GOP strategist Karl Rove weighed in on the looming government shutdown, saying the American public will lose trust in Washington if lawmakers continue to clash over policy issues, including health care.
"But no matter what, the biggest shutdown loser will likely be public trust in Washington writ large,” Rove wrote Wednesday in an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal. “Voters see shutdowns as the result of gross incompetence by our leaders."
He pointed to Pe...
Month: September 2025
Whole Hog Politics: Gaming out the politics of a shutdown
Washington is almost as bad about abusing truisms as farmers and sports announcers.
And right now, the Washington equivalent of the black bands on a woolly bear caterpillar or “defense wins championships” is this old chestnut: “The party in control of Congress gets the blame for a government shutdown.”
It looks like we are about to find out about that.
The deal to fully fund the federal government reached in March expires at the end of the day Tuesday, a...
Comey-Trump feud takes latest turn with indictment
Morning Report is The Hill's a.m. newsletter. Subscribe here.
In today's issue:
▪ Comey indicted
▪ Slow-walk to shutdown
▪ ICE shooting details
▪ Netanyahu at the UN
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Conservative leaders urge Trump to let healthcare tax credits expire
Leaders from 35 conservative organizations are urging President Trump to allow Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire at the end of the year rather than extending or making them permanent.
The letter comes as Democrats in Congress are calling on Republicans to meet their demands on health care as a condition of funding the government beyond the Sept. 30 shutdown deadline. At the top of their list of asks is extending the ACA subsidies enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic t...
Democrats dismiss Trump budget office threats as shutdown edges closer
Democratic congressional leaders are dismissing a threat from the White House budget office to fire masses of federal workers during a government shutdown, saying they will not be intimidated into caving on their demands for talks on extending health care subsidies.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) brushed off the missive from Russell Vought, the head of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), as...
Half in Pelosi district say they supported her but ‘time for a change’: Poll
At least half say they supported Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in the past but think it’s time for new representation in California’s 11th Congressional District, according to a new poll.
Pelosi is facing a primary challenge from several Democrats, including progressive candidate Saikat Chakrabarti, who previously served as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D-N.Y.) chief of staff.
An internal poll done for Chakrabarti’s campaign, which was conducted by Beacon Resear...
All of these things are ‘killing’ small businesses — so why are they optimistic?
Wow, there are certainly a lot of things "killing" small businesses today, don't you think?
The Wall Street Journal says that tariffs are "crushing" small businesses. The Center for America Progress says the same thing. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says that tariffs are having a "real and devastating impact on thousands of small businesses across the nation." MSNBC says that tariff uncertainty is “killing” small businesses too. A mother and daughter who started up a busi...
ICE shooting renews political violence fears
Morning Report is The Hill's a.m. newsletter. Subscribe here.
In today's newsletter:
▪ Vance says shooter 'politically motivated'
▪ White House prepares for shutdown
▪ Trump demands 'sabotage' investigation
▪ Zelensky presses for UN to take action
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Democrats bet the House on health care
With a government shutdown looming and midterms about a year away, Democratic lawmakers are itching for a fight on health care.
Democrats have successfully run on health care before, and they believe a shutdown would only amplify their message as they seek to break the Republican triumvirate in Washington.
For weeks, Democratic lawmakers have been talking about tying an extension of ObamaCare's enhanced tax credits to government funding legislation.
...
White House directs agencies to prep for mass firings ahead of potential shutdown
The White House budget office on Wednesday indicated mass firings could be on the table in the event of a government shutdown as Congress faces a stalemate on negotiations in the days leading up to the government funding deadline.
A memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reviewed by The Hill indicates that agencies are directed to “use this opportunity to consider reduction in force (RIF) notices for all employees in programs, projects, or activities” under thr...