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Tag: Republicans

  • Janet Mills chances of beating Susan Collins in Maine, according to polls

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    Maine Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, is preparing to launch a challenge to longtime GOP Senator Susan Collins in what is likely to become one of the most closely watched races of the midterms, the Associated Press reported on Friday, citing two people familiar with her plans.

    Jordan Wood, a Democrat who announced his Senate campaign earlier this year, reacted to the report in a statement to Newsweek.

    “Primaries are an important part of the democratic process because they give voters a real choice for our future. Since launching the campaign, we’ve organized more than 30 events across the state and voters consistently tell me they want an open and vibrant primary process. With so much at stake, Mainers want to decide which candidate can defeat Susan Collins, defend our democracy from Donald Trump, and deliver for working families,” he said.

    Newsweek reached out to spokespersons for Collins, Mills and other Senate candidates for comment via email.

    Why It Matters

    Maine generally leans Democratic, having backed former Vice President Kamala Harris by about seven points last November, but Collins has handily won reelection in the past due to her more moderate policy positions and close ties to the state. Democrats, however, believe 2026 has the potential to be her closest race yet as President Donald Trump’s approval slips nationwide, and as he remains unpopular in the Pine Tree State.

    National Democrats view Mills, who has also won by wide margins in her two gubernatorial races, as a top recruit for the race. But others are less sold on the idea of her candidacy, believing that other Democrats already in the race such as Graham Platner, whose campaign has garnered nationwide attention, could make for a stronger candidate.

    What To Know

    Maine is likely a must-win for Democrats hoping to reclaim control of the Senate, where Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority. Collins is the only Republican in a Harris-won state up for reelection. Democrats also view an open race in battleground North Carolina as a prime pickup opportunity, but other potential flips would require them to win more conservative territory.

    Mills will bring high name recognition into the race, as voters are already familiar with her from her stint as attorney general and governor. She flipped the governor’s office in 2020, winning by about seven points, and won reelection in 2022 by nearly 13 points against former Governor Paul LePage. She is unable to run for reelection due to term limits.

    But she may face a competitive primary against Platner, Maine Beer Company co-founder Dan Kleban and Wood, the former President of End Citizens United, all of whom have already announced their campaigns.

    Polling on the Senate race remains limited despite its importance for the midterms.

    Polls have generally found that Mills enjoys stronger approval than Collins.

    A University of New Hampshire poll from over the summer found that 14 percent of Mainers view Collins favorably, while 57 percent view her unfavorably. An additional 26 percent were neutral. Meanwhile, 51 percent of Mainers view Mills favorably and 41 percent unfavorably. Only 7 percent were neutral on Mills, according to the survey, which surveyed 846 Mainers between June 19 and June 23. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

    A Pan Atlantic Research poll yielded better results for Collins, finding that 49 percent of Mainers view her favorably and 45 percent view her unfavorable. It found that 52 percent of respondents viewed Mills favorably, while 44 percent viewed her unfavorably. It surveyed 840 likely voters from May 12 to May 26, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

    Morning Consult found earlier this year that Mills had a net approval rating of +2—making her the least popular Democratic governor in the country—though Collins’ approval was -16. That poll took place from April to June of this year, and the sample sizes varied by state.

    Polls in 2020 were notably off in Maine. Although surveys showed former Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon with a lead, Collins ended up prevailing with just over 50 percent of the vote.

    Mills, viewed as a more centrist Democrat, engaged in a high-profile debate with the White House over Trump’s efforts to deny states funding over transgender athletes, telling him “We’ll see you in court.”

    What People Are Saying

    Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, wrote on X Thursday: “Graham Platner is a great working class candidate for Senate in Maine who will defeat Susan Collins. It’s disappointing that some Democratic leaders are urging Governor Mills to run. We need to focus on winning that seat & not waste millions on an unnecessary & divisive primary.”

    Pollster Adam Carlson wrote on X in August: “Sometimes to take out a modern political anomaly like Susan Collins, you need to try something different Janet Mills has been a good governor, but she’s 77, not especially popular, and has been in politics since 1980 Graham’s background might be unusual, but he’s got the juice.”

    Commentator Russel Drew wrote on X on Friday: “We need to see some new, legit polling about #MESEN. The oyster farmer is absolutely an interesting candidate, but Gov. Mills has already won statewide twice. F*** our feelings. Let’s see the data.”

    Anna Palmer, CEO of Punchbowl News, said during The Daily Punch podcast: “This is a huge get for Senat Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is on a recruiting tear. But Mills will have to contend with a crowded field of Democratic challengers who didn’t wait to jump in while she made up her mind. This is something that Democrats have been waiting for, and it seemed like she was taking her sweet time to get into the race, and now it is finally here. This could potentially be a problem for Susan Collins.”

    What Happens Next?

    Mills and other candidates will spend the coming months making their cases to voters about why they are the best candidate to challenge Collins in the Senate race. Forecasters give Collins an edge—both the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball classify the race as leaning Republican.

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  • The Shutdown Is Pushing Air Safety Workers to the Limit

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    “We will never compromise on safety. When staffing constraints arise, the FAA will slow down air traffic at impacted airports to ensure operations remain safe,” FAA spokesperson Hannah Walden tells WIRED, adding that Transportation secretary Sean Duffy “said that air traffic controllers who report to work will be paid. Regarding reductions in force (RIFs), DOT has been clear for months: safety critical positions—including air traffic controllers—have and will continue to be exempt from any RIFs.”

    In a written statement, a spokesperson for the TSA said of employees working without pay: “It’s unfortunate they have been put in this position due to political gamesmanship. Our hope is that Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government.”

    On Thursday, Duffy suggested on Fox Business News that controllers and other workers who don’t come to work during the shutdown would be fired. “If we have a continual small subset of controllers that don’t show up to work, and they’re the problem children … if we have some on our staff that aren’t dedicated like we need, we’re going to let them go,” said Duffy.

    One air traffic controller described this week’s working conditions as “pretty much the same” but with “an undercurrent of fear that the dipshits in charge will use this as an excuse to decertify our union and take away all bargaining rights.”

    Air traffic workers know that accusations of coordinated activity and sick-outs, or informal labor actions that could violate long-standing bargaining agreements with the government, are especially perilous right now, as federal officials threaten the status of public sector unions. The Trump administration suddenly ended TSA workers’ collective bargaining agreement in March, before a court preliminarily halted the move in June. Workers worry that taking an absence, even when it’s needed, could have long-term consequences for their union—and therefore, their working conditions.

    The National Air Traffic Controllers Association did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment. But a pop-up on the public union’s website notes that it “does not endorse, support, or condone any federal employees participating in or endorsing a coordinated activity that negatively affects the capacity” of the National Airspace System.

    Jones, the TSA agent and union leader, says his group won’t organize sick-outs. But employees may have to call out if the lack of pay means “they don’t have the means to commute into work,” he says.

    “We are sick and tired of being political pawns for Washington,” adds Jones.

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    Aarian Marshall

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  • Scalise leads GOP fight at SCOTUS to stop ‘radical’ left’s ‘war on American energy’

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    FIRST ON FOX: More than 100 House Republican lawmakers, led by Majority Leader Steve Scalise, are calling on the Supreme Court to block climate lawsuits that they say are waging “war on American energy” and could bankrupt the industry, Fox News Digital learned. 

    “Every day, hardworking Americans depend on access to affordable and reliable energy,” Scalise said in comment provided to Fox News Digital Friday. “Despite this, radical environmentalists and local leftist politicians continue to wage war on American energy by going after domestic energy companies in our courtrooms, demanding they meet impossible standards or pay billions in damages. Any regulation of global greenhouse emissions falls squarely within the federal government’s jurisdiction.” 

    Scalise and 102 Republican lawmakers filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court — otherwise known as a “friend of the court” brief — calling for the Supreme Court to end lawsuits originating in Colorado that seek compensation from Exxon and Suncor Energy, arguing it’s a federal issue, not state. 

    Local jurisdictions in Boulder, Colorado, sued Exxon and Suncor Energy in 2018, claiming the companies had for years downplayed risks surrounding burning oil and gas, requesting damages from the companies under Colorado law. 

    EPA URGED TO AXE FUNDS FOR ‘RADICAL’ CLIMATE PROJECT ACCUSED OF TRAINING JUDGES, STATE AGS RALLY

    The massive energy companies argue that the case focuses on cross-border emissions, making the matter a federal issue and not a state issue. Exxon and Suncor requested the U.S. Supreme Court take the case up after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled in May that it could move forward within state courts. 

    Colorado’s highest court determined in its May ruling that federal law did not block Boulder from claiming the energy companies allegedly misled the citizens. 

    “This ruling affirms what we’ve known all along: corporations cannot mislead the public and avoid accountability for the damages they have caused,” Boulder, Colorado, Mayor Aaron Brockett said in a statement at the time celebrating the state Supreme Court’s decision. “Our community has suffered significantly from the consequences of climate change, and today’s decision brings us one step closer to justice and the resources we need to protect our future.” 

    House Majority Leader Steve Scalise speaking to the media. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

    The lawmakers wrote that the case is one mired in national security and stability concerns, arguing it could throttle the American energy industry, “if not bankrupt it altogether.”  

    “Respondents, the City and County of Boulder, Colorado, would substitute their own preferred policies for those of the federal government,” the amicus brief reads. “They dress their complaint in the language of state law, but they cannot escape that every claim in some way turns on global greenhouse gas emissions. And the sheer magnitude of the damages at issue—likely tens of billions of dollars—would restructure the American energy industry if not bankrupt it altogether, especially when multiplied by the dozens of similar cases around the country.” 

    TOP ENERGY GROUP CALLS FOR PROBE INTO SECRETIVE ‘NATIONAL LAWFARE CAMPAIGN’ TO INFLUENCE JUDGES ON CLIMATE

    “This has continued long enough. States have no authority to regulate interstate and international emissions that originate beyond their respective,” it added.

    Scalise stressed in his comment provided to Fox News Digital that local “extreme political” agendas are risking U.S. national security if local governments are able to bypass federal authority and continue with the suits. 

    Climate protester

    A climate protester scales the Wilson Building as part of an Earth Day rally against fossil fuels in 2022.  (Getty Images)

    CLIMATE LAWFARE CAMPAIGN DEALT BLOW IN SOUTH CAROLINA

    “Energy security is national security — we cannot allow state and local governments to supersede federal authority and put our country at risk for their own extreme political agenda,” he said. “I’m proud to lead this amicus brief to defend domestic energy production from radical state ‘Green New Scam’ policies, uphold our balance of powers, and safeguard our energy security, and am grateful to be joined by so many of my colleagues. I urge the Supreme Court to carefully consider our arguments as they deliberate this impactful case.” 

    The amicus brief argued the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling allowing the suits to continue “supplants the legislative prerogative of Congress, permitting a balkanized patchwork of state and local regulation over matters of uniquely federal concern.”

    Supreme Court

    The facade of the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., at dusk, illuminated by lights.  (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

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    “This case, and others like it, threaten the abundant, reliable energy that underpins every aspect of American life, including the standard of living for ordinary Americans,” the more than 100 lawmakers wrote. “Although national energy policy is the subject of vigorous debate, it is a national issue that must be decided at the national level—by officials elected by the people of all States—not in a local jury room.” 

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  • Do Democrats want hospitals paid extra to treat immigrants?

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    House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., escalated his blame of Democrats for the federal government’s ongoing shutdown.

    “As a condition for ending the Democrat shutdown, Democrats want hospitals paid MORE to treat illegal aliens than American citizens — including young pregnant women,” Johnson said in an Oct. 5 X post.

    He pointed to the Democrats’ proposal to reverse Republican spending bill health care provisions signed into law this summer.

    “Republicans made it illegal for Medicaid to reimburse care for illegal aliens at higher rates than for U.S. citizens. Democrats are now demanding to reverse that,” Johnson said in the X post. 

    He made a similar statement in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” the same day.

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    A spokesperson for Johnson pointed to Section 71117 in the Republican law that Democrats want to repeal. The provision limits the way states can use taxes levied on health care providers to finance Medicaid costs. States share Medicaid costs with the federal government. 

    But health care experts said the section doesn’t address hospital reimbursement for providing services to immigrants illegally in the U.S.

    It “affects state financing mechanics, not coverage for undocumented patients,” University of California, Los Angeles health policy professor Arturo Bustamante said. “Reversing it wouldn’t suddenly increase payments for care to undocumented patients; it would just give states more flexibility in how they finance their Medicaid programs.”

    Democrats also want to reverse another section of the GOP bill, 71110, that affects hospital reimbursements for emergency care provided to immigrants. This can include immigrants illegally in the U.S. but is not limited to them. It also includes other noncitizens with legal status, such as permanent residents who have a waiting period before they qualify for Medicaid.

    The 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act requires hospitals to provide emergency services to stabilize patients regardless of their ability to pay or immigration status. States and the federal government reimburse hospitals for care provided to immigrants who meet all Medicaid requirements except for their immigration status; immigrants in the country illegally are not eligible to receive Medicaid. Those reimbursements are called Emergency Medicaid.

    The Republican law didn’t end hospitals’ obligation to provide emergency care. Starting in 2026, it will reduce federal government reimbursements to hospitals for certain noncitizens’ emergency care, leaving states to cover a larger portion. The Democrats’ budget proposal restores reimbursements to previous levels.

    Importantly, the Democratic proposal would not require that hospitals be paid extra to treat immigrants illegally in the U.S. It calls for states to receive the same amount of federal funding to cover Emergency Medicaid that they had received before the Republican law, health care experts said.

    “I’m not aware of hospitals getting paid more for emergency care for undocumented immigrants,” Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF, a health think tank, said. By lowering how much the federal government covers, he added, Republicans are “just shifting costs to states.”

    Law enforcements stand outside the hospital emergency after a shooting near the adjoining campuses of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of Emory University in Atlanta on, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP )

    Republican law limits amount hospitals are reimbursed for emergency care for immigrants 

    Most Emergency Medicaid spending is for childbirth. In all, spending on Emergency Medicaid represented less than 1% of total Medicaid spending in fiscal year 2023, according to KFF.

    The Republican law’s changes to Emergency Medicaid reimbursements are focused on states that expanded Medicaid to cover a larger pool of people.

    Forty states and Washington, D.C., expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, making adults ages 19 to 64, without dependent children and with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level, eligible. The federal government covers 90% of Medicaid costs for people included under the expansion, and states cover the rest. 

    For patients covered under regular Medicaid, and in states without the expansion, the federal government generally covers 50% to 77% of Medicaid costs.

    The Republican law limits the amount the federal government reimburses hospitals for emergency care provided to patients who would be eligible for expanded Medicaid if not for their immigration status. Rather than cover 90% of costs, starting in 2026, the federal government will cover the rate it covers for non-Medicaid expansion care.

    “Reducing the match rate for this care does not change the reimbursement for hospitals but instead shifts more of the costs to states,” said Jennifer Tolbert, deputy director of KFF’s Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured.

    Our ruling

    Johnson wrote on X, “As a condition for ending the Democrat shutdown, Democrats want hospitals paid MORE to treat illegal aliens than American citizens.”

    Federal law requires that emergency care be provided to anyone who needs it, regardless of insurance or immigration status. The federal and state governments reimburse hospitals for emergency care provided to immigrants who meet all Medicaid requirements except for their immigration status.

    Republicans’ new spending law calls for the federal government to cover a smaller portion of hospital reimbursements for emergency care to noncitizens who would be eligible for expanded Medicaid if not for their immigration status. 

    The GOP law doesn’t change hospital reimbursements. It shifts costs to states. Democrats want to reverse that. 

    Health care experts said a reversal wouldn’t mean hospitals would be reimbursed more for emergency care provided to immigrants illegally in the U.S. The federal government would cover the same share of care provided to anyone requiring emergency care, regardless of immigration or citizenship status.

    We rate the statement False.

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  • ICE detention oversight agency temporarily closed

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    The Trump administration is pushing forward with its immigration crackdown even as the government shutdown drags on. But the Washington Post reports the Office of Detention Oversight, which inspects the safety of ICE detention centers, is currently closed. Doug MacMillan, corporate accountability reporter for the Washington Post, joined CBS News to discuss.

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  • Supreme Court hears arguments in mail-in ballot case

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    Supreme Court hears arguments in mail-in ballot case – CBS News










































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    The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging an Illinois mail-in voting law. CBS News legal reporter Katrina Kaufman has more.

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  • Early takeaways as Bondi wraps testimony before Senate Judiciary Committee

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    Early takeaways as Bondi wraps testimony before Senate Judiciary Committee – CBS News










































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    Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday. CBS News justice correspondent Scott MacFarlane has a recap.

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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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  • Americans fed up with how Trump, GOP and Democrats are handling shutdown, poll finds

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    A new CBS News poll shows a majority of Americans disapprove of how President Trump and congressional Republicans and Democrats have handled the government shutdown. Willie James Inman reports on that and Mr. Trump’s latest National Guard moves.

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  • Government Shutdown Enters Fifth Day as Democrats and Republicans Remain at an Impasse

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    Republican and Democratic lawmakers at an impasse on reopening the federal government provided few public signs Sunday of meaningful negotiations talking place to end what has so far been a five-day shutdown.

    Leaders in both parties are betting that public sentiment has swung their way, putting pressure on the other side to cave. Democrats are insisting on renewing subsidies to cover health insurance costs for millions of households, while President Donald Trump wants to preserve existing spending levels and threatening to permanently fire federal workers if the government remains closed.

    The squabble comes at a moment of troubling economic uncertainty. While the U.S. economy has continued to grow this year, hiring has slowed and inflation remains elevated as Trump’s import taxes have created a series of disruptions for businesses and employers have hurt confidence in his leadership. At the same time, there is a recognition that the nearly $2 trillion annual budget deficit is financially unsustainable yet there has to be a coalition around the potential tax increases and spending cuts to reduce borrowing levels.

    House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, among those appearing on the Sunday news shows, said there have been no talks with Republican leaders since their White House meeting Monday.

    “And unfortunately, since that point in time, Republicans, including Donald Trump, have gone radio silent,” Jeffries said. “And what we’ve seen is negotiation through deepfake videos, the House canceling votes, and of course President Trump spending yesterday on the golf course. That’s not responsible behavior.”

    Trump was asked via text message by CNN’s Jake Tapper about shutdown talks. The Republican president responded with confidence but no details.

    “We are winning and cutting costs big time,” Trump said in a text message, according to CNN.

    His administration sees the shutdown as an opening to wield greater power over the budget, with multiple officials saying they will save money as workers are furloughed by imposing permanent job cuts on thousands of government workers, a tactic that has never been used before.

    Even though it would Trump’s choice, he believes he can put the blame on the Democrats for the layoffs because of the shutdown.

    “It’s up to them,” Trump told reporters on Sunday morning before boarding the presidential helicopter. “Anybody laid off that’s because of the Democrats.”

    While Trump rose to fame on the TV show “The Apprentice” with is catchphrase of “You’re fired,” Republicans on Sunday claimed that the administration would take no pleasure in letting go of federal workers, even though they have put funding on hold for infrastructure and energy projects in Democratic areas.

    “We haven’t seen the details yet about what’s happening” with layoffs, House Speaker Mike Johnson said on NBC. “But it is a regrettable situation that the president does not want.”

    Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, said that the administration wants to avoid the layoffs it had indicated could start on Friday, a deadline that came and went without any decisions being announced.

    “We want the Democrats to come forward and to make a deal that’s a clean, continuing resolution that gives us seven more weeks to talk about these things,” Hassett said on CNN. “But the bottom line is that with Republicans in control, the Republicans have a lot more power over the outcome than the Democrats.”

    Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California defended his party’s stance on the shutdown, saying on NBC that the possible increase in health care costs for “millions of Americans” would make insurance unaffordable in what he called a “crisis.”

    But Schiff also noted that the Trump administration has withheld congressionally approved spending from being used, essentially undermining the value of Democrats’ seeking compromises on the budgets as the White House could decline to not honor Congress’ wishes. The Trump administration sent Congress roughly $4.9 billion in “ pocket rescissions ” on foreign aid, a process that meant the spending was withheld without time for Congress to weigh in before the previous fiscal year ended last month.

    “We need both to address the health care crisis and we need some written assurance in the law, I won’t take a promise, that they’re not going to renege on any deal we make,” Schiff said.

    The television appearances indicated that Democrats and Republicans are busy talking, deploying internet memes against each other that have raised concerns about whether it’s possible to negotiate in good faith.

    Vice President JD Vance said that a video putting Jeffries in a sombrero and thick mustache was simply a joke, even though it came across as mocking people of Mexican descent as Republicans insist that the Democratic demands would lead to health care spending on immigrants in the country illegally, a claim that Democrats dispute.

    Immigrants in the U.S. illegally are not eligible for any federal health care programs, including insurance provided through the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. Still, hospitals do receive Medicaid reimbursements for emergency care that they are obligated to provide to people who meet other Medicaid eligibility requirements but do not have an eligible immigration status.

    The challenge, however, is that the two parties do not appear to be having productive conversations with each other in private, even as Republicans insist they are in conversation with their Democratic colleagues.

    On Friday, a Senate vote to advance a Republican bill that would reopen the government failed to notch the necessary 60 votes to end a filibuster. Johnson said the House would close for legislative business next week, a strategy that could obligate the Senate to work with the government funding bill that was passed by House Republicans.

    “Johnson’s not serious about this,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on CBS. “He sent his all his congressman home last week and home this week. How are you going to negotiate?”

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Sunday that the shutdown on discretionary spending, the furloughing of federal workers and requirements that other federal employees work without pay will go on so long as Democrats vote no.

    “They’ll get another chance on Monday to vote again,” said Thune on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”

    “And I’m hoping that some of them have a change of heart,” he said

    Copyright 2025. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • ‘I Don’t Have Anything To Negotiate’: Mike Johnson Holds Firm On GOP Shutdown Strategy

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    As the government shutdown enters its second day, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., defended Republican leaders’ refusal to concede to Democrats’ health care policy demands in exchange for their votes on federal funding.

    “Don’t ask the Republicans what we should be doing or what we should be negotiating. I don’t have anything to negotiate,” Johnson told reporters Thursday. “I sent them in good faith exactly what they had voted for before. We did not put any Republican provisions in that, and we tried to make this very simple, in good faith, so the appropriations process of the people can continue.”

    Despite voting for nearly the same bill a total of 13 times during the Biden administration, Senate Democrats have continued to vote down Republicans’ clean Continuing Resolution that would extend government funding for only seven weeks.

    “There’s nothing I can pull out of the bill that was a Republican priority to say that ‘oh, we won’t do that, why don’t you guys vote for it now,’ Johnson said. “I am stunned that [Democrats] decided to shut the government down and hurt people. It is on them 100%.”

    Democratic leaders vehemently oppose the bill because it does nothing to prevent the enhanced Obamacare Premium Tax Credits from expiring in December, a policy issue that they believe must be addressed now to prevent millions of Americans’ health care premiums from spiking. 

    By refusing to negotiate now on health care policy and refusing to pass Democrats’ $1.4 trillion counterproposal, Republicans “own” the shutdown, Democrats argue.

    “Republicans shut down the government because they can’t be bothered to protect health care for Americans across this country,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., posted on X. “Premiums are set to more than double! Americans cannot afford this.”

    Johnson countered that extending the enhanced Obamacare subsidies is “not a simple issue” that’s “going to take weeks” to hammer out. He and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., have said they are willing to discuss the issue with Democrats, but only after the government reopens.

    “We have three months to do that. That is not an issue for today – today, the only issue is whether they’re going to vote to keep the government operating for the people,” Johnson said. “If they drag this one through the weekend, more and more people will be hurt.”

    Having voted on both CRs three times already, the Senate is set to do so again Friday and will almost certainly fail to pass them. In a change of plans, however, Thune canceled a Saturday vote, meaning the shutdown would last through the weekend.

    Republicans and the Trump administration are hoping that enough rank-and-file Democrats will cave in by Monday and provide enough votes for Republicans’ CR to pass without any health care concessions.

    Syndicated with permission from The Center Square.

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    Therese Boudreaux – The Center Square

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  • Government shutdown threatens to drag on through weekend with lawmakers deadlocked

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    As the Senate meets Friday for another vote to reopen the federal government, Democrats are refusing to yield without a deal from President Donald Trump — likely extending the government shutdown into next week.Democrats say not even the threat of mass firings and canceled federal projects will force them to accept the GOP short-term funding proposal without major policy concessions on health care.A top White House official warned Thursday that the number of federal workers who could be fired because of the shutdown is “likely going to be in the thousands.” Trump hasn’t made public his exact targets yet, though he met with White House budget chief Russ Vought on Thursday to discuss the plan.The White House already has a list – put together by Vought’s Office of Management and Budget in coordination with federal agencies – of the agencies they are targeting with the firings, according to two White House officials. While details are still being sorted, according to the officials, announcements could come in the coming days on which are on the chopping block for not aligning with the president’s priorities.Speaking on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries skewered the president and his team for what he called their “retribution effort” against Democrats, but made clear his party would not relent. He added that neither he nor Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have received a call from Trump or GOP leaders for negotiations since the group met at the White House Monday.“Democrats are in this fight until we win this fight,” Jeffries said when asked if Democrats could accept a deal without an extension of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies that his party has been seeking. “This is the first week of the shutdown but we’ve had months of chaos and cruelty unleashed on the American people.”With the two parties still bitterly divided, the deadlocked Senate is expected to leave town for the weekend, which means neither chamber will vote again until at least Monday. With no ongoing talks between the two parties, many Senate Republicans plan to decamp to Sea Island, Georgia, this weekend for a major weekend fundraiser. The National Republican Senatorial Committee informed attendees in an email this week that the event was non-refundable and contracted years in advance — long before the current organization’s leadership, according to two people familiar with the matter.Democrats, too, have a scheduled fundraiser later this month. That event in Napa, California, is set to take place on Oct. 13. A spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said they did not have information about whether the event was still on, though one of the featured attendees, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, has already informed organizers that she won’t be attending if there is a shutdown, according to a person familiar with the planning.Inside the Capitol, lawmakers and their staff are bracing for a lapse that could last into mid-October, with fears rising that government workers will miss a paycheck next week.GOP Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota described Friday’s vote as “crucial,” warning that “things go south real quick” if the government isn’t reopened before the weekend.Rounds is one of the few Republicans publicly anxious about the potential harms of an extended shutdown on the federal workforce, and has worked behind the scenes with some Democrats to find a way out of it. The end needs to come as quickly as possible, he warned, suggesting that Democrats could soon see the White House take an ax to programs that they heavily favor if the shutdown doesn’t end.“I think it’s gonna bite them harder than it does us,” Rounds told reporters Thursday. “There’s a whole lot of things out there that the Democrats care about that are not consistent with the president’s policies, and those are the first things at risk.”Senate Majority Leader John Thune remained firm Thursday when asked about how the shutdown would end. He said Democrats would have a fourth chance on Friday to vote to open the government: “If that fails, then they can have the weekend to think about it, we’ll come back, we’ll vote again on Monday.”“My Democrat colleagues are facing pressure from members of their far-left base, but they’re playing a losing game here,” he added.

    WASHINGTON —

    As the Senate meets Friday for another vote to reopen the federal government, Democrats are refusing to yield without a deal from President Donald Trump — likely extending the government shutdown into next week.

    Democrats say not even the threat of mass firings and canceled federal projects will force them to accept the GOP short-term funding proposal without major policy concessions on health care.

    A top White House official warned Thursday that the number of federal workers who could be fired because of the shutdown is “likely going to be in the thousands.” Trump hasn’t made public his exact targets yet, though he met with White House budget chief Russ Vought on Thursday to discuss the plan.

    The White House already has a list – put together by Vought’s Office of Management and Budget in coordination with federal agencies – of the agencies they are targeting with the firings, according to two White House officials. While details are still being sorted, according to the officials, announcements could come in the coming days on which are on the chopping block for not aligning with the president’s priorities.

    Speaking on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries skewered the president and his team for what he called their “retribution effort” against Democrats, but made clear his party would not relent. He added that neither he nor Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have received a call from Trump or GOP leaders for negotiations since the group met at the White House Monday.

    “Democrats are in this fight until we win this fight,” Jeffries said when asked if Democrats could accept a deal without an extension of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies that his party has been seeking. “This is the first week of the shutdown but we’ve had months of chaos and cruelty unleashed on the American people.”

    With the two parties still bitterly divided, the deadlocked Senate is expected to leave town for the weekend, which means neither chamber will vote again until at least Monday. With no ongoing talks between the two parties, many Senate Republicans plan to decamp to Sea Island, Georgia, this weekend for a major weekend fundraiser. The National Republican Senatorial Committee informed attendees in an email this week that the event was non-refundable and contracted years in advance — long before the current organization’s leadership, according to two people familiar with the matter.

    Democrats, too, have a scheduled fundraiser later this month. That event in Napa, California, is set to take place on Oct. 13. A spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said they did not have information about whether the event was still on, though one of the featured attendees, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, has already informed organizers that she won’t be attending if there is a shutdown, according to a person familiar with the planning.

    Inside the Capitol, lawmakers and their staff are bracing for a lapse that could last into mid-October, with fears rising that government workers will miss a paycheck next week.

    GOP Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota described Friday’s vote as “crucial,” warning that “things go south real quick” if the government isn’t reopened before the weekend.

    Rounds is one of the few Republicans publicly anxious about the potential harms of an extended shutdown on the federal workforce, and has worked behind the scenes with some Democrats to find a way out of it. The end needs to come as quickly as possible, he warned, suggesting that Democrats could soon see the White House take an ax to programs that they heavily favor if the shutdown doesn’t end.

    “I think it’s gonna bite them harder than it does us,” Rounds told reporters Thursday. “There’s a whole lot of things out there that the Democrats care about that are not consistent with the president’s policies, and those are the first things at risk.”

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune remained firm Thursday when asked about how the shutdown would end. He said Democrats would have a fourth chance on Friday to vote to open the government: “If that fails, then they can have the weekend to think about it, we’ll come back, we’ll vote again on Monday.”

    “My Democrat colleagues are facing pressure from members of their far-left base, but they’re playing a losing game here,” he added.

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  • Donald Trump posts Project 2025 music video

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    President Trump has shared a largely AI generated music video which depicts Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought, one of the architects of the conservative Project 2025 plan, as the grim reaper on his Truth Social website.

    In the video the reaper is portrayed walking through Washington D.C., before its identity is revealed as Vought. Meanwhile, a band is formed by AI generated versions of President Trump, Vice-President J.D. Vance and a number of skeletons. The music is a cover of the 1976 Blue Oyster Cult’s hit “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.”

    Trump shared the clip on Thursday after saying he would meet with Vought to “determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut” amid the ongoing partial government shutdown.

    Vought was one of the architects of Project 2025, a Heritage Foundation organized agenda for a Republican president published ahead of the 2024 presidential election. During the election campaign Trump distanced himself from the project commenting: “I know nothing about Project 2025.”

    The video was credited to the ‘Dilley 300 Meme Team,’ which produces pro-Trump content for social media.

    This is a developing story and will be updated.

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  • Government Workers Say Their Out-of-Office Replies Were Forcibly Changed to Blame Democrats for Shutdown

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    On Wednesday, the first day of the US government shutdown, employees at the Department of Education (DOE) set their automatic out-of-office email responses to inform recipients that they would be unable to respond until after the shutdown. Hours later, many DOE employees realized their response message had been altered to contain partisan language without their consent. The automatic reply now blamed Senate Democrats for the entire shutdown.

    It’s not clear who made the change to email accounts, which was first posted about on Bluesky by journalist Marisa Kabas. “It’s disturbing,” says a DOE employee who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak to the press. Some employees changed their responses back to the more neutral language, only to have it changed yet again to the partisan response, multiple sources tell WIRED.

    As government employees began to log off in preparation for a shutdown, many agencies sent out guidance, including suggested language for their out-of-office message. While some agencies offered employees neutral language, simply explaining they would not be able to reply until the shutdown concluded, employees at the Small Business Administration and, according to sources and screenshots reviewed by WIRED, the Department of Labor, received suggested language that blamed Democrats for the shutdown.

    At the DOE, human resources sent employees standard language ahead of the shutdown, and many employees used this as their OOO text. Originally, the suggested language given to DOE employees read, “Thank you for your email. There is a temporary shutdown of the US government due to a lapse in appropriations. I will respond to your message as soon as possible after the temporary shutdown ends. Please visit Ed.gov for the latest information on the Department’s operational status.” Many employees set this neutral language as their OOO status.

    The new, changed message reads:

    “Thank you for contacting me. On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed HR 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of HR 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations. Due to the lapse in appropriations I am currently in furlough status. I will respond to emails once government functions resume.”

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    Leah Feiger, Vittoria Elliott

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  • Meet the 3 senators who broke with Democrats to support a bill to keep government open

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    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    Three senators — Democrats Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, along with Independent Angus King of Maine — broke ranks Tuesday night to side with Republicans on a GOP spending bill that would have kept the government open. And now, they’re facing heat for it.

    While Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and nine other Democratic senators voted to advance a similar GOP spending bill in March, they are not helping their Republican colleagues get their latest appropriations bill past the finish line this time around, citing several concerns, including that the package will increase healthcare costs for Americans because it fails to extend Obamacare subsidies.

    “This administration doesn’t care about Nevadans, but I do. That’s why I cannot support a costly shutdown that would hurt Nevada families and hand even more power to this reckless administration,” Cortez Masto said after voting in favor of the Republican appropriations bill Tuesday night. “We need a bipartisan solution to address this impending health care crisis, but we should not be swapping the pain of one group of Americans for another.”

    BLAME GAME: GOP SPOTLIGHTS ‘SCHUMER SHUTDOWN’ WHILE DEMS LASH OUT AT REPUBLICANS AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS

    Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, Sen. John Fetterman, and Sen. Angus King broke with Democrats to support a Republican-led continuing resolution.  (Getty Images)

    “I voted AYE to extend ACA tax credits because I support them—but I won’t vote for the chaos of shuttering our government,” Fetterman said after his Tuesday night vote supporting the GOP appropriations package. “My vote was for our country over my party. Together, we must find a better way forward.”

    King called his decision to support the bill “one of the most difficult votes” he has taken during his tenure, but, like Cortez Masto, expressed fear that a government shutdown could embolden Trump, who has already hinted at using the shutdown as leverage for more government cuts.

    “The irony of this vote is many feel that this was an opportunity to stand up to Donald Trump,” King said in a video he posted to social media after voting to support the GOP’s appropriations package. “The irony, the paradox is, by shutting the government we are actually giving Donald Trump more power, and that was why I voted ‘yes.’ I did not want to hand Donald Trump and Russell Vought, and Stephen Miller additional power to decimate the federal government.”     

    The senators’ decision to support the Republican appropriations bill has garnered public criticism from at least one of their Democrat colleagues in Congress. Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., said he was “very upset” to see his Democratic Party colleagues in the Senate “already caving” to Republicans. 

    Meanwhile, Goldman said Democrats in the House are “very united” in opposing the Trump-backed GOP appropriations package. 

    SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS  

    Angus King in 2025

    Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, listens during a Senate Armed Services committee hearing on the nomination of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense on Jan. 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Jack Gruber-USA TODAY)

    Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer for comment about the Democratic Party defections, but did not receive a response in time for publication.  

    Republicans, meanwhile, have said that the defections represent Schumer’s dwindling political power within the Democratic Party. Ultimately, the GOP will need eight total Democrats to cross the aisle in order for their continuing resolution to pass.

    Schumer at the Capitol

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., turns to an aide during a news conference in June on Capitol Hill.  (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

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    Cortez Masto added that she has been working the phones since her Tuesday night vote, urging both Republicans and Democrats “to come together.”

    Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report

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  • ‘Weaker than he looks’: AOC had fiery words for Trump amid govt shutdown — and they’re burning brighter than his tan | The Mary Sue

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    United States House of Representatives member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has never been the one to mince her words. Especially when it comes to slandering the Republicans and the current U.S. President Donald Trump, AOC is always one step ahead of the others. 

    Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has consistently called the Republicans and Trump out for their hypocritical behaviour, boastful attitudes, and tendency to promote unfounded conspiracies. On a broader scale, Ocasio-Cortez has accused Trump and his administration of neglecting the needs of the American people in favour of their own interests.

    This time, AOC is again taking a dig at the people who refuse to stop supplying her with content worth of criticism. In light of the recent government shutdown that became effective on September 30, 2025 (thanks to Trump and his Republican bros not agreeing on a bill about healthcare), she spoke with MSNBC to discuss the implications of the situation and what needs to be done. 

    In her speech, AOC highlighted that Trump and the Republicans were trying hard to establish an authoritarian government with tactics such as the shutdown. However, she urged people not to take their threats seriously. She remarked:

    “They are weaker than they look, and it is important that we remember that.”

    She also mentioned that the current government, led by Trump, relies heavily on the impression of power and the “perception of inevitability.” Hence, she believes that it is important for people not to submit to his wishes beforehand in anticipation of that certainty. 

    Doubling down on her previous comments, AOC emphasised that Trump and his party were experiencing “record levels” of “unpopularity” across the board and in general. She also attributed the government shutdown to the same. She added that they want the others to “blink first”, knowing that they have “too much to save”

    Following this interview, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to X (previously Twitter) to share her thoughts again. Reposting the clip from the discussion she wrote:

    “Republicans are jacking up healthcare costs across the country and Trump is FAR weaker than he looks.”

    In addition to that, she also called for a plan of action, urging people to take the chance to “defend the healthcare of millions of Americans.”

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

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    Sanchari Ghosh

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  • Senate Republican leader floats way to end government shutdown

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    Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said that if a “critical mass” of Democrats support the House-passed continuing resolution bill to fund the government, he would be willing to negotiate health care reform, specifically the Affordable Care Act (ACA), in an exclusive interview with Politico.

    Newsweek reached out to Thune’s office for comment Wednesday night.

    Why It Matters

    The U.S. federal government entered its first shutdown in six years after lawmakers failed to pass a new funding bill, disrupting services for millions and compounding existing strains on a workforce diminished by record departures this year.

    The standoff exposes deep partisan divides over health care funding and future fiscal priorities, with potential repercussions for federal workers, ongoing public services and the economy at large. The competing strategies of Republicans and Democrats—centered on whether to link funding to health care subsidies—could set the tone for legislative cooperation or gridlock heading into future elections and key budget deadlines.

    What To Know

    In his interview with Politico, Thune, of South Dakota, signaled willingness to discuss future negotiations on expiring Obamacare insurance subsidies if a sufficient number of Democrats agree to pass the House-passed continuing resolution, which would extend funding through November 21. Thune said he would not negotiate on the substantive extension of subsidies or broader health care reforms until the government is no longer shut down.

    “I keep telling them: When they have eight or 10—preferably 10, or more—when they have a critical mass, let me know if there’s a conversation they want to have,” Thune said to Politico. The comments are in line with previous remarks the lawmaker has made about his openness for discussion.

    Democrats demand immediate extension of enhanced ACA subsidies and the reversal of Medicaid cuts, as Republican leaders, including Thune, emphasize that passing the current GOP-backed House bill is the only viable path to reopening the government.

    “Some of those conversations are happening,” Thune said to Politico. “With our members and their members, there’s a lot of back-and-forth going on right now about some of the things they would like to see happen.”

    “What I can’t guarantee, of course, is an outcome and, in particular, one that would clear in the House too,” Thune said later in the interview. “The White House is another factor here. But I think everybody realizes we want solutions.”

    What People Are Saying

    Thune, on X Wednesday: “Democrats passed CRs 13 different times when they had the majority and Biden was president. They have lost all rationale when it comes to their hatred for President Trump. I hope Democrats will come to their senses and reopen the government.”

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, also on X Wednesday: “Republicans shut down the government because they can’t be bothered to protect health care for Americans across this country. Premiums are set to more than double! Americans cannot afford this.”

    This is a developing story that will be updated with additional information.

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  • With shutdown, Democrats take a perilous risk at a precarious party moment

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    WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers took a significant risk this week by choosing to fight the Trump administration over the extension of healthcare credits.

    A stalemate over the matter led to the federal shutdown on Tuesday night, when Democrats denied Republicans the votes needed to continue funding the government, forcing hundreds of thousands of federal workers into furloughs or to work without pay.

    It’s a gamble for a party facing its lowest approval numbers since the Reagan era — and a calculated risk Democratic leaders felt feel compelled to take.

    “I am proud to be fighting to preserve healthcare for millions of people, ” Sen. Adam Schiff of California said in an interview Wednesday. “I think this is a very necessary fight.”

    The healthcare tax credits are set to expire at the end of the year, and if Democrats are unsuccessful in securing an extension as part of a shutdown deal, then premiums for millions of Americans are expected to skyrocket, Schiff said.

    “There’s really not much that can be done to mitigate these dramatic health premium increases people are going to see unless the president and Republicans are willing to work with us on it,” he said.

    Entering the shutdown, polls indicated the country was split over who would be to blame, with 19% of Americans faulting Democrats and 26% charging Republicans, according to a New York Times poll. A plurality of respondents — 33% — said both parties were responsible.

    Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, a Democrat and the Senate minority leader, is leading the charge with his worst favorability numbers among his home state residents in over 20 years — and with the highest disapproval ratings of any congressional leader, according a recent Pew survey.

    Schumer faced widespread ridicule from within his party in March after reversing course during the last government funding deadline, choosing then to support the Trump administration’s continuing resolution proposal.

    That showdown came at the height of an aggressive purge by President Trump of the federal workforce. A government shutdown would only enable more mass firings, Schumer said at the time.

    But the current shutdown is already giving Trump administration officials license to resume mass layoffs, this time specifically targeting Democratic states and priorities.

    “We’d be laying off a lot of people who are going to be very affected,” Trump said in the hours before the shutdown, adding: “They’re going to be Democrats.”

    On Wednesday, Russ Vought, Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget and a longtime advocate of concentrated presidential power, wrote on social media that $8 billion in “Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda” would be canceled to 16 Democratic-majority states, including California, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii.

    Hours earlier, the Trump administration had frozen roughly $18 billion for infrastructure projects in New York City pending a review that Vought said would “ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles.”

    House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans at a news conference Wednesday discussing the shutdown.

    (Mariam Zuhaib / Associated Press)

    Seeing these actions, Schiff worries about further punitive measures against California.

    “California, I’m sure, won’t be far behind in the kind of vindictive actions of the president,” he said.

    At a White House press briefing Wednesday afternoon, Vice President JD Vance denied that the administration was planning to structure layoffs based on politics.

    “We’re going to have to make things work, and that means that we’re going to have to triage some certain things,” he said. “That means certain people are going to have to get laid off, and we’re going to try to make sure that the American people suffer as little as possible from the shutdown.”

    Vance placed the blame squarely on Schumer and other Democrats, saying repeatedly that Democrats had shut down the government because Republicans refused to give billions of dollars in healthcare funding to immigrants in the country illegally. Immigrants without legal status are not eligible for any federal healthcare programs, including Medicaid and health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

    “To the American people who are watching: The reason your government is shut down at this very minute is because, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of congressional Republicans — and even a few moderate Democrats — supported opening the government, the Chuck Schumer-AOC wing of the Democratic Party shut down the government,” the vice president said.

    Vance said policy disagreements should not serve as the basis for keeping hostage essential services that Americans need. But before those discussions can happen, the government must be reopened.

    “I’d invite Chuck Schumer to join the moderate Democrats and 52 Senate Republicans. Do the right thing, open up the People’s Government, and then let’s fix healthcare policy for the American people,” he said.

    Some senators, including Democrat Ruben Gallego of Arizona, are exploring a bipartisan offramp from the crisis, including a potential continuing resolution that would reopen the government for roughly a week to provide room for negotiations.

    While that option is on the table, less than 24 hours into the shutdown, some Democrats think a short-term solution is contingent on Trump being willing to negotiate with Democrats in good faith.

    “It really just depends on whether the president decides he’s going to try to resolve this conflict and negotiate,” Schiff said. “Until he makes that decision that he wants the shutdown to end, it will continue.”

    Vance described two categories of demands from congressional Democrats: those acting in good faith who want to make sure the administration engages in a conversation about critical issues such as healthcare, and those who refuse to reopen the government until every demand is met.

    “We just write those people off because they’re not negotiating in good faith — and frankly, we don’t need it,” he said, noting that three senators who vote Democratic — John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Angus King (I-Maine) — had already broken ranks to vote to fund the government.

    “Three moderate Democrats joined 52 Republicans last night,” he said, adding: “We need five more in order to reopen the government, and that’s really where we’re going to focus.”

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    Michael Wilner, Ana Ceballos, Andrea Castillo

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  • Do Democrats want health care for ‘illegal aliens’?

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    As the U.S. headed for a government shutdown, Republicans repeatedly accused Democrats of forcing the closure because they want to give health care access to immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

    “Democrats are threatening to shut down the entire government because they want to give hundreds of billions of dollars of healthcare benefits to illegal aliens,” Vice President JD Vance said Sept. 28 on “Fox News Sunday.”

    President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican members of Congress have repeated this line.

    It’s wrong.

    Democrats have refused to vote for Republicans’ resolution to extend the federal spending deadline, and their position does, in part, hinge on health care spending. Democrats want to extend pandemic-era Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year and roll back Medicaid cuts in the tax and spending bill that Trump signed into law this summer. 

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    The Democrats’ proposal wouldn’t give health care to immigrants illegally in the U.S. — they are already largely ineligible for federally funded health care. Instead, the proposal would restore access to certain health care programs for legal immigrants who will lose access under the Republican law.

    The White House did not respond to PolitiFact’s request for comment for this fact-check. Vance addressed criticism of his talking point in another interview by saying it was included in the Democrats’ spending proposal; it’s not.

    A White House X account followed up with screenshots of the Democratic proposal repealing a section of the Republican law labeled “alien Medicaid eligibility.” It’s important to know that these changes would not give Medicaid access to immigrants illegally in the U.S.

    Vance defended his statement again in an Oct. 1 White House press conference, saying former President Joe Biden “waived away illegal immigration status” that helped migrants access federal assistance. It’s important to note that many people granted lawful status through humanitarian parole or Temporary Protected Status programs don’t automatically qualify for Medicaid; TPS  recipients aren’t eligible, and many people who entered the U.S. on humanitarian parole are required to wait five years before accessing it.

    The Trump administration has ended humanitarian parole and Temporary Protected Status for many people, rendering them ineligible for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

    We did not find evidence that Democrats want to spend “hundreds of billions” in costs for insuring migrants with unlawful presence. 

    Immigrants in the U.S. illegally are ineligible for federally funded health care

    The vast majority of federal health care dollars cannot be spent on health care for people in the U.S. illegally. They cannot enroll in Medicaid or Medicare, and they are ineligible to purchase health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. A small Medicaid program reimburses hospitals for uninsured emergency care, which can include immigrants in the country illegally but is not exclusive to them.

    Some states including California and Illinois expanded Medicaid coverage for people regardless of their immigration status, and the states pay for that. Federal law already banned states from using federal money for these programs. An earlier version of the Republican spending law would have penalized such states by withholding funding, but that provision didn’t last.

    People in the country illegally might receive some federally funded health care in emergency cases; in those situations, hospitals must provide care even if a person is uninsured or in the country illegally. Emergency Medicaid covers hospital care for immigrants who would be eligible for Medicaid if not for their immigration status. The Republican tax and spending law reduced the amount hospitals can receive for emergency immigrant care.

    Most of the Emergency Medicaid spending is used on childbirth. In all, it represented less than 1% of total Medicaid spending in fiscal year 2023, according to KFF, a health think tank.

    Republican law limited health care access for immigrants with legal status

    The Republican tax and spending law made several changes to health care eligibility for immigrants in the country with legal permission. An estimated 1.4 million legal immigrants are expected to lose their health insurance, according to KFF’s analysis of Congressional Budget Office projections. 

    Starting October 2026, the law will restrict eligibility for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program to lawfully permanent residents, people from the Marshall Islands, Micronesia or Palau who lawfully reside in the U.S. under an international agreement, and certain Cubans and Haitians.

    Previously, a broad group described as “qualified noncitizens” were eligible for Medicaid and CHIP, including refugees and people granted asylum.

    Some immigrants who are eligible for Medicaid and CHIP, such as lawful permanent residents, are required to wait five years before accessing the benefits. 

    The law also limited Affordable Care Act marketplace eligibility to the same group eligible for Medicaid and CHIP beginning Jan. 1, 2027. Previously, people who were described as “lawfully present” were eligible. That group included the “qualified noncitizens” eligible for Medicaid and people with short-term statuses, such as Temporary Protected Status or international students.

    Beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, for immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally as children were previously eligible for Affordable Care Act coverage and its subsidies. They are ineligible after an August Trump administration rule.

    Democrats’ proposal would restore legal immigrants’ access to federally funded health care

    The Democrats’ Sept. 17 budget proposal would, in part, permanently extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies and roll back billions in Republican cuts to Medicaid and other health programs. 

    The change would make Medicaid, CHIP and Affordable Care Act coverage available to all legal immigrants who were previously eligible for it, such as refugees and people granted asylum.

    The Democratic proposal would not broaden eligibility to federally funded health care programs to immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally.

    Vance said the Democratic policies would “give hundreds of billions of dollars of health care benefits to illegal aliens,” and the White House did not offer its source for that figure. When Johnson was pressed to support a similar talking point, he referenced the Congressional Budget Office. An August KFF analysis of CBO estimates found that the Republican law’s provisions related to legal immigrants would reduce federal spending by $131 billion; this projection did not include an estimate for people without legal status.

    Our ruling

    Vance said, “Democrats are threatening to shut down the entire government because they want to give hundreds of billions of dollars of health care benefits to illegal aliens.”

    Immigrants in the U.S. illegally are largely ineligible for federally funded health care programs Medicare and Medicaid, and they cannot seek coverage in the Affordable Care Act marketplace or apply for subsidies.

    The Democrats’ budget proposal would not change that.

    The Democrats want to restore access to certain health care programs to legal immigrants who will lose access under the Republican tax and spending law — among other measures aimed at making Medicaid and Affordable Care Act insurance plans easier to keep. 

    Their proposal would not grant federally supported health care benefits to people in the U.S. illegally, because they did not have access to them in the first place. The small amount of funding designated for Emergency Medicaid reimburses hospitals that provide emergency care to immigrants who would be eligible for Medicaid if not for their immigration status. Finally, we did not find evidence for Vance’s assertion that Democrats want “hundreds of billions” in health benefits for migrants in the country illegally. 

    We rate the statement False.

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  • The Post-Chuck Schumer Era

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    For a while, it seemed like McConnell was single-handedly blocking the entirety of the US government from his vantage as the minority leader, an arrangement Schumer just hasn’t been able to crack. It’s not impossible, however: Unlike in the House, which only requires a majority vote among its 435 members, the Senate has a 60-vote threshold for most items to pass its 100-member body. This gives the minority leverage. While Republicans may have a trifecta, they can’t pass a single piece of legislation without Democratic votes. With the Democrats out of power, it’s the only area of the government where they can exert any influence.

    Instead of wielding that power, my Senate source says, Schumer instructed members to not make any demands back in March, “because he wanted Republicans to take the blame when the government shut down.” At the time, Schumer was losing support from members to support keeping the government open, even though our reporting showed a frightening alternative.

    “You don’t get credit for things you prevent from happening,” Frank says of the averted shutdown.

    At the very least, Democrats would like Schumer, or Schumer’s successor, to take a page out of the Nancy Pelosi playbook, back from when she was House speaker. She was known to encourage candidates in competitive districts to run against her as Speaker—even pledging to vote against her for the role—if it gave them a better shot of winning, as long as she could count on them for tough votes once they arrived in Congress.

    “He doesn’t just need Michigan and Maine and Texas,” the campaign consultant says of Schumer. “He needs Missouri and Kansas and places where they should be running specifically against Schumer in ads.”

    Jentleson points to Reid, his former boss, as an example of how this can play out. Early in his tenure, Democratic candidates in red states would run against him as leader.

    The rub for Schumer, whose office did not return a request for comment, is that this would involve people saying mean things about him.

    “Again, this comes down to Schumer being congenitally incapable of being criticized by anyone,” the Senate aide says. “He wants everyone to love him all the time.”

    This is an edition of Jake Lahut’s Inner Loop newsletter. Read previous newsletters here.

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    Jake Lahut

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