gov't shutdown

PRIMARY 10 25

premature? belated?

oops see shutdown(bit of bad code?)

we have had 3-4 before, but often backfire in terms of PR, so before always about blame;

SEE HANNITY BANNON FOX CRM

SEE Hatch ACT

in infamous presser (with dem leadership who assumed normal closed dr negotiation)

nancy you do not have votes

STOCK MKT GOES UP ROUTINELY?

i will proudly shut down this goes on RW wacko orthodoxy that gov't is by nature evil so any constraint is good) USED TO EXTORT DEMS WHO TRY TO DO RIGHT BY AM PPL [THO HAKeeM MAY JIU JITSU?]

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no lnx

The fight for our democracy won’t be won by appeasing bullies

Supporters of Donald Trump celebrate after the Fox Network called the election in his favor at the site of his rally, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 6, 2024. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo

Thom HartmannNovember 13, 2025

What we witnessed this weekend in the United States Senate wasn’t “compromise.” It was surrender: the kind of gutless, morally bankrupt capitulation that betrays American families and feeds the billionaires devouring our democracy.

Eight senators who caucus with the Democrats joined Republicans to end the government shutdown, not in victory, not to secure healthcare for millions, but to hand Donald Trump and his morbidly rich cronies a gift-wrapped political win.

And standing at the center of this disgrace is Chuck Schumer, the so-called “leader” of the Senate Democrats, who orchestrated — or at least approved or failed to stop — the entire debacle from behind the curtain, then had the gall to vote “no” at the last minute to wash his hands of it.

Let’s be clear: this was Schumer’s deal. He built it, he pushed it, and he enabled it. His fingerprints are all over this betrayal.

And what did Democrats get in exchange for reopening the government? What did the American people get? Nothing.

Not a penny restored to Medicaid (or the hit Medicare will take in a year under Trump’s Big Ugly Bill). Not a rollback of Trump’s rescissions that gutted essential agencies. Not even a meaningful vote to protect Affordable Care Act subsidies or food stamps.

The so-called “promise” of a vote in the Senate within 40 days is a joke, a political placebo meant to sedate the public while the insurance industry counts its profits.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was right to call Sunday evening’s vote a “very bad night.” The deal explodes health-care premiums for over 20 million Americans and paves the way for 15 million to lose coverage altogether.

That lack of coverage, experts estimate, will cause 50,000 preventable deaths a year. These are real people and their children, their deaths sacrificed at the altar of Trump’s and the GOP’s lust for wealth and power.

And it wasn’t just cowardice: it was also cash.

The health-care industry owns far too many Democrats, and this vote appears to prove it. The same corporations that profit from denying you care are stuffing the pockets of the very lawmakers who just “compromised” your future.

When Democrats vote with Republicans to gut health care, it’s not bipartisanship. It’s corruption, legalized and laundered through Citizens United campaign finance loopholes created by five bought-and-paid-for Republicans on the Supreme Court. Bribery by another name.

Schumer has presided over this kind of rot for years, protecting incumbents who serve donors instead of voters, blowing up efforts to promote genuine progressives like Bernie in 2016, while building a machine that runs on Wall Street money and insurance and banking industry cash. He was so ineffective he couldn’t even stop Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema back in the day, even though he wields enormous power.

Schumer’s’ leadership — and, generally, the leadership of the Democrats since the 1990s Clinton years — have turned the Democratic Party from the party of FDR into a cautious club managed by well-paid consultants who tremble at their own shadows while they fill their bank accounts with blood money.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, Trump is showing us exactly what real political power looks like, as well as what it fears.

The simple reality is that Trump was about to break. He was freaking out.

Before the eight senators caved to the GOP, Trump was so frantic that he was demanding Senate Republicans end the filibuster altogether, so he could “ram through legislation that will make sure no Democrat ever gets elected again.”

GOP leaders — including (and especially) Senate Majority Leader John Thune — are terrified at the possibility of ending the filibuster, not out of principle, but out of self-preservation. They know ending it could expose just how extreme and deranged the Republican agenda really is.

As I’ve argued before, the filibuster has been a scam for a half-century, a tool that since the Reagan era both Republicans and corporate Democrats use every year to fool their base and donors into thinking their hands are tied.

It obscures Republican radicalism, while similarly protecting the so-called “moderate” Democrats who spit-shine the boots of their corporate masters.

Trump believes killing the filibuster will increase his power. In reality, it would tear his party apart and lay bare its madness for the world to see because Republicans could no longer say, “We couldn’t pass that bill to [fill in the blank] because those damn Democrats filibustered it.”

But the filibuster should be ended, and if these eight Democrats hadn’t surrendered, Trump might have forced it. That would’ve been the best thing for America.

And make no mistake: Trump’s terrified or he wouldn’t have even considered killing the filibuster. As Steve Bannon bluntly said, if Democrats ever regain full control, “a lot of Republicans are going to prison.” Presumably including Trump himself.

Compounding Trump’s freak-out, alleged horrors are leaking out about how Trump appears in the Epstein files. Reporter David Schuster noted:

“A few GOP House members say they’ve heard from FBI/DOJ contacts that the Epstein files (with copies in different agencies) are worse than Michael Wolff’s description of Epstein photos showing Trump with half-naked teenage girls.”

Trump knows what’s in those files; he partied with Epstein for a decade and is now throwing bennies at Ghislaine Maxwell to try to keep her quiet. That’s why he’s trying to distract his supporters by hosting his Great Gatsby parties at Mar-a-Lago, making incoherent threats about cash check “rebates” to Americans and war in Venezuela, and hustling billions from foreign dictators to insulate himself and his boys before the walls close in.

If Democrats are going to really confront Trump’s authoritarianism and the corporate corruption that fuels it — which is absolutely necessary now to rescue and sustain American democracy — we need a Senate leader with a spine, not a strategist for surrender. Chuck Schumer’s brand of 90s politics, to triangulate, capitulate, and hope nobody notices, has failed us for decades.

He embodies the rot of the old guard: a generation of post-1992 Democrats who think fundraising prowess equals political courage.

It doesn’t. Times have changed, and we’re now standing in the midst of a progressive populist era. Just look at New York’s mayoral race.

Leadership means fighting for working families, not finessing deals for donors. It means standing up to Trumpism, not whispering in back rooms while pretending to resist.

We need new leadership. America — and Democrats — deserve statesmen and women willing to call out corruption in their own ranks, to reject the blood money of lobbyists, and to stand unflinchingly for universal healthcare, living wages, and democracy itself.

Americans are sick of being sold out. We’re done watching our supposed champions cave while billionaires pop champagne. The fight for our democracy won’t be won by appeasing bullies or bowing to donors.

It’ll be won when Democrats rediscover their courage, and when Chuck Schumer finally steps aside to be replaced by a true fighter.

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AN 11 25

One of the eight Senate Democrats who voted with Republicans to end the government shutdown was persuaded with the help of one GOP senator, who won him over by promising to strip one of President Donald Trump's unpopular policies out of the final bill.

That's according to a Tuesday article by Punchbowl News' Andrew Desiderio, who reported that Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) worked with Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) on a provision preventing the Trump administration from implementing mass firings of federal workers. Initially, the White House was resistant to the proposal, but Desiderio reported that Britt served as a key "go-between" to secure the deal that may end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

As a Senate Democrat, Kaine has typically been a reliable vote against Trump's policies and appointments. But as Virginia's junior U.S. senator, Kaine (who was 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's running mate) represents roughly 320,000 federal workers, who have all either been furloughed or forced to work without pay as essential employees for the past 41 days. Desiderio noted that Britt promising to include a ban on RIFs (reductions in force) ultimately won him over.

"I said, ‘Thank you for helping convince the White House on the RIFs,’” Kaine told Punchbowl. “They really did not want to do it ... And I said, ‘I’m a no if you don’t do that.’”

Britt told Desiderio that she conducted multiple late-night calls with Republican leadership to convince them to include the anti-RIF provision in the final legislation, and that despite Kaine's opposition to Trump, she knew he ultimately wanted to make sure his constituents could get back to work and be compensated for more than a month of unpaid labor.

"The question was put on the table — how can they be guaranteed backpay, how can they be guaranteed ... getting their job back, making sure they can maintain it,” Britt said. “Those were all conversations that drew Sen. Kaine to the table as he fought for the people he serves.”

"We need opportunities to work together and to build trust, and I felt like this was a good way to do that," she added.

The legislation is now headed to the House of Representatives, where House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has promised to oppose it as it does not include an extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits that Democrats fought for in the last month of negotiations. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has not promised a House vote on restoring the ACA tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of 2025 and cause a significant spike in health insurance premiums.

'Grotesque': Lindsey Graham slammed for blaming shutdown on Dem 'political terrorism'

AN 11 25

mod dems cave? 11/10/25

an 10 25

Trump administration scrambling to hide the most 'disruptive effects' of shutdown: report

Carl Gibson

OOPS CONTEXT?

LITERALLY SHIT POSTING ON OFF WH SITES?

AN 10 25

A grim-faced President Donald J. Trump looks out at the reader, under the headline “LAW AND ORDER.” Graffiti pictured in the corner of the White House Facebook post reads “Death to ICE.” Beneath that, a photo of protesters, choking on tear gas. And underneath it all, a smaller headline: “President Trump Deploys 2,000 National Guard After ICE Agents Attacked, No Mercy for Lawless Riots and Looters.”

The official communication from the White House appeared on Facebook in June 2025, after Trump sent in troops to quell protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Los Angeles. Visually, it is melodramatic, almost campy, resembling a TV promotion.

The post is not an outlier.

In the Trump administration, White House social media posts often blur the lines between politics and entertainment, and between reality and illusion.

The White House has released AI images of Trump as the Pope, as Superman and as a Star Wars Jedi, ready to do battle with “Radical Left Lunatics” who would bring “Murderers, Drug Lords … & well-known MS-13 Gang Members” into the country.

Most recently, on the weekend of the No Kings protests, both Trump and the White House released a video of the president wearing a crown and piloting a fighter jet, from which he dispenses feces onto a crowd of protesters below.

Underpinning it all is a calculated political strategy: an appeal to Trump’s political base – largely white, working-class, rural or small-town, evangelical and culturally conservative.

As scholars who study communication in politics and the media, we believe the White House’s rhetoric and style is part of a broader global change often found in countries experiencing increased polarization and democratic backsliding.

White House style

In the past, national leaders generally favored a professional tone, whether on social or traditional media. Their language was neutral and polished, laced with political jargon.

While populist political communication has become more common along with the proliferation of social media, the communication norms are further altered in Trump White House social media posts.

They are partisan, theatrical and exaggerated. Their tone is almost circuslike. The process of governing is portrayed as a reality TV show, in which political roles are performed with little regard for real-world consequences. Vivid color schemes and stylized imagery convert political messaging into visual spectacle. The language is colloquial, down-to-earth.

Just as other influencers in a variety of domains might create an emotional bond by tailoring social media messages, content, products and services to the needs and likes of individual customers, the White House tailors its content to the beliefs, language and worldview of Trump’s political base.

In doing so, the White House echoes a broad, growing trend in political communication, portraying Trump as “a champion of the people” and using direct and informal communication that appeals to fear and resentment.

Trump White House social media makes no effort to promote social unity or constructive dialogue, or reduce polarization – and often heightens it. Undocumented immigrants, for example, are often portrayed as inherently evil. White House social media amplifies dramatic, emotionally charged content.

In one video, Trump recites a poem about a kind woman who takes in a snake, a stand-in for an immigrant who in reality is a dangerous serpent. “Instead of saying thanks, that snake gave her a vicious bite,” Trump recites.

Talking to the base

While some scholars have called the White House social media style “amateurish,” that hasn’t resulted in change.

The lack of response to negative feedback is partially explained by the strategic goal of these communications: to appeal to the frustrations of Trump’s deeply disaffected political base, which seems to revel in the White House social media style.

Scholars identify a large number of these voters as “the precariat,” a group whose once-stable, union-protected jobs have been outsourced or replaced with low-wage, insecure service work. These workers, many former Democrats, can no longer count on a regular paycheck, benefits or work they can identify with.

As a result, they are more likely to support political candidates whom they believe will respond to their economic instability.

In addition, many of these voters blame a breakdown in what they perceive as the racial pecking order for a loss of social status, especially when compared with more highly educated workers. Many of these workers distrust the media and other elite institutions they feel have failed them. Research shows that they are highly receptive to messages that confirm their grievances and that many regard Trump as their champion.

Trump and the White House social media play to this audience.

On social media, the president is free to violate norms that anger his critics but have little effect on his supporters, who view the current political system as flawed. One example: A White House Valentine’s Day communication that said “Roses are red, violets are blue, come here illegally, and we’ll deport you.”

In addition, Trump and the White House social media use the president’s status as a celebrity, coupled with comedy and spectacle, to immunize the administration from fallout, even among some of its critics.

Trump’s exaggerated gestures, over-the-top language, his lampooning of opponents and his use of caricature to ridicule whole categories of people – including Democrats, the disabled, Muslims, Mexicans and women – is read by his political base as a playful and entertaining take down of political correctness. It may form a sturdy pillar of his support.

But prioritizing entertainment over facts has long-term significance.

Trump’s communication strategies are already setting a global precedent, encouraging other politicians to adopt similar theatrical and polarizing tactics that distort or deny facts.

These methods may energize some audiences but risk alienating others. Informed political engagement is reduced, and democratic backsliding is increasingly a reality.

Although the communication style of the White House is playful and irreverent, it has a serious goal: the diffusion of ideological messages whose intent is to create a sense of strength and righteousness among its supporters.

In simple terms, this is propaganda designed to persuade citizens that the government is strong, its enemies evil and that fellow citizens – “real Americans” – think the same way.

Scholars observe that the White House projection of the often comical images of authority echoes the visual style of authoritarian governments. Both seek to be seen as in control of the social and political order and thereby to discourage dissent.

The chief difference between the two is that in a deeply polarized democracy such as the U.S., citizens interpret these displays of authority in sharply different ways: They build opposition among Trump opponents but support among supporters.

The rising intolerance that results erodes social cohesion, undermines support for democratic norms and weakens trust in institutions. And that opens the door to democratic backsliding.

Andrew Rojecki, Professor of Communication, University of Illinois Chicago and Tanja Aitamurto, Associate Professor of Communication, University of Illinois Chicago

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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AN 10 25

Steve Bannon, host of the "War Room" podcast and former White House chief strategist in the first Trump Administration, describes his MAGA strategy as "flood the zone with s——." The idea, according to Bannon, is to wear down political opponents by inundating them with nonsense and trolling.

"Real Time" host Bill Maher has warned liberals and progressives about MAGA's strategy, urging them to stay focused on key issues and not "lose their s——" every time President Donald Trump trolls them or posts something offensive on social media.

In an article published on October 22, MSNBC White House reporter Akayla Gardner emphasizes that MAGA Republicans are using a flood-the-zone strategy during the current shutdown battle. The United States' federal government has been partially shut down since October 1, and so far, Democratic and GOP lawmakers have yet to reach a spending agreement that will end the shutdown.

"White House digital staffers have unleashed a social media strategy full of taunting memes and fake videos, following President Donald Trump's lead in a bid to bolster his base as the government shutdown drags on," Gardner explains. "The amped-up tactics are meant to mock Democrats for their proposal to reverse recently passed restrictions on Medicaid, which the GOP falsely claims pays for health care for undocumented immigrants. The memes include a recurring stunt of placing animated sombreros atop images of Democratic leaders."

The MSNBC reporter adds, "Democrats, for their part, have not responded in kind on social media. Instead, they have mostly stuck to sharing their segments on cable news, and posting explainer videos on the health care tax credits they're pushing to extend in negotiations. They've also continued to criticize the president's social media activity."

IFrame Content

Gardner notes that it remains to be seen "which approach wins out in the minds of voters" and "how long the shutdown continues."

Republican Bryan Lanza, a former Trump campaign senior staffer, told MSNBC that "controversy enhances message" was a "theory in Trump 1.0" and has "become a proven fact in Trump 2.0."

Gardner reports, "The key question is whether the White House's shutdown social strategy is catered to Trump's core or meant to win over the broader public. The answer matters, given the president faces an uphill battle to convince voters that Democrats are responsible for the lapse in government funding that has caused air-travel disruptions, museum closures and missed paychecks for thousands."

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10 25 mma shutdown

fox Business host Larry Kudlow urges Trump to seize on the shutdown to fire up to 500,000 more federal workers 10/07/25

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/fox-business-host-larry-kudlow-urges-trump-seize-shutdown-fire-500000-more-federal-workers)

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KFF FACT CHECK

AN 10 25

“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.” --Vice President JD Vance in a Sept. 28, 2025, Fox News interview

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 health care benefits to illegal aliens,” Vice President JD Vance said Sept. 28 on “Fox News Sunday.”

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

It’s wrong. VID

IFrame Content

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 covid 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.

The Democrats’ proposal wouldn’t give health care to immigrants who lack legal status; that population is already largely ineligible for federally funded health care. Instead, the proposal would restore access to certain health care programs for legally present 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 who lack lawful status.

Vance defended his statement again in an Oct. 1 White House, 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 health plans on 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 Lacking Legal Status Are Already Ineligible

Most federal health care dollars cannot be spent on health care for people in the U.S. who lack legal status. 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 without authorization but is not exclusive to them.

States such as 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 without permission 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 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 information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.

GOP Law Limited Care Access for Immigrants With Legal Status

The Republican tax and spending law made several changes to health care eligibility for immigrants living in the country with permission. An estimated 1.4 million legal immigrants are expected to lose their health insurance, according to a KFF 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,” was eligible for Medicaid and its related Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP, including refugees and people granted asylum.

Some immigrants 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. without authorization as children were previously eligible for Affordable Care Act coverage and its subsidies. They are ineligible since a Trump administration rule took effect in August.

Democrats’ Proposal Would Restore Legal Immigrants’ Access

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 lacking legal status.

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. The 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 the 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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### Sean Hannity tells federal workers fired due to the shutdown their “self-imposed limitations” on where they live will keep them from finding work

10/02/25 MMA

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### Newsmax host: “Most of America, I think, is actually better off” with a government shutdown

10/03/25

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mma

Fox News propagandists are overwhelmingly backing the GOP’s bogus shutdown message that congressional Democrats are refusing to fund the government because they want to give health care to illegal immigrants. But every once in a while their masks slip, and they reveal that they oppose extending the crucial Obamacare subsidies at the heart of Democrats’ actual position, which would trigger drastic premium price hikes for millions of Americans.

A partial government shutdown began at midnight on Wednesday after both Republican and Democratic proposals to extend government funding failed to reach 60 votes in the Senate. CBS News reported that the Democrats’ “red line” was “a permanent extension of enhanced tax credits for Americans who purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.” Those enhanced tax credits, authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021, are scheduled to expire at the end of the year.

That’s as it should be, according to some Fox pundits.

Fox host Sean Hannity complained on Wednesday night that Democrats had refused to fund the government in part because “they want to extend Biden COVID-era health care subsidies, which were supposed to be temporary. COVID is over.” But rather than explain the implications of allowing those subsidies to expire, Hannity pivoted away to his main gripe. “Don’t let the left fool you. This is also about your tax dollars funding health care for illegals,” he said, while airing B-roll from 2022 and 2023 of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. “Democrats have been lying, trying to deny it,” he added.

Video

Citation

From the October 1, 2025, edition of Fox News' Hannity

Earlier that day on The Five, after Democratic co-host Jessica Tarlov pointed out that the ACA subsidies are “the crux” of the dispute, Jesse Watters interjected that Democrats “juiced up the premiums for COVID-level spending” and Republicans simply “want to bring it back down to pre-COVID.”

Guest host and Fox contributor Paul Mauro chimed in that Democrats “used COVID to throw all of these subsidies in, and like any entitlement, when you go to take it away, people have strokes.”

“Right,” Fox host Greg Gutfeld interjected.

This position is wildly unpopular — polls show that supermajorities of Americans support extending the subsidies, with even Republicans and self-identified MAGA supporters backing it by a wide margin — and for good reason.

The 22 million Americans who benefit from those enhanced subsidies will face crushing increases in the cost of health insurance if those Fox hosts get their way and Republicans allow them to expire. According to CBS News:

The cost of premiums for people who buy their insurance through the ACA marketplaces could more than double, rising from an average of $888 in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026, according to a Sept. 30 analysis by KFF. About 4 million people would likely drop their insurance coverage if the credit is allowed to expire because they would't be able to afford the costs, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated.

That’s a huge potential impact for millions of people — but Fox’s mentions of these subsidies are breathtakingly rare.

Tarlov and other Democrats have used appearances on the right-wing network to try to warn its viewers, but Fox’s stars are far more blasé. They are relying on a typical page from Fox’s standard playbook: Mentions of the Obamacare subsidies and potential results of the policy they support are few and far between, as the hosts instead try to redirect the attention of their audience and stoke their rage over the prospect of undocumented immigrants receiving benefits.

### Right-wing media run wild with the blatantly false claim that Democrats are shutting down the government to secure “health care for illegals”

09/30/25 3:58 PM EDT

### How Fox News is hiding the GOP’s brutal Medicaid cuts

06/26/25 9:28 AM EDT

### Another massive Trump corruption scandal for right-wing media to bury

09/16/25

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AN 10 25

'Intolerable': Lawmaker rages at Trump for 'hijacking' agencies to send 'MAGA propaganda'

[David Badash]

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AN 10 25

Trump sees shutdown as 'invitation to act' in order to complete his 'power grab': analysis

Carl Gibson

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TRUMP EMBRACE MASK OFF SHUTDOWN 10 25

an 10 25

In a late-night social media posting spree, President Donald Trump promoted a meme that declared Democrats are the “party of hate, evil, and Satan.” The attack on his political opposition comes just weeks after the President and his allies blamed Democratic rhetoric for the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, despite providing no evidence to support their claims.

The meme the President posted also stated that the Democratic Party is “dead,” and has “no leadership,” “no message,” “no hope,” and, “their only message for America is to hate Trump.”

In an Oval Office address just after Kirk’s assassination, Trump declared:

“It’s long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible.”

“For years,” he continued, “those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.”

IFrame Content

HuffPost reported on Friday that Trump “presumably” had been in “a snit over the continued partial government shutdown,” and “literally demonized his political opponents while his allies promote lies about Democrats wanting to give health insurance to undocumented migrants.”

Overnight, the President also posted several other memes and videos, including one that The Daily Beast on Friday described as “presumably an AI-generated cover of Blue Öyster Cult’s 1976 hit ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,’ portrays … OMB director and Project 2025 architect Russell Vought as the reaper in question.”

“The visuals, which are also AI-generated, show Vought as the Grim Reaper, cavorting around Washington, D.C., while wielding his scythe. Interspersed throughout are shots of a band led by Trump playing a cowbell—one is famously used on the original track—accompanied by Vance on the drums.”

Trump, who had disavowed any knowledge of Project 2025 throughout his 2024 campaign, on Thursday announced he was meeting “with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent.”

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MMA

Right-wing media run wild with the blatantly false claim that Democrats are shutting down the government to secure “health care for illegals”

The New York Times noted a “misleading” Republican talking point on the looming shutdown. That talking point is all over right-wing media.

Written by Gideon Taaffe, Isabella Sherk & Pete Tsipis

Published 09/30/25

Right-wing media are pushing a lie that Democrats are threatening to shut down the government over “free health care for illegal immigrants” and want to “blow up the budget” for “illegal aliens” even though undocumented immigrants are not eligible for federally funded health benefits.

The Democrats are actually pushing to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act without which millions of Americans could face significantly higher health care premiums and lose access to health care. Additionally, Democrats are pushing to reverse cuts to federally funded health care that were passed under Trump's “One Big Beautiful Bill” in July.

## As the government faces a shutdown, conservatives lie about Democrats’ funding priorities

- The U.S. government may face a shutdown on October 1 if Congress does not pass a short-term funding bill, and currently the two main points of contention are Democrats’ call to extend enhanced federal subsidies for Affordable Care Act coverage that are set to expire this year and reverse cuts to health care, including Medicaid, passed in Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”CNN, [9/30/25]

- Democrats have proposed to continue the ACA subsidies, which would help “22 million Americans lower their health insurance costs” and save health care for an estimated 4 million.According to the nonpartisan health policy research group KFF, the result of letting the subsidies end would be “an increase of more than 75% in premiums on average for enrollees; a 90% increase in many rural areas.” Subsequently, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that 4 million people will lose health insurance. CBS News, [9/30/25; KFF, 9/3/25; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 9/22/25]

- Several prominent Republicans have falsely claimed that Democrats are trying to use a government shutdown to demand health care for undocumented immigrants.President Donald Trump posted a deepfake video to Truth Social of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) in a sombrero and a mustache and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) claiming, “If we give all these illegal aliens health care, we might be able to get them on our side so they can vote for us.” Vice President JD Vance posted, “Democrats are about to shutdown the government because they demand we fund healthcare for illegal aliens.” And House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) put out a press release that claimed “Democrats are Choosing Health Care for Illegal Aliens over American Troop Pay.” Truth Social, [9/29/25; Politico, 9/30/25; Twitter/X, 9/25/25; MikeJohnson.house.gov, 9/28/25]

- NY Times: The Democrats’ budget proposal “does not provide free health care for unauthorized immigrants.”Undocumented immigrants are “largely barred from federally funded health care,” as the Times reports, and while the Democrats’ proposal would restore eligibility for certain groups of “lawfully present” immigrants, it would not make unauthorized immigrants eligible. The Times adds: “There is no uniform definition for ‘lawful presence,’ a term typically used by federal and state health care and social welfare programs to determine eligibility. Most groups of ‘lawfully present’ noncitizens have authorized or legal immigration status like refugees and asylum recipients.” The New York Times, [9/29/25]

## Right-wing media falsely claim Democrats are shutting down the government over health care for undocumented immigrants

- Fox News host Ainsley Earhardt claimed Democrats say “we want health care for all Americans, but that would include the illegals.”Co-host Lawrence Jones replied, “They’re still fighting for illegals. You just lost the election over it.” He said the Democrats don’t have political support on this: “You lost on it. Move forward.” Fox News, *Fox & Friends*,[9/30/25]

- Teasing a segment, Fox News anchor Trace Gallagher said, “A government shutdown now 25 hours away and it appears Democrats are still pushing free health care for illegal immigrants.” Fox News, *Fox News @ Night*, [9/29/25]

- Fox host Sean Hannity said, “Schumer and his Democratic friends … want free health care for illegals as part of that deal.” He said it is “interesting because Democrats used to be totally against free health care benefits for illegals” and played clips of Schumer and then-first lady Hillary Clinton opposing the idea. Fox News, *Hannity*, [9/29/25]

- On his radio show, Hannity said Schumer won’t get what he wants because “we're not going to pay for health care for illegal immigrants by virtue of the fact they don't deserve benefits that are supposed to be reserved for the American people.” Premier Radio Networks, *The Sean Hannity Show*, [9/29/25]

- Fox host Mark Levin posted that Democrats “want to give their biggest constituency, illegal aliens, free healthcare at your expense, and blow up the budget.” He added that they will shut down the government if Republicans don’t “go along and spend another $1 trillion plus!” Twitter/X, [9/27/25]

- Hannity claimed that “if there is a government shutdown, it will be on the Democrats,” saying, “Democrats are fighting for, you know, for services for illegal immigrants. They're fighting for more DEI programs.” Hannity stated this to a caller who criticized Hannity for saying federal employees would “go home for two weeks, sit on the couch, and then come back and get back pay.” Premier Radio Networks,*The Sean Hannity Show*, [9/26/25]

- Hannity also claimed that Democrat demands “include things like over a trillion dollars in new spending for health care for illegals, taxpayer-funded gender swap surgeries for minors, open borders, men in women’s sports.” Fox News, *Hannity*, [9/23/25]

- Right-wing podcast host Laura Loomer wrote, “Democrats are threatening to shut down the government unless they get taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegals.” She added, “They really do hate America.” Twitter/X, [9/26/25]

- Right-wing talk show host and former White House press secretary Sean Spicer claimed that “access to health care” is “code for taxpayer financed healthcare for illegals.” Twitter/X, [9/30/25]

- Right-wing influencer Catturd posted, “Imagine shutting down the government because you want illegals to have free healthcare, and then thinking it’s gonna be popular with the American people.” Twitter/X, [9/30/25]

### Sean Hannity: “I don't care if the government shuts down”

09/30/25 12:35 PM EDT

### Benny Johnson: “I feel like most workers in the federal government are nonessential. I think most of them could be replaced by an AI chatbot, frankly.”

09/30/25 12:13 PM EDT

### Newsmax host: “Let's not pretend that the idea of a government shutdown isn't somewhat alluring to most of us”

09/30/25

---

MMA RANDOM

### Matt Walsh: “The death penalty is pro-life”

10/01/25 3:05 PM EDT

### Fox News' Laura Ingraham and Raymond Arroyo complain about Bad Bunny performing at the Super Bowl

10/01/25 2:34 PM EDT

### Newsmax guest: “There is nothing American about a Bad Bunny performance. Bad Bunny seems for all intents and purposes to hate America.”

10/01/25 2:13 PM EDT

### Steve Bannon: “I'm a huge believer in these government shutdowns”

10/01/25 1:50 PM EDT

### Benny Johnson on Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl: “NFL leadership has decided to hire a cross dressing, America-hating, ICE-hating Puerto Rican dude”

10/01/25 1:26 PM EDT

### Ben Shapiro says the “general idea” of Pete Hegseth's comments to generals is right, but “we've had some overweight generals before who were pretty good generals”

10/01/25 1:10 PM EDT

### Dinesh D'Souza tells Laura Loomer that Candace Owens makes “wild allegations” through her “bogus investigations”

10/01/25 12:57 PM EDT

### Ben Shapiro: “It kind of feels like, you know, a government shutdown is mostly the stuff you need and kind of gets rid of a lot of the stuff you don't”

10/01/25 12:51 PM EDT

### Fox News’ Jesse Watters and Will Cain do a 180 on supporting the release of the Epstein files

10/01/25 10:59 AM EDT

### Benny Johnson: “There is a government shutdown right now, and we are cheering for that. We say yes.”

10/01/25 10:37 AM EDT

### Newsmax guest: “Shut the government down. Lay them off, purge the government of these deep state bureaucrats.”

10/01/25 9:23 AM EDT

### Jesse Watters: DEI “was a bigger threat than all of America's enemies combined”

09/30/25 8:45 PM EDT

### On Deadline: White House, Angelo Carusone discusses Trump sharing AI videos and how they provide a concise way to reinforce a narrative already percolating in right-wing media

09/30/25 6:55 PM EDT

### Right-wing media run wild with the blatantly false claim that Democrats are shutting down the government to secure “health care for illegals”

09/30/25 3:58 PM EDT

### One year after Hurricane Helene, local news outlets show frustration with slow pace of recovery

09/30/25 1:47 PM EDT

### Sean Hannity: “I don't care if the government shuts down”

09/30/25 12:35 PM EDT

### Benny Johnson: “I feel like most workers in the federal government are nonessential. I think most of them could be replaced by an AI chatbot, frankly.”

09/30/25 12:13 PM EDT

### Right-wing media fracture over potential gun ban for trans Americans

09/30/25 11:36 AM EDT

### Benny Johnson: “White rage is how you win a war. That's how America's always won wars, idiots.”

09/30/25 11:26 AM EDT

### Newsmax host: “Let's not pretend that the idea of a government shutdown isn't somewhat alluring to most of us”

09/30/25 10:10 AM EDT

MMA

### Steve Bannon: “I'm a huge believer in these government shutdowns”

10/01/25

---

an 10 25 reporter no ID

President Donald Trump has repeatedly — and falsely — claimed that Democrats want to shut down the federal government in order to obtain $1 trillion for health care for undocumented immigrants, who by law are not allowed to access programs like the Obamacare exchanges, Social Security, or Medicare.

Democrats are “threatening” to shut down the government “unless they can have over $1 Trillion Dollars in new spending to continue free healthcare for Illegal Aliens,” Trump alleged last week.

He also wrongly claimed Democrats want to “force Taxpayers to fund Transgender surgery for minors, have dead people on the Medicaid roles, allow Illegal Alien Criminals to steal Billions of Dollars in American Taxpayer Benefits, try to force our Country to again open our Borders to Criminals and to the World, allow men to play in women’s sports, and essentially create Transgender operations for everybody.”

In a rare moment, a reporter told the President that undocumented immigrants are not eligible for health care, and pressed him on what he meant.

IFrame Content

“They’re not eligible for the healthcare subsidies that Democrats are demanding,” the reporter said. “So can you clarify, what are you talking about when you say, Democrats want to protect their healthcare?”

“So,” Trump responded, seemingly unaware of the law, “when an illegal person comes in, a person who came into our country illegally, therefore, breaking the law, and — look, we all have big hearts, I have a bigger heart than you do — they’re all breaking the law, and they’re coming into our country, and we just, as a country, cannot afford to take care of millions of people who have broken the law coming in.”

“We want them to come into our country, but we want them to come and legally,” he claimed, before going off on a tangent about the border.

“I mean, we had a border that was reckless. We had a border that was a disaster. They were coming in by the millions. I say 25 million people, and you’re saying less, but I say 25 million people came in illegally.”

“And no system can take care of the healthcare of all of those people that came in our lifetime for that,” Trump added, again, apparently unaware that that is not what Democrats are asking for.

---

===

MMA

### Newsmax host cheers for a government shutdown: “Let's go, shut it down”

09/24/25

---

Steve Bannon says Russ Vought will “take a meat axe to the administrative state” in the event of a government shutdown

Steve Bannon: “The folks on Capitol Hill are not — they're not equipped to deal with the problems. ... Russ Vought has thought this thing through for years and years and years, the folks over Heritage helped him with Project 2025.”

Written by Media Matters Staff

:{:{Published 09/25/25}:

Video

Citation

From the September 25, 2025, edition of Real America's Voice's War Room

STEVE BANNON (HOST): Prepare for Russ Vought. Russ Vought is going to get eviscerated. He'll go front and center. It's his turn in the barrel starting probably this afternoon with MSNBC, and CNN, New York Times, Washington Post — this guy's cruel, he's a Christian nationalist, he's this, he's that.

Hey, they had every opportunity to work with President Trump and now they're saying, well, the logic — last night it was Stephanie Ruhle that had this guy. Well, the logics worked against it because the president canceled me. Yo, the Democrats came up with demands that the president said there's no need to sit down. If this is what you're demanding, you can't negotiate that, and you've said you're demanding it, so no need to meet.

Remember, the fiscal part of this we still have to get our arms around. It's still, I believe, too much of a Keynesian stimulus. Because the deficit, I think on the 30th, as I've said, I thought it was two trillion. It's going to be 1.9. I think we could get to two if it's all appropriately accounted for.

You've got to deal with that. That has to be dealt with. Russ has got a plan for rescissions, pocket rescissions, impoundment. Because the folks on Capitol Hill are not — they're not equipped to deal with the problems. This is — remember the whole single subject spending bills and appropriations bills. Well, here's where we are.

The best alternative, I know this audience is wildly enthused about that, is a CR that goes to 21st of November, 21 November. That looks like that's not gonna happen. Nobody's around. They're trying to call the president's bluff, and he's gonna bring out the heavy siege guns.

He's got Russ Vought — and Russ Vought, the brother's got a plan. And this is really gonna take a meat axe to the administrative state. Russ Vought has thought this thing through for years and years and years, the folks over Heritage helped him with Project 2025. Many people worked on this.

So I kept telling you essential versus non-essential, and the lovers of big government over the Democratic Party are gonna be shocked at what's determined to be non-essential.

MMA //

### Steve Bannon: “Howard Lutnick, that blowhard is up there. That is — he should be fired. That is the worst performance out of a Secretary of Commerce.”

09/24/25 11:50 AM EDT

### Newsmax host cheers for a government shutdown: “Let's go, shut it down”

09/24/25 8:28 AM EDT

### Steve Bannon praises Trump post calling on AG Bondi to prosecute his enemies

09/22/25

---

===

3 25 schumer caves to keep them from having total control?! ~ aoc

### Sean Hannity instructs Republicans to let the government shut down “and not give in”

03/13/25

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an 12 24

tesla has big plant in china, thus he wants more investment

pres musk govt shutdn // kid cancer

'Unfathomable': Firefighters slam spending bill after Trump 'scuttled' 9/11 first-responders fund

===

mma December 20, 2024, edition of Fox News' The Five

CHARLIE HURT (CO-HOST): First of all, I'm always in the pro-government shutdown caucus. I'm fully in favor of government shutdowns, I think they're fantastic. I think it's a great first step, quite frankly. If Republicans think that they're going to get done what they need to get done without some really ugly stuff happening, it's -- they're sorely mistaken. They're -- you're going to have this either now or at some point in this fight to get done what they need to get done and what voters have asked Donald Trump to get done.

I think it's really funny watching all of this for the Democrats. Democrats are great at playing mental games. That's, like, all they do is play mental games. But the big difference I think now is, I think that -- I don't -- and the media always blames Republicans, every single time, Republicans never pay a price in an election. I think if they actually get something done as a result of this, then not only will they not pay a bad price, they might be rewarded tremendously by voters.

===

mma

Steve Bannon says Mike Johnson should not be speaker: “We don't need partisanship now. We need hyper-partisanship now.”

12/20/24 1:53 PM EST

### Fox host on the GOP spending negotiations: “I just hope that when they do have full power, that there is some sort of plan”

12/20/24 12:23 PM EST

### Fox's Newt Gingrich: “Trump would be much better off to let the government close”

12/20/24

12 24 MUSK KILLED W/O UNDERSTANDING, JOINED BY T AND JDV, DEBT CEILING? T SAYS BIDEN WILL GET BLAME

### Ben Shapiro: A “government shutdown isn't the end of the world. We've done it before. It's not that big a deal.”

12/19/24 1:47 PM EST

### Steve Bannon says it's “open to interpretation” whether a president can serve more than two terms

12/19/24 1:02 PM EST

### Steve Bannon on a government shutdown: “I'd like just to shut it down. Go home.”

12/19/24 1:02 PM EST

### Sean Hannity: “It's a misnomer that a government shutdown is the worst thing in the world”

12/18/24

===

https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/sean-hannity-has-been-advocating-catastrophic-debt-defaults-and-government-shutdowns

===

an 1 23 no lnx? vid? twt

https://www.alternet.org/jim-jordan-2659274405/

Will Republicans blow up the global economy? They’re sure going to try

Heather Digby Parton and Salon January 18, 2023

We barely had time to catch our breath from the wild spectacle of the Republicans finally electing a speaker when their next spectacle started with a bang. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen abruptly announced that the U.S. will hit the so-called debt ceiling on Jan 19, putting the issue immediately on the front burner. The government can move money around to keep paying its bills until some time next summer, but this is already shaping up to be an exhausting, months-long battle royale. It's probably a good thing that they're getting an early start since the MAGA House majority seems to need some serious remedial instruction on how the world works.

That's not to say that debt-ceiling standoffs are some core tactic of the MAGA movement. In fact, Republicans raised the debt ceiling three times during the Trump administration with no fuss at all. They never felt it necessary to try to persuade Trump to cut spending, and the Freedom Caucus didn't utter a peep as he massively increased the deficit. These hostage situations are reserved for times when the GOP holds the House and a Democrat is in the White House. Shocking, I know.

This debt ceiling vote is a ritual with no real purpose. The government made the decision during World War I, for reasons that should have been temporary, to require a vote to agree to pay the nation's bills. This makes no sense: Congress already voted to spend the money, so it's ridiculous to require another vote to pay it out. In fact, after the Civil War, the drafters of the 14th Amendment, concerned that Southern Democrats (pretty much the MAGA types of that day and age) would make good on their threat to disavow the national debt incurred during the war, explicitly wrote into the Constitution the words, "the validity of the public debt of the United States … shall not be questioned."

There were some brief confrontations in earlier years, but it was really Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich who pioneered this modern right-wing terrorist strategy and it was perfected by the Tea Party members during the Obama administration. The Tea Party standoffs in 2011 and 2013 are still vivid in the minds of many in Washington who endured both the battles and the consequences, which were at once political and substantial. Those were among the ugliest fights in modern political memory and came distressingly close to crashing the world economy. This new crew, most of whom were not round for those bruising confrontations, is champing at the bit to see if they can get that done this time.

Not only are payments for necessary services, from Social Security and Medicare to food safety and even the sacred-to-Republicans border security at risk, as the Washington Post's Catherine Rampbell explains, this could tip the entire global economy, already in a fragile state, over into crisis:

Until now, U.S. debt has been considered virtually risk-free. The riskiness of all other assets around the world is benchmarked against the relative safety of U.S. Treasury securities. If the U.S. government reveals itself to be an unreliable borrower, however, expect to see shockwaves course through every other financial market, as many question how safe (or not) those other investments might be. This is the last thing the economy needs amid fears of a global recession.

The bottom line is that this debate is ridiculous. Unfortunately, the Republican Party is even more ridiculous these days, so we are destined to play chicken with the good faith and credit of the U.S. government every time these circumstances present themselves.

It should be noted that all of this was evident when the Democrats still had the House majority, which was more than willing to raise the debt ceiling during December's lame-duck session. Unfortunately, the Diva Twins, meaning Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, refused to eliminate the filibuster or use the budget reconciliation process to get it done.

Luckily, not all Democrats fail to grasp the moment.Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii phrased things perfectly, channeling Michael Corleone in "The Godfather Part II," when asked what Democrats might be willing to offer Republicans: "In exchange for not crashing the United States economy, you get nothing." Regarding demands that Democrats sit down with their opponents at the negotiating table, he replied, "We have to tell them there is no table."

You can't negotiate with people who behave the way these Republicans are behaving. They aren't just delusional but also massively ignorant about what they're attempting to do. Take, for example, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, just named to the House Oversight and Homeland Security committees, who said this on Steve Bannon's podcast shortly after the November election:

What we have to do is, Republicans, when we're in control of the purse and we're setting these appropriation bills, and our budget is — we have to refuse to raise the debt ceiling. We have to get spending back under control and we have to do that by any means possible. And if that means a government shutdown, then I'll be calling for a government shutdown. Because this government — and you can see the people support what I'm saying, Steve – because this government shut our country down with those COVID shutdowns.

That is literally gibberish, completely incomprehensible. Rep Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., made an even dumber comment:

\u201c We cannot raise the debt ceiling. Democrats have carelessly spent our taxpayer money and devalued our currency. They've made their bed, so they must lie in it.\u201d

— Rep Andy Biggs (@Rep Andy Biggs) 1673981066

That doesn't make any sense either. Our currency is not "devalued," and that's got nothing to do with the debt ceiling in any case. He apparently doesn't even grasp that taking the debt ceiling hostage is about trying to force Democrats to agree to massive spending cuts in the future, in exchange for paying the bills today. Evidently he doesn't want to pay them at all.

Here's some more gibberish from the actual speaker of the House, when asked about Democrats' demands for a clean debt ceiling increase:

Would you just keep doing that? Or would you change the behavior? We're six months away? Why wouldn't we sit down and change this behavior so that we would put ourselves on a more fiscally strong position?

Here's another idea that's always popular on the right — which would be necessary if they really plan to eliminate the national debt completely, as McCarthy apparently promised in his backroom deals during the speakership saga:

\u201c Holy shit. Top Republican Rick Allen (R-GA) was just recorded saying his party is going after Social Security because people want to work longer.\u201d (h/t @SSWorks)\u201d

— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen) 1673900286

:{:{}:

Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio is at least a bit more coherent, recognizing that Republicans may have stepped on the third rail with talk about cutting military spending, which one of the backroom negotiators, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, says was never on the table. Jordan said, "Military cuts could be made by eliminating 'woke policies' & re-examining aid to Ukraine, allowing the government to focus more on troops and weapons systems." There's also been talk about eliminating much of the officer corps, which would be an interesting experiment.

Hilariously, Republicans are trying to spin the impending mess this way:

Rep. Good (R-VA): I hope the President and the Senate would not risk a government shutdown or some kind of a government default by recklessly rejecting spending cuts\u201d

— Acyn (@Acyn) 1673904721

That's cute, but it's not going to fly. Republicans have already shown the whole country that they are wildly unhinged, and nobody will mistake which party is being reckless and which isn't.

It's also clear that they don't care. Donald Trump, their battered spiritual guru, explains what it's really all about:

It's about putting on a spectacle to own the libs, of course. What else would it be? Trump may have lost some of his mojo but his legacy is secure. The Republican Party is still MAGA all the way down.

---

an 2 22

dunno is this is gonna have legs/meme

no lnx

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn has a hold on a stopgap continuing resolution that must pass by Friday if the federal government is to avoid a costly and dangerous shutdown. The Tennessee Republican, a peddler of conspiracy theories and far right-wing extremism, falsely insists that an HHS program includes $30 million in federal funds to buy “crack pipes” for drug abusers.

Politico co-congressional bureau chief Burgess Everett Monday afternoon reports Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer “says he’s working on scheduling the continuing resolution, which must pass by Feb. 18 to avoid shutdown. He has not filed cloture on it yet, hoping to work it out with Sen. Blackburn, who wants reassurances HHS isn’t handing out crack pipes.”

The “free crack pipes” claim, which exploded across the country last week thanks to a false report from the right-wing outlet Washington Free Beacon, has been thoroughly debunked by The Washington Post and other investigative outlets, but the GOP is refusing to let the falsehoods die.

“It’s amazing to us that they continue to ignore this issue, and they continue to say they are fighting drugs when indeed they’re enabling drugs,” Blackburn told Newsmax on Monday.

Congress will have to jump through several hoops to avoid Blackburn’s shutdown, given how late in the process they are. The House, which has already passed its bill to avert the shutdown, would have to again pass another bill, the Senate’s which Blackburn is blocking.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram:

It’s clear for Blackburn the issue isn’t the crack pipes, which are not and by law cannot be included in the HHS program.Blackburn has repeatedly voted in favor of shutting the federal government down, which she did by voting against continuing resolutions in December 2021 and September 2020.

---

While Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is getting much-deserved for her handling of the shutdown President Donald Trump instigated in an effort to get Americans to pay for the border wall he promised voters that Mexico would pay for in 2016, she is not the only one who should draw praise for the abrupt end to the showdown.

Former labor secretary Robert Reich said airport workers are the ones who “shut down the shutdown” on CNN Saturday.

Specifically, when air traffic controllers called in sick en masse on Friday, Reich believes Trump had no choice but to capitulate.

Kudos to air traffic controllers at LaGuardia who essentially closed the airport by refusing to show up for work this morning. Within hours, Trump caved. Now, 38 years after Reagan fired air traffic controllers for striking, they've evened the score.

:{>:(style="font-family:Merriweather"):}:

“That actually shut down the shutdown—that ended the shutdown when that started, just hours after air traffic controllers, in broad numbers… called in sick,” Reich said on CNN. “That broguht the shutdown to an end.”

If Trump tries to shut down the government again, Reich suggested, he could expect another mass call-out that would cripple the nation’s airports.

Watch below.

...

https://www.alternet.org/2019/01/the-single-most-important-pro-labor-speech-of-the-shutdown-was-not-given-by-aoc/

https://www.alternet.org/2019/01/how-the-government-shutdown-exposed-the-lie-at-the-heart-of-the-anti-union-right-to-work-movement/

steel union

https://www.alternet.org/2019/01/heres-how-trumps-right-wing-allies-are-reacting-to-the-embarrassing-failure-of-his-shutdown-gambit/

Trump has been insisting that he would keep the federal government partially shutdown for months or “even years” unless Congress agreed to provide $5.7 billion in funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall.

But on Friday — five weeks after the shutdown began — Trump announced that the government would be reopened for three weeks while negotiations continue over border security. The agreement doesn’t include funding for a wall, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had stressed was out of the question. Reportedly, top Trump adviser adn son-in-law Jared Kushner and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) urged Trump to end the shutdown, even without funding for a wall.