Jasmine Crockett

    Stephen A. Smith later apologized to Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett for his comments. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images; Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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    He later posted a video apologizing to Crockett.

    Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to lindsay.kornick@fox.com and on Twitter: @lmkornick.

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  • Leading Senate Democrat tells Fox News ‘it’s time … for new leadership,’ as Schumer faces growing pressure

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    MANCHESTER, N.H. – Amid a rising tide of calls from House Democrats and others in the party to remove Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., from his longtime post as Senate Democratic leader, a top Democratic senator says it’s time for “new leadership” in the party. 

    Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, speaking one-on-one with Fox News Digital during a stop in New Hampshire, said it’s also a moment for a younger generation of Democratic leaders to “step up the stage.”

    Booker was interviewed on Friday, four days after seven Senate Democrats and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with the party, bucked Senate Democratic leaders and voted with the majority Republicans to end the longest federal government shutdown in history.

    Plenty of progressives and center-left Democrats have pilloried the deal to end the shutdown, which didn’t include the Democrats’ top priority: an agreement to extend expiring subsidies that make health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act, known as the ACA or Obamacare, more affordable to millions of Americans.

    DEMOCRATIC SENATOR CALLS FOR ‘MORE EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP’ AS SCHUMER FACES MOUNTING PRESSURE

    Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., is seen after a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on the government shutdown on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. (Tom Williams/Getty)

    And even though he opposed the agreement, Schumer, the top Democrat in the chamber, has faced calls from an increasing number of party members to step down due to his inability to keep Senate Democrats unified.

    But to date, no Senate Democrat has joined those calls for Schumer to step down.

    After the final congressional vote to end the shutdown, Booker wrote that “the Democratic Party needs change. It needs a new generation of leaders to stand up to Trump.”

    SCHUMER FACES FURY FROM THE LEFT OVER DEAL TO END SHUTDOWN

    Asked if those comments were directed at Schumer, Booker said, “I’m pointing these comments at anybody who will listen to me.”

    “Chuck Schumer’s generation, Nancy Pelosi’s generation, John Lewis’s generation. They have so much to be proud of. It is time, though, for new leadership. The other generations, X, millennials, Z, — it’s time for us to step up. The stage is waiting for us to lead, not just the party, but the nation right now.”

    Cory Booker Fox Digital interview

    Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey is interviewed by Fox News Digital at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, in Manchester, N.H. on Nov. 14, 2025 (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

    Booker was interviewed ahead of an event at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. New Hampshire’s two senators — Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan — were among the Democrats who supported the deal with Republicans.

    Shaheen, who previously supported a bill to extend the ACA subsidies, on Monday defended breaking with her party to support the deal.

    “We’re making sure that the people of America can get the food benefits that they need, that air traffic controllers can get paid, that federal workers are able to come back, the ones who were let go, that they get paid, that contractors get paid, that aviation moves forward,” Shaheen said in a “Fox and Friends” interview.

    SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: DEMOCRATIC SENATOR STANDS FIRM AFTER DEFYING PARTY

    Asked about the Democratic senators who bucked the party, Booker, who played Division One football at Stanford University, called for party unity.

    “I played football, and that play is behind me. Now I want everybody back in the huddle, tighten your chin straps, because we’ve got to fight forward and the end zone, for me, is very simple. It is lowering people’s healthcare costs, lowering people’s grocery costs, lowering people’s energy costs, and getting an America that works for everybody, not just the wealthiest of the wealthy,” Booker said.

    And Booker, who broke a Senate record with a 25-hour speech earlier this year as he took aim at President Donald Trump‘s second-term agenda, said: “I’m a big believer, if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

    Sen. Cory Booker in New Hampshire

    Democratic Sen. Cory Booker headlines an event at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, in Manchester, N.H. on Nov. 14, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

    But he also lamented the increased animosity between Democrats and Republicans, saying that “the partisanship, as you know, bothers me, because it’s turned to tribalism.”

    As he unsuccessfully ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, Booker spent plenty of time and made lots of friends in New Hampshire, which has held the first-in-the-nation presidential primary for over a century.

    Booker, who is up for re-election next year in blue-leaning New Jersey, is seen by political pundits as a possible contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, which is expected to be a crowded and competitive race.

    “Of course, I’m thinking about it. Haven’t ruled it out. But I’m up on the ballot in New Jersey in ’26 and that is my focus,” Booker said.

    After his Fox News interview, Booker headlined the latest “Stand Up New Hampshire Town Hall.” The speaking series, organized by top New Hampshire Democratic elected officials and party leaders, is seen as an early cattle call for potential White House contenders.

    And later in the day, he gave the keynote address at a major fundraising gala for the New Hampshire Democratic Party.

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    Booker called next year’s elections, when the Democrats will try to win back majorities in the House and Senate, “vitally important.”

    “Don’t talk to me about ’28 until you show me where you stand and who you stand for in ’26. I stand for New Jersey. I stand for America and an America that works for everybody,” Booker emphasized.

    Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.”

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  • A historic shutdown is nearly over. It leaves no winners and much frustration

    The longest government shutdown in history could conclude as soon as today, Day 43, with almost no one happy with the final result.Democrats didn’t get the health insurance provisions they demanded added to the spending deal. And Republicans, who control the levers of power in Washington, didn’t escape blame, according to polls and some state and local elections that went poorly for them.The fallout of the shutdown landed on millions of Americans, including federal workers who went without paychecks and airline passengers who had their trips delayed or canceled. An interruption in nutrition assistance programs contributed to long lines at food banks and added emotional distress going into the holiday season.The agreement includes bipartisan bills worked out by the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund parts of government — food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among other things. All other funding would be extended until the end of January, giving lawmakers more than two months to finish additional spending bills.Here’s a look at how the shutdown started and is likely to end.What led to the shutdownDemocrats made several demands to win their support for a short-term funding bill, but the central one was an extension of an enhanced tax credit that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces.The tax credit was boosted during the COVID response, again through Joe Biden’s big energy and health care bill, and it’s set to expire at the end of December. Without it, premiums on average will more than double for millions of Americans. More than 2 million people would lose health insurance coverage altogether next year, the Congressional Budget Office projected.“Never have American families faced a situation where their health care costs are set to double — double in the blink of an eye,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.While Democrats called for negotiations on the matter, Republicans said a funding bill would need to be passed first.“Republicans are ready to sit down with Democrats just as soon as they stop holding the government hostage to their partisan demands,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said.Thune eventually promised Democrats a December vote on the tax credit extension to help resolve the standoff, but many Democrats demanded a guaranteed fix, not just a vote that is likely to fail.Thune’s position was much the same as the one Schumer took back in October 2013, when Republicans unsuccessfully sought to roll back parts of the Affordable Care Act in exchange for funding the government. “Open up all of the government, and then we can have a fruitful discussion,” Schumer said then.Democratic leaders under pressureThe first year of President Donald Trump’s second term has seen more than 200,000 federal workers leave their job through firings, forced relocations or the administration’s deferred resignation program, according to the Partnership for Public Service. Whole agencies that don’t align with the administration’s priorities have been dismantled. And billions of dollars previously approved by Congress have been frozen or canceled.Democrats have had to rely on the courts to block some of Trump’s efforts, but they have been unable to do it through legislation. They were also powerless to stop Trump’s big tax cut and immigration crackdown bill that Republicans helped pay for by cutting future spending on safety net programs such as Medicaid and SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.The Democrats’ struggles to blunt the Trump administration’s priorities has prompted calls for the party’s congressional leadership to take a more forceful response.Schumer experienced that firsthand after announcing in March that he would support moving ahead with a funding bill for the 2025 budget year. There was a protest at his office, calls from progressives that he be primaried in 2028 and suggestions that the Democratic Party would soon be looking for new leaders.This time around, Schumer demanded that Republicans negotiate with Democrats to get their votes on a spending bill. The Senate rules, he noted, requires bipartisan support to meet the 60-vote threshold necessary to advance a spending bill.But those negotiations did not occur, at least not with Schumer. Republicans instead worked with a small group of eight Democrats to tee up a short-term bill to fund the government generally at current levels and accused Schumer of catering to the party’s left flank when he refused to go along.“The Senate Democrats are afraid that the radicals in their party will say that they caved,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said at one of his many daily press conferences.The blame gameThe political stakes in the shutdown are huge, which is why leaders in both parties have held nearly daily press briefings to shape public opinion.Roughly 6 in 10 Americans say Trump and Republicans in Congress have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of responsibility for the shutdown, while 54% say the same about Democrats in Congress, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.At least three-quarters of Americans believe each deserves at least a “moderate” share of blame, underscoring that no one was successfully evading responsibility.Both parties looked to the Nov. 4 elections in Virginia, New Jersey and elsewhere for signs of how the shutdown was influencing public opinion. Democrats took comfort in their overwhelming successes. Trump called it a “big factor, negative” for Republicans. But it did not change the GOP’s stance on negotiating. Instead, Trump ramped up calls for Republicans to end the filibuster in the Senate, which would pretty much eliminate the need for the majority party to ever negotiate with the minority.Damage of the shutdownThe Congressional Budget Office says that the negative impact on the economy will be mostly recovered once the shutdown ends, but not entirely. It estimated the permanent economic loss at about $11 billion for a six-week shutdown.Beyond the numbers, though, the shutdown created a cascade of troubles for many Americans. Federal workers missed paychecks, causing financial and emotional stress. Travelers had their flights delayed and at times canceled. People who rely on safety net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program saw their benefits stopped, and Americans throughout the country lined up for meals at food banks.”This dysfunction is damaging enough to our constituents and economy here at home, but it also sends a dangerous message to the watching world,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. “It demonstrates to our allies that we are an unreliable partner, and it signals to our adversaries that we can’t work together to meet even the most fundamental responsibilities of Congress.”

    WASHINGTON —

    The longest government shutdown in history could conclude as soon as today, Day 43, with almost no one happy with the final result.

    Democrats didn’t get the health insurance provisions they demanded added to the spending deal. And Republicans, who control the levers of power in Washington, didn’t escape blame, according to polls and some state and local elections that went poorly for them.

    The fallout of the shutdown landed on millions of Americans, including federal workers who went without paychecks and airline passengers who had their trips delayed or canceled. An interruption in nutrition assistance programs contributed to long lines at food banks and added emotional distress going into the holiday season.

    The agreement includes bipartisan bills worked out by the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund parts of government — food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among other things. All other funding would be extended until the end of January, giving lawmakers more than two months to finish additional spending bills.

    Here’s a look at how the shutdown started and is likely to end.

    What led to the shutdown

    Democrats made several demands to win their support for a short-term funding bill, but the central one was an extension of an enhanced tax credit that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

    The tax credit was boosted during the COVID response, again through Joe Biden’s big energy and health care bill, and it’s set to expire at the end of December. Without it, premiums on average will more than double for millions of Americans. More than 2 million people would lose health insurance coverage altogether next year, the Congressional Budget Office projected.

    “Never have American families faced a situation where their health care costs are set to double — double in the blink of an eye,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

    While Democrats called for negotiations on the matter, Republicans said a funding bill would need to be passed first.

    “Republicans are ready to sit down with Democrats just as soon as they stop holding the government hostage to their partisan demands,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said.

    Thune eventually promised Democrats a December vote on the tax credit extension to help resolve the standoff, but many Democrats demanded a guaranteed fix, not just a vote that is likely to fail.

    Thune’s position was much the same as the one Schumer took back in October 2013, when Republicans unsuccessfully sought to roll back parts of the Affordable Care Act in exchange for funding the government. “Open up all of the government, and then we can have a fruitful discussion,” Schumer said then.

    Democratic leaders under pressure

    The first year of President Donald Trump’s second term has seen more than 200,000 federal workers leave their job through firings, forced relocations or the administration’s deferred resignation program, according to the Partnership for Public Service. Whole agencies that don’t align with the administration’s priorities have been dismantled. And billions of dollars previously approved by Congress have been frozen or canceled.

    Democrats have had to rely on the courts to block some of Trump’s efforts, but they have been unable to do it through legislation. They were also powerless to stop Trump’s big tax cut and immigration crackdown bill that Republicans helped pay for by cutting future spending on safety net programs such as Medicaid and SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.

    The Democrats’ struggles to blunt the Trump administration’s priorities has prompted calls for the party’s congressional leadership to take a more forceful response.

    Schumer experienced that firsthand after announcing in March that he would support moving ahead with a funding bill for the 2025 budget year. There was a protest at his office, calls from progressives that he be primaried in 2028 and suggestions that the Democratic Party would soon be looking for new leaders.

    This time around, Schumer demanded that Republicans negotiate with Democrats to get their votes on a spending bill. The Senate rules, he noted, requires bipartisan support to meet the 60-vote threshold necessary to advance a spending bill.

    But those negotiations did not occur, at least not with Schumer. Republicans instead worked with a small group of eight Democrats to tee up a short-term bill to fund the government generally at current levels and accused Schumer of catering to the party’s left flank when he refused to go along.

    “The Senate Democrats are afraid that the radicals in their party will say that they caved,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said at one of his many daily press conferences.

    The blame game

    The political stakes in the shutdown are huge, which is why leaders in both parties have held nearly daily press briefings to shape public opinion.

    Roughly 6 in 10 Americans say Trump and Republicans in Congress have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of responsibility for the shutdown, while 54% say the same about Democrats in Congress, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

    At least three-quarters of Americans believe each deserves at least a “moderate” share of blame, underscoring that no one was successfully evading responsibility.

    Both parties looked to the Nov. 4 elections in Virginia, New Jersey and elsewhere for signs of how the shutdown was influencing public opinion. Democrats took comfort in their overwhelming successes. Trump called it a “big factor, negative” for Republicans. But it did not change the GOP’s stance on negotiating. Instead, Trump ramped up calls for Republicans to end the filibuster in the Senate, which would pretty much eliminate the need for the majority party to ever negotiate with the minority.

    Damage of the shutdown

    The Congressional Budget Office says that the negative impact on the economy will be mostly recovered once the shutdown ends, but not entirely. It estimated the permanent economic loss at about $11 billion for a six-week shutdown.

    Beyond the numbers, though, the shutdown created a cascade of troubles for many Americans. Federal workers missed paychecks, causing financial and emotional stress. Travelers had their flights delayed and at times canceled. People who rely on safety net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program saw their benefits stopped, and Americans throughout the country lined up for meals at food banks.

    “This dysfunction is damaging enough to our constituents and economy here at home, but it also sends a dangerous message to the watching world,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. “It demonstrates to our allies that we are an unreliable partner, and it signals to our adversaries that we can’t work together to meet even the most fundamental responsibilities of Congress.”

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  • Bartlett Sher On Theater as a Catalyst for Change

    The Metropolitan Opera’s season opener brought Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer-winning novel to the stage with an ambitious new adaptation exploring art, politics and survival. Photo: Evan Zimmerman

    In September, the Metropolitan Opera opened its season with The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Based on the novel by Michael Chabon, with music by Mason Bates, production by Bartlett Sher and libretto by Gene Scheer. Weeks before the opening, Observer visited an early tech rehearsal to observe Bartlett Sher in his element.

    “Noise! Make noise!” Sher hollered at the stage as the cast of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay rehearsed a complex party scene with a huge cast of characters. Unusually for a long tech rehearsal, the energy on stage buzzed between run-throughs. Performers bounced from foot to foot, stretched and practiced stage fighting and falls. They waited for the show’s impressive but temperamental new “irising” system—a curtaining technology that opens and closes around a square “eye”—to figure itself out.

    Leaving his lunch uneaten at the director’s stand, Bartlett Sher was constantly in motion. He moved around the stage like a party host, wisecracking, laughing and answering questions. Chatting with Edward Nelson, who plays the opera’s Tracy Bacon, they practiced a balancing move, each showing a different way to hold his body.

    A portrait of a man with gray hair and glasses wearing a black turtleneck and jacket, looking directly at the camera against a plain background.A portrait of a man with gray hair and glasses wearing a black turtleneck and jacket, looking directly at the camera against a plain background.
    Bartlett Sher. Courtesy Bartlett Sher

    A native Californian who speaks with a slight uptalk—his voice rising at the ends of sentences like an invitation—Sher’s conversational mode comes across as a desire to connect with whoever he’s talking to. Describing himself as an “interpretive artist,” Sher told Observer that he sees his talent as being “good at marshalling, pulling together many points of view.” His approach to direction is exploratory rather than single-minded. “I’m leading the exploration, I’m guiding us, I’m helping make choices that bring out the best in everybody’s work—rather than thinking of my vision being fulfilled.”

    This penchant for weaving together diverse threads seems suited to bringing to the Met’s stage a story as soaringly epic as The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Chabon’s novel follows two Jewish cousins—a Czech artist and magician, Joe Kavalier and a Brooklyn-born writer, Sam Clay. Joe escapes Nazi-occupied Prague and arrives in Brooklyn a refugee after being torn away from his beloved younger brother (transformed into a sister, Sarah, in the opera). Together the cousins create The Escapist, a comic book about a superhero who fights fascism through Houdini-esque escape tricks. The book is loosely based on the life of Jack Kirby, the creator of Captain America. It covers a wide range of political themes that remain pertinent to our own times, including fascism, homophobia and antisemitism.

    The opera, he said, compresses Chabon’s story into the lives of its principal characters and their relationships, all set against the backdrop of World War II and the Holocaust. Incorporated into the work is the theme of art’s place during times of historical turmoil.

    A stage scene from The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay shows two men at a drafting table examining a drawing, with a large illuminated comic-style projection of a superhero figure behind them.A stage scene from The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay shows two men at a drafting table examining a drawing, with a large illuminated comic-style projection of a superhero figure behind them.
    Comic book imagery and cinematic set design merge onstage, reflecting the story’s fascination with escape, imagination and transformation. Photo: Evan Zimmerman

    “Layered in with essentially Chabon’s own obsession with how much art can help you make sense of or change life,” Sher explained. “Joe Kavalier goes to comic books as a way of handling his pain and maybe transforming his pain. Whether that works or not is a fascinating question. Whether art can actually help you with these things or not becomes a major obsession of the book.”

    The place of art in the political and the political in art has been woven throughout Sher’s career as a director. He’s often sought out politically charged material—from directing a dramatization of Barbara Ehrenreich’s 2001 book Nickeled and Dimed, about the inability to survive on minimum-wage work in America, to politically sensitive revivals of South Pacific, The King and I and My Fair Lady, to Aaron Sorkin’s 2018 adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird.

    “I think theatre is a catalyst for change,” Sher said. “I don’t think you make theatre pieces to tell people how to change. We tell stories that express people’s ability to handle ambiguity, deal with problems, see conflicts and make decisions.”

    The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay approaches politics in a gently coaxing manner. Gene Scheer’s libretto tells a simple story about a handful of relationships in wartime New York and Europe. The epic breadth of Chabon’s novel is conveyed visually. Its density and richness are mirrored in the opera’s textured and complex set design. Layered screens iris in and out, with designs from 59 Studio projected onto them. Towering above the audience are images of midcentury New York in its gloomy noir glory. We see comic book superheroes gleaming in primary colors or animated as elegantly looping works in progress. Haunting the background like a nightmare are greyscale sketches of Nazi death camps, reminiscent of Art Spiegelman’s Maus.

    As a director, Sher uses the entire stage—with all its dimensions and angles—in a cinematic approach to theatre. The vast cast of characters appears on stage with fair frequency, in large groups at parties, battles and crowd scenes. A superhero even flies on a wire. But it’s all conveyed with a subdued elegance, never demanding, always inviting. Sher’s contribution in Kavalier and Clay is conversational: the production’s emotional texture is pliable. He doesn’t tell you how to feel or think.

    Sher’s ever-shifting, multi-perspectival approach feels ideal for our own overwhelming, anxious and information-dense moment. It dances away from ideological definition. “The themes of a kind of creeping fascism and the struggles against art, against the political mind, against who we’ve become, are really critical right now but also very elusive and very hard to figure out how to express themselves.”

    On opening night at the Met, the political charge of our new normal seeped into the opera house. Peter Gelb and Senator Chuck Schumer made speeches on the importance of freedom of expression—the former to cheers, the latter to boos and heckles from frustrated constituents. Even in this historic environment, operating at a political remove now seems impossible.

    “I try to believe that great stories come when you need them most,” Sher concluded. “And it feels to me like we’re lucky that Kavalier and Clay is coming around for us at this time.”

    More in performing arts

    Bartlett Sher On Theater as a Catalyst for Change

    Annie Levin

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  • President Trump urges Republicans to reopen government as shutdown marks longest in US history

    The government shutdown has reached its 36th day, the longest in U.S. history, as President Donald Trump pressures Republicans to end the Senate filibuster in order to reopen the government.”It’s time for Republicans to do what they have to do, and that’s terminate the filibuster. It’s the only way you can do it,” Trump told senators Wednesday at the White House.The filibuster is a Senate rule that requires 60 votes to advance most legislation. Ending the filibuster would allow Republicans to pass a bill with a simple majority, but several Republicans warn that when Democrats are in power, they’d be able to do the same thing. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said after breakfast at the White House, “It’s just not happening.”The president also said the shutdown was a “big factor, negative” in Tuesday’s election results.”Countless public servants are now not being paid and the air traffic control system is under increasing strain. We must get the government back open soon and really immediately,” Trump said.The shutdown is hitting home for many Americans, with lines stretching at food banks across the country as SNAP benefits are delayed and reduced for more than 40 million Americans. After-school programs that depend on federal dollars are closing. The Transportation Secretary said, starting Friday, there will be a 10% reduction in flights at 40 airports across the country.Republicans have pushed to reopen the government with a short-term spending bill. Democrats have rejected those bills, arguing that Republicans are leaving out a key provision: restoring expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies that help millions of Americans lower their health-insurance costs. Democrats say passing a short-term bill without those subsidies would leave families facing sudden premium spikes.”The election results ought to send a much needed bolt of lightning to Donald Trump that he should meet with us to end this crisis,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York. “The American people have spoken last night. End the shutdown, end the healthcare crisis, sit down and talk with us.”Republicans have said they’re willing to negotiate ACA subsidies, but only after the shutdown is over.See more government shutdown coverage from the Washington News Bureau:

    WASHINGTON —

    The government shutdown has reached its 36th day, the longest in U.S. history, as President Donald Trump pressures Republicans to end the Senate filibuster in order to reopen the government.

    “It’s time for Republicans to do what they have to do, and that’s terminate the filibuster. It’s the only way you can do it,” Trump told senators Wednesday at the White House.

    The filibuster is a Senate rule that requires 60 votes to advance most legislation. Ending the filibuster would allow Republicans to pass a bill with a simple majority, but several Republicans warn that when Democrats are in power, they’d be able to do the same thing.

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune said after breakfast at the White House, “It’s just not happening.”

    The president also said the shutdown was a “big factor, negative” in Tuesday’s election results.

    “Countless public servants are now not being paid and the air traffic control system is under increasing strain. We must get the government back open soon and really immediately,” Trump said.

    The shutdown is hitting home for many Americans, with lines stretching at food banks across the country as SNAP benefits are delayed and reduced for more than 40 million Americans. After-school programs that depend on federal dollars are closing.

    The Transportation Secretary said, starting Friday, there will be a 10% reduction in flights at 40 airports across the country.

    Republicans have pushed to reopen the government with a short-term spending bill. Democrats have rejected those bills, arguing that Republicans are leaving out a key provision: restoring expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies that help millions of Americans lower their health-insurance costs. Democrats say passing a short-term bill without those subsidies would leave families facing sudden premium spikes.

    “The election results ought to send a much needed bolt of lightning to Donald Trump that he should meet with us to end this crisis,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York. “The American people have spoken last night. End the shutdown, end the healthcare crisis, sit down and talk with us.”

    Republicans have said they’re willing to negotiate ACA subsidies, but only after the shutdown is over.

    See more government shutdown coverage from the Washington News Bureau:

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  • Senate talks show signs of progress as government shutdown grinds into 2nd month

    Shutdown fallout escalates as crisis hits Day 31

    Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram joins ‘America’s Newsroom’ to break down the worsening impact of the shutdown as halted SNAP benefits risk hunger for 42 million Americans and more federal workers miss paychecks.

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    There has been a noticeable shift in the Senate over the last week, with lawmakers on either side of the aisle talking more about how to get out of the government shutdown.

    But it’s not blanket optimism and neither side is ready to announce that an off-ramp to the 31-day shutdown has been finalized. And ultimately, how well the bipartisan talks are going depends on who you ask.

    Republican and Democrat rank-and-file members, particularly members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, have started talking more as the week has progressed. There are talks of extending the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) to allow time to finish appropriations bills, and Senate Democrats are socializing a package of funding bills among their members.

    JOHNSON WARNS AGAINST TRUMP’S DEMAND FOR SENATE TO GO ‘NUCLEAR’ TO END SHUTDOWN

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune accused Democrats of downplaying the effects of the ongoing government shutdown, saying millions of Americans risk losing food stamp benefits and federal workers remain unpaid as negotiations stall. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images; )

    However, the reality is that Senate Democrats again blocked the GOP’s CR for a 13th time, and lawmakers only got one chance to vote on the bill before leaving Washington, D.C., on Thursday.

    And Senate Democrats are still largely entrenched in their position that expiring Obamacare subsidies must be dealt with before the government reopens, even with the offer of a vote on the matter after the CR is passed.

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was encouraged by Senate Democrats socializing spending bills on their side of the aisle, but he still contended that given the amount of time it takes to process funding bills on the floor, the best option was to reopen the government.

    “Unfortunately, doing all that takes a while,” Thune said. “Even if you got consent, it still, it’d take a while to move those bills across the floor. So we’ve got to reopen the government.”

    Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said that his Democratic counterparts were beginning to realize that time was running out to actually fund the government through the appropriations process, which is a generally bipartisan affair in the upper chamber given the 60-vote filibuster threshold.

    When asked if he felt closer to an end to the shutdown now than a month ago, he said, “Yes.”

    “I was hoping we’d break the logjam this week, and if we don’t get it done this week,” Hoeven said, “I’m sure hoping it gets done next week.”

    THUNE, GOP REJECT PUSHING ‘RIFLE-SHOT’ GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILLS DURING SHUTDOWN

    Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., speaks to reporters.

    Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., speaks to a reporter after a vote in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, July 23, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

    However, the conversations have not yet evolved into high-level talks with Republican and Democratic leadership, nor have they made their way into the Oval Office.

    Thune noted earlier in the week that President Donald Trump offered to speak with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., next week — only after the government reopens.

    “They always say, ‘Do it later, do it later,’” Schumer said. “Later, to quote Martin Luther King Jr., and his letter from the Birmingham Jail, means never.”

    And Trump, for many Senate Democrats, will be a key player in how the shutdown ends. They argue that his input is inevitably the end-all-be-all for an agreement Republicans might concoct on the Hill.

    SCHUMER, DEMS CALL ‘BULL—-‘ ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER FOOD STAMP SHUTDOWN THREAT

    President Trump walking across White House lawn

    Trump, for many Senate Democrats, will be a key player in how the shutdown ends. (Getty Images)

    “Ultimately, you need him,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said. “I mean, this is — they’re not going to move until Trump tells them to move. So until you hear something real from Donald Trump, it doesn’t feel like anything is real.”

    And Republicans view that the only true way that the shutdown ends is if Schumer unlocks the votes needed to break the filibuster threshold in the Senate, or if a handful of Senate Democrats defect.

    “Well, I don’t know what else to do,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said. “I voted 13 times to open the government up. Most of my colleagues have, I think probably the shutdown is not going to end until my friend, Senator Schumer, takes his ego out back and shoots it.”

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    Still, lawmakers believe that talks are good and need to continue in order for the off-ramp out of the shutdown to be finished.

    That, plus the added pressure of food benefits running dry for millions, federal workers going without pay and flights getting delayed or canceled, could see both sides move closer toward the middle.

    “There’s talks about talks,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said. “But we need talks to yield results, right?”

    When asked if there had been any progress, Murkowski said, “I’ll go check,” before the senators-only elevator door slid shut. Lawmakers left town for the weekend shortly after.

    Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

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  • Vance says troops will be paid as pressure builds on Congress to end the shutdown

    Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday he believes U.S. military members will be paid at the end of the week, though he did not specify how the Trump administration will reconfigure funding as pain from the second-longest shutdown spreads nationwide.The funding fight in Washington gained new urgency this week as millions of Americans face the prospect of losing food assistance, more federal workers miss their first full paycheck and recurring delays at airports snarl travel plans.“We do think that we can continue paying the troops, at least for now,” Vance told reporters after lunch with Senate Republicans at the Capitol. “We’ve got food stamp benefits that are set to run out in a week. We’re trying to keep as much open as possible. We just need the Democrats to actually help us out.”The vice president reaffirmed Republicans’ strategy of trying to pick off a handful of Senate Democrats to vote for stopgap funding to reopen the government. But nearly a month into the shutdown, it hasn’t worked. Just before Vance’s visit, a Senate vote on legislation to reopen the government failed for the 13th time.Federal employee union calls for end to shutdownThe strain is building on Democratic lawmakers to end the impasse. That was magnified by the nation’s largest federal employee union, which on Monday called on Congress to immediately pass a funding bill and ensure workers receive full pay. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the two political parties have made their point.”It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship,” said Kelley, whose union carries considerable political weight with Democratic lawmakers.Still, Democratic senators, including those representing states with many federal workers, did not appear ready to back down. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said he was insisting on commitments from the White House to prevent the administration from mass firing more workers. Democrats also want Congress to extend subsidies for health plans under the Affordable Care Act.“We’ve got to get a deal with Donald Trump,” Kaine said.But shutdowns grow more painful the longer they go. Soon, with closures lasting a fourth full week as of Tuesday, millions of Americans are likely to experience the difficulties firsthand.“This week, more than any other week, the consequences become impossible to ignore,” said Rep. Lisa McClain, chair of the House Republican Conference.How will Trump administration reconfigure funds?The nation’s 1.3 million active duty service members were at risk of missing a paycheck on Friday. Earlier this month, the Trump administration ensured they were paid by shifting $8 billion from military research and development funds to make payroll. Vance did not say Tuesday how the Department of Defense will cover troop pay this time.Larger still, the Trump administration says funding will run out Friday for the food assistance program that is relied upon by 42 million Americans to supplement their grocery bills. The administration has rejected the use of more than $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits flowing into November. And it says states won’t be reimbursed if they temporarily cover the cost of benefits next month.A coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Massachusetts that aims to keep SNAP benefits flowing by compelling the Agriculture Department to use the SNAP contingency funds.Vance said that reconfiguring funds for various programs such as SNAP was like “trying to fit a square peg into a round hole with the budget.”The Agriculture Department says the contingency fund is intended to help respond to emergencies such as natural disasters. Democrats say the decision concerning the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, goes against the department’s previous guidance concerning its operations during a shutdown.Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the administration made an intentional choice not to the fund SNAP in November, calling it an “act of cruelty.”Another program endangered by the shutdown is Head Start, with more than 130 preschool programs not getting federal grants on Saturday if the shutdown continues, according to the National Head Start Association. All told, more than 65,000 seats at Head Start programs across the country could be affected.Judge blocks firingsA federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday indefinitely barred the Trump administration from firing federal employees during the government shutdown, saying that labor unions were likely to prevail on their claims that the cuts were arbitrary and politically motivated.U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted a preliminary injunction that bars the firings while a lawsuit challenging them plays out. She had previously issued a temporary restraining order against the job cuts that was set to expire Wednesday.Federal agencies are enjoined from issuing layoff notices or acting on notices issued since the government shut down Oct. 1. Illston said that her order does not apply to notices sent before the shutdown.Will lawmakers find a solution?At the Capitol, congressional leaders mostly highlighted the challenges many Americans are facing as a result of the shutdown. But there was no movement toward negotiations as they attempted to lay blame on the other side of the political aisle.“Now government workers and every other American affected by this shutdown have become nothing more than pawns in the Democrats’ political games,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.The House passed a short-term continuing resolution on Sept. 19 to keep federal agencies funded. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has kept the House out of legislative session ever since, saying the solution is for Democrats to simply accept that bill.But the Senate has consistently fallen short of the 60 votes needed to advance that spending measure. Democrats insist that any bill to fund the government also address health care costs, namely the soaring health insurance premiums that millions of Americans will face next year under plans offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.Window-shopping for health plans delayedWhen asked about his strategy for ending the shutdown, Schumer said that millions of Americans will begin seeing on Saturday how much their health insurance is going up next year.“People in more than 30 states are going to be aghast, aghast when they see their bills,” Schumer said. “And they are going to cry out, and I believe there will be increased pressure on Republicans to negotiate.”The window for enrolling in ACA health plans begins Saturday. In past years, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has allowed Americans to preview their health coverage options about a week before open enrollment. But, as of Tuesday, Healthcare.gov appeared to show 2025 health insurance plans and estimated prices, instead of next year’s options.Republicans insist they will not entertain negotiations on health care until the government reopens.“I’m particularly worried about premiums going up for working families,” said Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa. “So we’re going to have that conversation, but we’re not going to have it until the government opens.”___Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Joey Cappelletti in Washington and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.

    WASHINGTON —

    Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday he believes U.S. military members will be paid at the end of the week, though he did not specify how the Trump administration will reconfigure funding as pain from the second-longest shutdown spreads nationwide.

    The funding fight in Washington gained new urgency this week as millions of Americans face the prospect of losing food assistance, more federal workers miss their first full paycheck and recurring delays at airports snarl travel plans.

    “We do think that we can continue paying the troops, at least for now,” Vance told reporters after lunch with Senate Republicans at the Capitol. “We’ve got food stamp benefits that are set to run out in a week. We’re trying to keep as much open as possible. We just need the Democrats to actually help us out.”

    The vice president reaffirmed Republicans’ strategy of trying to pick off a handful of Senate Democrats to vote for stopgap funding to reopen the government. But nearly a month into the shutdown, it hasn’t worked. Just before Vance’s visit, a Senate vote on legislation to reopen the government failed for the 13th time.

    Federal employee union calls for end to shutdown

    The strain is building on Democratic lawmakers to end the impasse. That was magnified by the nation’s largest federal employee union, which on Monday called on Congress to immediately pass a funding bill and ensure workers receive full pay. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the two political parties have made their point.

    “It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship,” said Kelley, whose union carries considerable political weight with Democratic lawmakers.

    Still, Democratic senators, including those representing states with many federal workers, did not appear ready to back down. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said he was insisting on commitments from the White House to prevent the administration from mass firing more workers. Democrats also want Congress to extend subsidies for health plans under the Affordable Care Act.

    “We’ve got to get a deal with Donald Trump,” Kaine said.

    But shutdowns grow more painful the longer they go. Soon, with closures lasting a fourth full week as of Tuesday, millions of Americans are likely to experience the difficulties firsthand.

    “This week, more than any other week, the consequences become impossible to ignore,” said Rep. Lisa McClain, chair of the House Republican Conference.

    How will Trump administration reconfigure funds?

    The nation’s 1.3 million active duty service members were at risk of missing a paycheck on Friday. Earlier this month, the Trump administration ensured they were paid by shifting $8 billion from military research and development funds to make payroll. Vance did not say Tuesday how the Department of Defense will cover troop pay this time.

    Larger still, the Trump administration says funding will run out Friday for the food assistance program that is relied upon by 42 million Americans to supplement their grocery bills. The administration has rejected the use of more than $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits flowing into November. And it says states won’t be reimbursed if they temporarily cover the cost of benefits next month.

    A coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Massachusetts that aims to keep SNAP benefits flowing by compelling the Agriculture Department to use the SNAP contingency funds.

    Vance said that reconfiguring funds for various programs such as SNAP was like “trying to fit a square peg into a round hole with the budget.”

    The Agriculture Department says the contingency fund is intended to help respond to emergencies such as natural disasters. Democrats say the decision concerning the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, goes against the department’s previous guidance concerning its operations during a shutdown.

    Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the administration made an intentional choice not to the fund SNAP in November, calling it an “act of cruelty.”

    Another program endangered by the shutdown is Head Start, with more than 130 preschool programs not getting federal grants on Saturday if the shutdown continues, according to the National Head Start Association. All told, more than 65,000 seats at Head Start programs across the country could be affected.

    Judge blocks firings

    A federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday indefinitely barred the Trump administration from firing federal employees during the government shutdown, saying that labor unions were likely to prevail on their claims that the cuts were arbitrary and politically motivated.

    U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted a preliminary injunction that bars the firings while a lawsuit challenging them plays out. She had previously issued a temporary restraining order against the job cuts that was set to expire Wednesday.

    Federal agencies are enjoined from issuing layoff notices or acting on notices issued since the government shut down Oct. 1. Illston said that her order does not apply to notices sent before the shutdown.

    Will lawmakers find a solution?

    At the Capitol, congressional leaders mostly highlighted the challenges many Americans are facing as a result of the shutdown. But there was no movement toward negotiations as they attempted to lay blame on the other side of the political aisle.

    “Now government workers and every other American affected by this shutdown have become nothing more than pawns in the Democrats’ political games,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

    The House passed a short-term continuing resolution on Sept. 19 to keep federal agencies funded. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has kept the House out of legislative session ever since, saying the solution is for Democrats to simply accept that bill.

    But the Senate has consistently fallen short of the 60 votes needed to advance that spending measure. Democrats insist that any bill to fund the government also address health care costs, namely the soaring health insurance premiums that millions of Americans will face next year under plans offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

    Window-shopping for health plans delayed

    When asked about his strategy for ending the shutdown, Schumer said that millions of Americans will begin seeing on Saturday how much their health insurance is going up next year.

    “People in more than 30 states are going to be aghast, aghast when they see their bills,” Schumer said. “And they are going to cry out, and I believe there will be increased pressure on Republicans to negotiate.”

    The window for enrolling in ACA health plans begins Saturday. In past years, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has allowed Americans to preview their health coverage options about a week before open enrollment. But, as of Tuesday, Healthcare.gov appeared to show 2025 health insurance plans and estimated prices, instead of next year’s options.

    Republicans insist they will not entertain negotiations on health care until the government reopens.

    “I’m particularly worried about premiums going up for working families,” said Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa. “So we’re going to have that conversation, but we’re not going to have it until the government opens.”

    ___

    Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Joey Cappelletti in Washington and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.

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  • Johnson shuts down House to pressure Schumer as government standstill nears one month

    Sen. Lankford proposes bill to avoid government shutdowns

    Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., join ‘The Faulkner Focus’ to discuss the failed vote to pay federal workers amid the government shutdown as they enter their first week without pay.

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has canceled votes in the House of Representatives for a fourth straight week as the government shutdown shows no signs of ending.

    Johnson’s move is a part of his continued pressure strategy on Senate Democrats and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who have sunk the GOP’s federal funding plan 12 times since Sept. 19, when the House passed the measure.

    Sept. 19 was also the last day the House was in session, meaning lawmakers have been largely in their home districts for over a month.

    Republicans are pushing a short-term extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 spending levels through Nov. 21, aimed at giving congressional negotiators time to strike a longer-term deal for FY2026.

    SCREAMING MATCH ERUPTS BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES, MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CHAOS CONTINUES

    House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, is canceling House votes to pressure Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, left, for refusing to agree to a GOP-led plan to avert a government shutdown. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

    Democrats, furious at being sidelined in federal funding discussions, have been withholding their support for any spending bill that does not also extend COVID-19 pandemic-era enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are due to expire at the end of this year.

    Johnson’s decision was made public on Friday afternoon during a brief pro forma session in the House. Under rules dictated by the Constitution, the chamber must meet for brief periods every few days called “pro forma” sessions to ensure continuity, even if there are no formal legislative matters at hand.

    Pro forma sessions can also be opportunities for lawmakers to give brief speeches or introduce legislation that they otherwise would not have. 

    Democrats have criticized Johnson’s decision, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., telling reporters that House Republicans have been “on vacation for the last four weeks.”

    Capitol building with falling money

    The government is in a shutdown after Congress failed to reach an agreement on federal funding. (Getty Images)

    Republicans, however, have largely stayed united behind Johnson as the shutdown continues.

    But there have been several notable defections. Both Reps. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., have made their criticism of Johnson’s strategy known publicly for weeks.

    “I believe very strongly that it’s the wrong decision,” Kiley told MSNBC earlier this week, adding House lawmakers were not “doing all the things we’re supposed to be doing” aside from figuring out how to end the shutdown.

    BATTLEGROUND REPUBLICANS HOLD THE LINE AS JOHNSON PRESSURES DEMS ON SHUTDOWN

    Kevin Kiley on stage during a debate

    Rep. Kevin Kiley, seen in August 2023, has been critical of Johnson’s shutdown strategy. (Scott Strazzante-Pool/Getty Images)

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    Multiple House lawmakers have also raised concerns about being out of session on private weekly calls that Johnson holds with members of the GOP conference.

    Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, was the most recent House Republican to suggest the GOP could be in a stronger position if they were back in Washington, Fox News Digital was told.

    “I think the longer that we are out, the messaging is starting to get old,” Van Duyne told fellow House Republicans on their Tuesday call.

    Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

    Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

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  • Schumer requests meeting with Trump ‘any time, any place’ as Democrat stalemate drags on

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    The top congressional Democrats want a meeting with President Donald Trump as the government shutdown stretches on.

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said that both he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., reached out to Trump on Tuesday to set up a confab with the president.

    The top Senate Democrat said the duo “urged” Trump to meet with them, and that they were open to setting up “an appointment with him any time, any place.”

    SENATE DEMS EMBOLDENED BY WEEKEND RALLIES BLOCK GOP PLAN TO END SHUTDOWN FOR 11TH TIME

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., right, update reporters following their face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump and Republican leaders on the government funding crisis at the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 29, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

    “Hakeem and I reached out to the president today and urged him to sit down and negotiate with us to resolve the healthcare crisis, address it and end the Trump shutdown,” Schumer said. “He should sit — the things get worse every day for the American people. He should sit down with us, negotiate in a serious way before he goes away.”

    Congressional Democrats, particularly Schumer and his Democratic caucus, have remained steadfast in their demands for an extension to expiring Obamacare subsidies. Though Senate Republicans have been open to holding a vote on the matter after the government reopens, Democrats want an ironclad guarantee that the subsidies will be extended well before their expiration at the end of this year.

    Should Trump relent to their request, it would mark the first meeting among the trio since Schumer, Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., met in the Oval Office a day before the shutdown began.

    ‘GOOFBALLS’ AND HOSTAGES: GOP SENATORS SAY SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN TACTICS DESTROYING THE SENATE

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., outside the Senate chamber.

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

    Lawmakers left that meeting with no agreement to avert the shutdown, which has now dragged on for 21 days.

    Senate Democrats have also blocked Thune and Republicans’ attempts to reopen the government 11 times. Another vote on the House-passed continuing resolution, which would reopen the government until Nov. 21, is expected on Wednesday.

    And like the many attempts before, that latest effort is expected to fail.

    Meanwhile, Senate Republicans met with Trump for lunch at the White House Tuesday afternoon.

    THUNE SLAMS SCHUMER’S ‘KINGMAKER’ POLITICS, REFUSES TO ‘KISS THE RING’ IN SHUTDOWN TALKS

    President Donald Trump listens to speech from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

    President Donald Trump listens as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks during a lunch with Republican senators on the Rose Garden patio at the White House in Washington, Oct. 21, 2025. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

    Speaking to reporters afterward, Thune reiterated that Senate Republicans were united in their war of attrition strategy to continue putting the same bill on the floor again and again. He noted that Trump would likely agree to meet with Schumer and Jeffries, but only after Senate Democrats unlocked the votes needed to reopen the government.

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    “We have negotiated. I don’t know what there is to negotiate. This is about opening up the government,” Thune said. “We have offered them several off-ramps. Now, the Democrats want something that’s totally untenable. I mean, they want $1.5 trillion in new spending. They want free healthcare for people who are noncitizens in this country. That is just a flat nonstarter. It doesn’t pass the Senate. It won’t pass the House. It won’t be signed into law by the president.”

    Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries’ and the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back. 

    Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

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  • Senate Republicans head to White House as government shutdown enters fourth week

    As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, Senate Republicans are headed to the White House on Tuesday — not for urgent talks on how to end it, but for a display of unity with President Donald Trump as they refuse to negotiate on any Democratic demands.Senate Democrats, too, are confident in their strategy to keep voting against a House-passed bill that would reopen the government until Republicans, including Trump, engage them on extending health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year.With both sides showing no signs of movement, it’s unclear how long the stalemate will last — even as hundreds of thousands of federal workers will miss another paycheck in the coming days and states are sounding warnings that key federal programs will soon lapse completely. And the meeting at the White House appears unlikely, for now, to lead to a bipartisan resolution as Senate Republicans are dug in and Trump has followed their lead.“I think the president’s ready to get involved on having the discussion” about extending the subsidies, said Senate Republican leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Monday. “But I don’t think they are prepared to do that until (Democrats) open up the government.”Missed paychecks and programs running out of moneyWhile Capitol Hill remains at a standstill, the effects of the shutdown are worsening. Federal workers are set to miss additional paychecks amid total uncertainty about when they might eventually get paid. Government services like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, and Head Start preschool programs that serve needy families are facing potential cutoffs in funding. On Monday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the National Nuclear Security Administration is furloughing 1,400 federal workers. The Federal Aviation Administration has reported air controller shortages and flight delays in cities across the United States.Still, there has been little urgency in Washington as each side believes the other will eventually cave.“Our position remains the same, we want to end the shutdown as soon as we can and fix the ACA premium crisis that looms over 20 million hardworking Americans,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Monday, referring to the expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire in December.Schumer called the White House meeting a “pep rally” and said it was “shameful” that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has kept the House out of town during the shutdown.November deadlinesMembers of both parties acknowledge that as the shutdown drags on, it is becoming less likely every day that Congress will be able to either extend the subsidies or fund the government through the regular appropriations process. The House GOP bill that Senate Democrats have now rejected 11 times would only keep the government open through Nov. 21.Thune on Monday hinted that Republicans may propose a longer extension of current funding instead of passing individual spending bills if the shutdown doesn’t end soon. Congress would need to pass an extension beyond Nov. 21, he said, “if not something on a much longer-term basis.”Democrats are focused on Nov. 1, when next year’s enrollment period for the ACA coverage begins and millions of people will sign up for their coverage without the expanded subsidy help that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once those sign-ups begin, they say, it would be much harder to restore the subsidies even if they did have a bipartisan compromise.“Very soon Americans are going to have to make some really difficult choices about which health care plan they choose for next year,” Schumer said.What about Trump?Tuesday’s White House meeting will be a chance for Republican senators to engage with the president on the shutdown after he has been more involved in foreign policy and other issues.The president last week dismissed Democratic demands as “crazy,” adding, “We’re just not going to do it.”North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said that Republican senators will talk strategy with the president at Tuesday’s lunch. “Obviously, we’ll talk to him about it, and he’ll give us his ideas, and we’ll talk about ours,” Hoeven said. “Anything we can do to try to get Democrats to join us” and pass the Republican bill to reopen the government, Hoeven said.Still, GOP lawmakers expect Trump to stay in line with their current posture to reject negotiations until the government is open.“Until they put something reasonable on the table to talk about, I don’t think there’s anything to talk about,” said Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy.Democrats say they believe Trump has to be more involved for the government to reopen.“He needs to get off the sidelines, get off the golf course,” said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. “We know that House and Senate Republicans don’t do anything without getting permission from their boss, Donald J. Trump.”___Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves and Matt Brown contributed to this report.

    WASHINGTON —

    As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, Senate Republicans are headed to the White House on Tuesday — not for urgent talks on how to end it, but for a display of unity with President Donald Trump as they refuse to negotiate on any Democratic demands.

    Senate Democrats, too, are confident in their strategy to keep voting against a House-passed bill that would reopen the government until Republicans, including Trump, engage them on extending health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year.

    With both sides showing no signs of movement, it’s unclear how long the stalemate will last — even as hundreds of thousands of federal workers will miss another paycheck in the coming days and states are sounding warnings that key federal programs will soon lapse completely. And the meeting at the White House appears unlikely, for now, to lead to a bipartisan resolution as Senate Republicans are dug in and Trump has followed their lead.

    “I think the president’s ready to get involved on having the discussion” about extending the subsidies, said Senate Republican leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Monday. “But I don’t think they are prepared to do that until (Democrats) open up the government.”

    Missed paychecks and programs running out of money

    While Capitol Hill remains at a standstill, the effects of the shutdown are worsening. Federal workers are set to miss additional paychecks amid total uncertainty about when they might eventually get paid. Government services like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, and Head Start preschool programs that serve needy families are facing potential cutoffs in funding. On Monday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the National Nuclear Security Administration is furloughing 1,400 federal workers. The Federal Aviation Administration has reported air controller shortages and flight delays in cities across the United States.

    Still, there has been little urgency in Washington as each side believes the other will eventually cave.

    “Our position remains the same, we want to end the shutdown as soon as we can and fix the ACA premium crisis that looms over 20 million hardworking Americans,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Monday, referring to the expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire in December.

    Schumer called the White House meeting a “pep rally” and said it was “shameful” that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has kept the House out of town during the shutdown.

    November deadlines

    Members of both parties acknowledge that as the shutdown drags on, it is becoming less likely every day that Congress will be able to either extend the subsidies or fund the government through the regular appropriations process. The House GOP bill that Senate Democrats have now rejected 11 times would only keep the government open through Nov. 21.

    Thune on Monday hinted that Republicans may propose a longer extension of current funding instead of passing individual spending bills if the shutdown doesn’t end soon. Congress would need to pass an extension beyond Nov. 21, he said, “if not something on a much longer-term basis.”

    Democrats are focused on Nov. 1, when next year’s enrollment period for the ACA coverage begins and millions of people will sign up for their coverage without the expanded subsidy help that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once those sign-ups begin, they say, it would be much harder to restore the subsidies even if they did have a bipartisan compromise.

    “Very soon Americans are going to have to make some really difficult choices about which health care plan they choose for next year,” Schumer said.

    What about Trump?

    Tuesday’s White House meeting will be a chance for Republican senators to engage with the president on the shutdown after he has been more involved in foreign policy and other issues.

    The president last week dismissed Democratic demands as “crazy,” adding, “We’re just not going to do it.”

    North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said that Republican senators will talk strategy with the president at Tuesday’s lunch. “Obviously, we’ll talk to him about it, and he’ll give us his ideas, and we’ll talk about ours,” Hoeven said. “Anything we can do to try to get Democrats to join us” and pass the Republican bill to reopen the government, Hoeven said.

    Still, GOP lawmakers expect Trump to stay in line with their current posture to reject negotiations until the government is open.

    “Until they put something reasonable on the table to talk about, I don’t think there’s anything to talk about,” said Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy.

    Democrats say they believe Trump has to be more involved for the government to reopen.

    “He needs to get off the sidelines, get off the golf course,” said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. “We know that House and Senate Republicans don’t do anything without getting permission from their boss, Donald J. Trump.”

    ___

    Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves and Matt Brown contributed to this report.

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  • A GOP Account Posted a Chuck Schumer Deepfake With a Real Schumer Quote

    Is an AI-generated video of a politician technically a deepfake if the words they’re saying are their own?

    By any reasonable definition, yes, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee published just such a deepfake of Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on its X account on Friday:

    The ad, which is labeled as AI-generated, depicts Schumer saying six words he did actually say: “Every day gets better for us,” but the quote originally comes from a text interview with Schumer published in Punchbowl News. After saying these words in the video, Schumer’s digital mouth peels into a nightmare grin like Jim Carrey in The Grinch.

    “These are Chuck Schumer’s own words,” NRSC communications director Joanna Rodriguez told The Associated Press, adding that “video is a way for voters to see and hear it themselves.” Reading the quote aloud in a scary voice and putting it onscreen in red text is a more traditional way of doing this in political ads.

    The video is vaguely cinematic, with heavy bokeh. Savvy internet content consumers probably would not mistake this for an off-the-cuff-remark taken from a TV news clip, or a smartphone video taken by a congressional reporter. It looks more like a stock photo of Schumer hastily animated with a quick-and-dirty online tool like Google’s Veo 3.

    That’s not to say there’s nothing to worry about. According to a famous genre of viral video, Facebook users in their 60s and older fall for much less plausible AI trickery all the time.

    The X rules state “You may not deceptively share synthetic or manipulated media that are likely to cause harm.” The “likely to cause harm” phrasing leaves room for interpretation, particularly since the video has only received 364 reposts and 414 likes on X at the time this was published.

    In the original interview, Schumer is essentially saying his party’s messaging around the government shutdown—an attempt to focus the public’s attention on healthcare—is going well. He even reiterates this in slightly longer form: “But every day we’re getting better and better as the message sinks in more and more deeply.”

    We reached out to Senator Schumer for comment, and will update if we hear back.

    Mike Pearl

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  • Senate Republicans deepfaked Chuck Schumer, and X hasn’t taken it down  | TechCrunch

    Senate Republicans shared a deepfake video of Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, designed to make it seem like Democrats are celebrating the ongoing government shutdown, which has lasted 16 days.  

    In the deepfake, an AI-generated Schumer repeats the phrase “every day gets better for us,” an actual quote taken out of context from a Punchbowl News article. In the original story, Schumer discussed the Democrats’ healthcare-focused shutdown strategy, and said they were not going to back away from Republicans’ playbook of threats and “bambooz[ling].” 

    The shutdown is happening because Democrats and Republicans cannot agree to pass a bill funding government through October and beyond. Democrats are trying to hold on to tax credits that would make health insurance cheaper for millions of Americans, secure a reversal to Trump’s Medicaid cuts, and block cuts to government health agencies.

    The video was posted Friday on the Senate Republicans’ X account. According to X’s policies, the platform prohibits “deceptively shar[ing] synthetic or manipulated media that are likely to cause harm.” Harmful content includes media that could “mislead people” or “cause significant confusion on public issues.” 

    Enforcement actions include removing content, labeling warnings, or reducing visibility. X has not, as of the time of this writing, removed the deepfake or added a warning label — though the video does include a watermark denoting its AI origins. 

    The Schumer video is not the first time X has allowed deepfakes of politicians to remain on the platform. In late 2024, X owner Elon Musk shared a manipulated video of former vice president Kamala Harris in the lead-up to the election, sparking debate about misleading voters.  

    TechCrunch has reached out to X for comment.

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    Up to 28 states have enacted laws prohibiting deepfakes of political figures, specifically around campaigns and elections, though most don’t outright ban them if they have clear disclosures. California, Minnesota, and Texas have banned deepfakes intended to influence elections, deceive voters, or harm candidates.

    The latest post comes weeks after President Donald Trump posted deepfakes on Truth Social depicting Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, making false statements about immigration and voter fraud. 

    Responding to criticism of the lack of honesty and ethics, Joanna Rodriguez, the National Republican Senatorial Committee communications director, said: “AI is here and not going anywhere. Adapt & win or pearl clutch & lose.” 

    Rebecca Bellan

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  • Soros foundation helping fund anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ protests nationwide

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    FIRST ON FOX: George Soros’ foundation is funding the “No Kings” protests that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and tens of thousands of protesters will be participating in on Saturday.

    Soros, a billionaire investor and notorious Democratic Party donor, is founder of the Open Society Foundation. 

    In 2023, the foundation, through the Open Society Action Fund, issued a two-year grant of $3 million to the Indivisible organization. The grant was “to support the grantee’s social welfare activities,” according to the Open Society Foundation’s website. 

    Indivisible is “managing data and communications with participants” for the “No Kings” protests that will be taking place in Washington and across the country.

    ‘NO KINGS’ PROTEST COULD ATTRACT PAID AGITATORS AND FOREIGN INFLUENCE, CROWD-FOR-HIRE CEO WARNS

    The money trail of George Soros’ Open Society Foundation leads back to the “No Kings” protests. (Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg via Getty Images / DAVID PASHAEE/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

    Per the Open Society Foundation’s website, Soros “has given away more than $32 billion of his personal fortune” to the foundation. His son Alex serves as chairman of the board.

    According to the Indivisible organization’s website, Ezra Levin is the executive co-director behind the group. Leah Greenberg, Levin’s wife, serves as the other executive co-director. 

    Greenberg formerly served as the policy director for the Tom Perriello for Governor of Virginia campaign. Perriello was the executive director for the Open Society Foundation from October 2018 to July 2023, furthering the ties between Soros and the Indivisible organization. 

    In 2017, Indivisible received a $350,000 grant from Tides Advocacy, a group affiliated with the Tides Network. The Tides Foundation, a foundation also affiliated with the Tides Network, has been accused of funding anti-Israel campus riots.

    The grant report for 2024 was not available on the IRS nor the Open Society Foundation websites, though Soros’ foundation has awarded grants to Indivisible every year since the organization’s conception in 2017. In total, the Open Society Foundation has awarded $7.61 million in grants to the group behind the “No Kings” protest.

    A map of planned locations for No Kings protests

    A map displays the proposed and planned locations for the “No Kings” protests on Saturday. (Indivisible Website/Mapbox)

    Fox News Digital reached out to Perriello, the Indivisible group, the Open Society Foundation and the Tides Network but did not receive responses in time for publication. 

    WISCONSIN MOM ‘SEETHING’ AFTER DEMOCRATS GIVE HER 8-YEAR-OLD SON A CHILLING BRACELET CALLING FOR TRUMP’S DEATH

    Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was the first to sound the alarm on ties between Soros and the “No Kings” protest during an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Thursday, saying “There’s considerable evidence that George Soros and his network are behind funding these rallies, which may well be riots all across the country.”

    Cruz introduced the Financial Underwriting of Nefarious Demonstrations and Extremist Riots (STOP FUNDERs) Act in July that would allow for the Department of Justice to impose Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) charges against individuals behind the funding of “violent” and “extreme” protests. 

    Sen. Ted Cruz

    Sen. Ted Cruz said the “No Kings” protests are “organized by Soros operatives and funded by Soros money.” (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

    “This politicized march is being organized by Soros operatives and funded by Soros money. No one denies these basic facts,” Cruz told Fox News Digital. “The Trump administration and the Republican Congress are committed to countering this network of left-wing violence.”

    Per the Indivisible website, “On October 18, millions of us are rising again” to protest in an effort to paint President Donald Trump as a tyrant and an authoritarian king. 

    REPUBLICANS FUME AS DEMOCRATS BLOCK 9TH GOP BID TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT

    Schumer announced on Thursday that he would be attending the protest, saying he “will join the marchers, to celebrate what makes this country so great” and encouraged peaceful demonstrations. 

    Indivisible, the group behind the "No Kings" protests and their partners.

    The Communist Workers of America Party is also a sponsor of the “No Kings” protest.  (Indivisible)

    In addition to funding from Soros, the Communist Workers of America Union is also partnered with the “No Kings” protest. 

    “Protests can be strenuous and intense,” the “How to Prepare for a Protest” section of the Indivisible website reads.

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    “They are most effective when we peacefully use our constitutionally protected rights of assembly and speech and properly prepare ahead of time,” the website continued.

    Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

    Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news.

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  • Senate Democrats block GOP plan for 10th time, ensuring shutdown lasts into next week

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    Senate Democrats for a 10th time blocked Republicans’ attempts to reopen the government and have ensured that the shutdown goes into next week.

    That’s because after one final vote series later on Thursday, lawmakers will leave Washington, D.C., for another long weekend after just three short days on the Hill.

    Neither Republicans nor Democrats are ready to flinch in their deeply entrenched positions, and talks between both sides, though largely informal exercises, have begun to fade.

    REPUBLICANS PUSH TO PAY TROOPS, REOPEN GOVERNMENT AS DEMOCRATS BALK

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats are still unwilling to budge from their position as the shutdown drags on. Schumer dodged whether he would compromise with the GOP and said he would not negotiate in public.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is determined to continue on the same course of action to keep bringing the House-passed continuing resolution (CR), which would reopen the government until Nov. 21, up for a vote again and again.

    Though some in the GOP are mulling a new end date for the CR, that would require the House, which has been out of session for nearly a month, to come back and pass a new one.

    While Thune and Republicans are adamant that their plan is the only pathway to ending the shutdown, now on Day 16, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the Senate Democratic caucus still want to hammer out a deal on expiring Obamacare subsidies — and they want President Donald Trump to get directly involved in negotiations.

    “We’re willing to have, as I said, conversations about all the other issues that they want to talk about,” Thune said. “But that can’t happen while they are holding the federal government and all these federal employees and our troops and our air traffic controllers and our TSA agents and our border Patrol officials hostage. Open up the government.”

    REPUBLICANS FUME AS DEMOCRATS BLOCK 9TH GOP BID TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., outside of the Senate chamber.

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., wants to reignite the government funding process, but Senate Democrats appear unwilling to support his effort.  (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

    “Every day that this goes on, the problems are compounded for federal workers and for ordinary Americans,” he continued. “Chuck Schumer may think that every day gets better for them politically, but I can tell you that is not the experience of the American people.”

    When asked if he would compromise on the Democrats’ demands as the shutdown dragged on, Schumer dodged and countered that he wouldn’t negotiate in the public eye.

    “The bottom line is [Republicans] won’t even negotiate with us,” Schumer said. “So that’s a premature question. But of course, I’m not going to negotiate in public. We need to address the crisis that is afflicted, and that’s the right word, the American people.”

    However, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said that Republicans weren’t working on a subsidy proposal to show Democrats, and he noted that talks between the parties were “not really” happening anymore.

    When asked if it was possible to get an extension of the credits before the Nov. 1 open enrollment date, he said, “I don’t think there’s a way to do that.”

    “And I think if you don’t have it done by Christmas, it becomes a political issue,” Mullin said. “But you could maybe push it to January, to February, if you wanted to, but we get bumped up against, you know, everybody’s primaries, from the Democrat primaries and Republican primaries, and it becomes a political issue, because, unfortunately, healthcare is political.”

    REPUBLICANS EYE FRESH FUNDING FIGHT AS SHUTDOWN STANDOFF DRAGS ON

    Sen. John Fetterman at the Capitol

    Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., walks to vote at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Oct. 8, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

    Republicans are also trying to reignite the appropriations process in the Senate as the shutdown continues on. Thune teed up a procedural vote later Thursday on the Senate’s defense spending bill, which, among other things, would fund paychecks for the military.

    Whether Democrats support the spending bill after spending months demanding a bipartisan government funding process remains an open question — many argued after their closed-door meeting on Wednesday that they didn’t know exactly what Republicans were going to put on the floor and considered a vote on it moot.

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    As with most of the past 10 attempts to send the House-passed CR to Trump’s desk, the same trio of Democratic caucus members, Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, voted with Senate Republicans.

    Fetterman, who has consistently voted with the GOP every time, echoed his counterparts across the aisle and said that any outside issues aside from reopening the government could be dealt with after the lights were turned back on in Washington.

    “It was wrong to shut it down in March,” he said. “I’m in the same position. It’s not going to change. Everything else we’re talking about,  open up the government first, and then we can figure out the rest.”

    Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

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  • Democrats threaten to see Trump team ‘in court’ over ‘illegal’ firings as shutdown battle escalates

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    Congressional Democrats from Maryland and Virginia warned on Tuesday that they would sue over the administration’s planned firings and threats of no back pay for furloughed workers.

    Both have been used as pressure points by the White House to get Senate Democrats to budge from their dug-in position and vote to reopen the government, but until late last week, no direct action had been taken.

    Late last month, the OMB circulated a memo that there would be reductions in force (RIFs) beyond the typical furloughs during a government shutdown. It had remained a threat until last week, when OMB Director Russ Vought announced on X on the 10th day of the shutdown, “The RIFs have begun.” 

    WHITE HOUSE ESCALATES SHUTDOWN CONSEQUENCES AS DEMOCRATS SHOW NO SIGNS OF BUDGING: ‘KAMIKAZE ATTACK’

    Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and members of the Democratic congressional delegations from Maryland and Virginia railed against the Trump administration’s firings of federal employees during the shutdown and threatened to sue in response.  (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

    Flash forward to Day 14, and Senate Democrats from Maryland and Virginia, states home to tens of thousands of federal employees, showed no signs of caving from their shutdown position despite the firings.

    “When they tell you when they tell you that the shutdown is making them fire these federal employees, do not believe it for a moment,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said. “That is a big lie. It is a big fat lie. It is also illegal. And we will see them in court.”

    The lawmakers also railed against threats that furloughed federal workers would not receive back pay. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that roughly 750,000 nonessential federal employees could be furloughed, and their estimated back pay could cost up to $400 million per day.

    The threat runs counter to a law President Donald Trump signed in 2019 that required furloughed workers to receive back pay in future shutdowns.

    “The idea that he doesn’t understand that everybody has to get paid back shows maybe how short his memory span is, or how [he] arbitrarily wants to pick and choose,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said.

    SENATE SET FOR NEW VOTE TO END SHUTDOWN, BUT GRIDLOCK OVER OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES REMAINS

    Russell Vought speaks at the White House

    Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, announced on X on the 10th day of the shutdown, “The RIFs have begun.” (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

    While the lawmakers threatened actions in the courts, Rob Shriver, who formerly served as acting director of the Office of Personnel Management under the Biden administration before taking a position at the non-profit legal services and public policy research organization Democracy Forward, said that a lawsuit was already in motion.

    “As soon as Russ Vought tweeted on Friday, we were on our way back to court to file an emergency motion to stop those unlawful RIFs right in their tracks,” Shriver said. “A hearing on that motion is tomorrow, and no matter what happens, we will continue to fight these illegal RIFs.”

    Still, despite the threats from the administration, there has been little progress toward reopening the government. The Senate will again vote on House Republicans’ continuing resolution (CR) Tuesday night, which has so far failed seven times. Both sides are firmly rooted in their positions.

    TRUMP SAYS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN LAYOFFS ARE ‘UP TO’ DEMS AS STANDOFF CONTINUES

    Chuck Schumer speaks at the Capitol

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., attends a news conference following a weekly Democratic policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 7, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

    Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., want a firm deal in place to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies before open enrollment begins on Nov. 1, while Senate Republicans argue that they are open to negotiating a deal only after the government reopens.

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    And the actions and threats from the Trump administration appeared to only further steel Democrats’ resolve on the issue.

    “The message we have today is very simple, very simple,” Van Hollen said. “Donald Trump and Russ Vought: stop attacking federal employees. Stop attacking the American people and start negotiating to reopen the federal government and address the looming healthcare crisis that is upon us.”

    Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

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  • Government shutdown drags into third week as Senate set to reconvene



    Government shutdown drags into third week as Senate set to reconvene – CBS News










































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    The government shutdown entered its third week on Monday as the Senate is set to reconvene on Tuesday. CBS News’ Nikole Killion has more from Capitol Hill.

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  • GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer says Congress can reach health care deal after government reopens



    GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer says Congress can reach health care deal after government reopens – CBS News










































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    One week after it began, lawmakers appear no closer to ending the government shutdown. Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota joins “The Takeout” to discuss the state of play.

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  • Trump slams Democrats for ‘shutting down’ government, demands it reopen ‘tonight’

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    President Donald Trump on Monday evening slammed Democratic lawmakers for shutting down the government amid one of “the most successful economies,” calling on them to reopen the government tonight.

    “Democrats have SHUT DOWN the United States Government right in the midst of one of the most successful Economies, including a Record Stock Market, that our Country has ever had,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This has sadly affected so many programs, services, and other elements of Society that Americans rely on — And it should not have happened.

    “I am happy to work with the Democrats on their Failed Healthcare Policies, or anything else, but first they must allow our Government to re-open,” he added. “In fact, they should open our Government tonight!”

    Trump made the post after Senate Democrats, again, blocked Republican efforts to reopen the government, ensuring the shutdown will last at least a week.

    SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN HOLDS AS SENATE DEMS BLOCK GOP BID TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT

    President Donald Trump urged Democrats on Oct. 7, 2025, to end the government shutdown and “open our Government tonight,” following days of stalled negotiations in the Senate. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and most Democrats say they won’t support funding the government unless Congress agrees to extend expiring ObamaCare subsidies.

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., needs at least eight Democrats to back the GOP bill, which would reopen the government through Nov. 21. So far, only Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, have broken ranks to end the shutdown, while Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., remains the only Republican holdout.

    Democrats warn that without a deal to extend the subsidies expiring this year, millions could face soaring premiums. Both sides say they want an agreement but remain split over when to address the issue.

    TRUMP, JOHNSON APPEAR AT ODDS IN GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN MESSAGING

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer at the Capitol

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has insisted Democrats won’t back a funding bill without a deal to extend expiring ObamaCare subsidies. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

    Schumer also wants assurance that Trump will sign any deal, pointing to expected resistance from House Republicans.

    “We need the president involved,” Schumer said. “[House Speaker Mike] Johnson and a whole lot of his caucus don’t like the ACA, don’t want to do the extensions. A lot of Republican senators in the Senate do, but they’re not enough. Good is not enough. You need Johnson and you need Trump to get it done. So that’s the bottom line.”

    SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN SCHEME EXPLAINED: DEMS DOUBLE DOWN ON OBAMACARE CREDITS AS STANDOFF DRAGS ON

    Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer speaking to the media

    House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks to the media next to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., just before the September 30 deadline to fund the government. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

    Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, “we’re talking to Democrats.” When asked if he’d work with them on a deal to reopen the government, he said, “Yeah.”

    “I’d like to see a deal made for great healthcare,” Trump said. “I want to see great healthcare. I’m a Republican, but I want to see healthcare much more so than the Democrats.”

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    Schumer fired back, saying Trump’s “claim isn’t true — but if he’s finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table.”

    Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.

    Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

    Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.

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