The government shutdown will end soon. How do I know? Because whatever political advantage Democrats had a few weeks ago by “standing strong!” and “confronting Trump!” is quickly evaporating. When the polls flip, so will the party that has lost its way.
Voters have a way of sniffing out the truth. They are beginning to understand that Democrats are rudderless, and are voting to keep the government closed out of confusion, not conviction.
House Mi...
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Whole Hog Politics: Democrats have already won the shutdown, but it won’t be cheap
Two big data points in the headlines this week: 1) The average cost of a family health insurance plan will be $27,000 for coverage next year and 2) The federal debt grew faster than any time other than the pandemic and surpassed $38 trillion on Wednesday.
Both of these are objectively bad and both carry substantial political danger, but only one of them is likely to get much attention as the government shutdown sinks into its fourth week.
There are a lot of ways t...
Idaho a precursor in continuing ACA debacle
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Shutdown set to impact SNAP funding in many states
As the government shutdown persists, funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are at risk in states across the country.
SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, are funded by the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The federal government shares the cost of administering the program with states, while states operate their own programs.
Funding is sent to states monthly, so October benefits were not impacted. However, as the go...
Ossoff, Warnock break with Democrats on bill to pay essential workers during shutdown
Sen. Jon Ossoff (Ga.), the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent in the Senate, and his home-state colleague, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), voted Thursday for a Republican bill to pay essential federal workers, including members of the military, during the government shutdown.
Ossoff and Warnock joined Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) in voting for the Republican bill. The measure failed to advance on a 54-45 vote. It needed 60 votes to move forward.
Ossoff’s and Warnoc...
Federal judge strikes Biden-era ban on transgender care discrimination
A federal judge on Wednesday struck down a former President Biden-era rule that extended federal health antidiscrimination protections to transgender health care.
Judge Louis Guirola Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi ruled in favor of a coalition of 15 GOP-led states that sued over the rule, which broadened sex discrimination by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected characteristics in certain health pro...
Watch live: Jeffries gives remarks on Day 23 of government shutdown
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is speaking with reporters Thursday afternoon as the lapse in government funding persists.
Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked the latest vote to reopen the government, standing their ground on demands for an extension of health care subsidies to be included in any stopgap funding plan. The upper chamber also failed to advance legislation that would guarantee pay for members of the military and essential workers as the impass...
East Wing demolition reverberates across Washington
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Johnson: Greene accusation that GOP ‘sitting on the sidelines’ is ‘absurd’
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Wednesday shot back at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) over an accusation that their party is “sitting on the sidelines” during the shutdown fight and as subsidies under the Affordable Care Act are set to expire.
“Well, bless her heart, that's an absurd statement," Johnson told CNN's Kaitlan Collins when asked about Greene's remarks.
"Obviously, these conference calls are monitored by media, so we're not going to have act...
Medicare agency recalling thousands of furloughed staffers for open enrollment
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is temporarily calling back all furloughed staff starting next week, a spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
Open enrollment for traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans began Oct. 15, while the federal Affordable Care Act marketplace starts Nov. 1.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services shutdown plan, 47 percent of CMS staff have been on furlough since gover...