Trump touts meeting with Russ Vought ‘of Project 2025 fame’ to determine where cuts can be made as the federal government remains shut for second day
In his interview this morning with CNBC Scott Bessent also said that he could “guarantee” Republicans will not meet Democratic leaders’ demands to extend Obamacare subsidies as a way to end the government shutdown.
Democrats are negotiating “like terrorists”, the treasury secretary claimed, adding: “They want to say, ‘This is what we have to have, and if we don’t get it, we’re going to close down the government.’”
President Trump, in the first nine months now, has been unstoppable. They’ve tried to stop him in the courts, they tried to stop him in the press, and now they’re trying to stop him with the shutdown.
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US Congress
What does a government shutdown mean and why is this year’s threat more serious?
The US government has shut down because Congress couldn’t reach a funding agreement. Here’s what to know about what happens next
US government shutdown – live updates
Much of the federal government officially began to shut down on Wednesday, after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement before the midnight deadline. The shutdown will have a wide range of effects on government services and potentially the US economy.
Republicans put forward a stopgap...
Why healthcare spending was at the center of the US government shutdown battle
Democrats said they won’t vote for legislation unless Republicans reversed Medicaid cuts and extended subsidies
US government shutdown – live updates
The federal government shut down on Wednesday in part, due to a battle between Democrats and Republicans over healthcare spending.
Democrats had said that they would not vote for legislation to keep the government open unless Donald Trump and Republicans, who hold the majority in Congress, agreed to reverse...
Republican Lisa Murkowski on Trump’s America and the ‘intensity on the security of our democracy’
The Alaska senator, who helped deal Trump’s first big legislative setback, believes there can be only so much fear that Americans can handle
Late one night about six months into Donald Trump’s first term, John McCain stepped on to the Senate floor and with a dramatic thumbs-down gesture dealt the president his first major legislative setback by defeating an attempt by his fellow Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
It was the last major political effort of the Arizona...
Obama says Republicans are putting millions of Americans’ healthcare at risk
Rare intervention from former president urges people to call their senators to oppose Trump tax bill
Barack Obama has warned that Congress is putting millions of Americans at risk of losing healthcare coverage, in a rare intervention from the former president as the Republican party advances legislation that would gut major provisions of the Affordable Care Act.
“Congressional Republicans are trying to weaken the Affordable Care Act and put millions of people at risk of losing their health care,” Obama posted on social media. “Call your Senators and tell them we can’t let that happen.”
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‘Pro-worker priorities’? Trump’s budget offers the exact opposite | Steven Greenhouse
The ‘big, beautiful’ measure going through Congress would cut health, food and education benefits – and offer a huge boost to the richest
With Donald Trump pushing hard to give big tax cuts to the rich and do huge favors for crypto billionaires, it was jarring to see a photo of a Trump aide carrying a sign that said: “President Trump’s Pro-Worker Priorities”. The aide was about to place the sign on Trump’s lectern; it mentioned such “pro-worker priorities” as ending federal taxes on ...
US health groups vow to fight GOP cuts to Medicaid and Obamacare
Cuts worth $880bn could leave 13 million Americans without insurance in proposal that has divided Republicans
US advocacy groups are waging an intensive campaign to protect Medicaid and Obamacare from Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill”, after House Republicans proposed an $880bn cut that could leave an estimated 13 million Americans without health insurance.
The House bill left Republicans’ most controversial proposals on the table, but has divided Senate Republicans: one cal...
The US government could shut down: here’s what you need to know
As a divided Congress and Democrats spar over a funding bill, here’s what to expect from a government shutdown
The US stands hours away from a partial government shutdown as Democrats decide whether to play ball with Republicans on the first major legislative hurdle in Trump’s second administration.
The House approved a stopgap funding measure called a continuing resolution last week, and the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, has urged Democrats in the Senate to pass the m...
Trump signs order on birthright citizenship – as it happened
President pardons 1,500 rioters, launches immigration crackdown, pauses TikTok ban and orders US withdrawal from WHO among other actions
- What executive orders did Trump sign on day one?
- How world leaders greeted Trump’s inauguration
- Trump embraces role of demagogue on divine mission to reshape America
My colleague Joseph Gedeon in Washington DC also had this look at what Trump might have planned for day one:
In the grand theatre of American politics, presidential inaugurations typically follow a familiar script: the oath, the speech, a few carefully chosen executive orders to satisfy campaign promises. Franklin D Roosevelt used his first day to tackle the banking crisis. Barack Obama moved to close Guantánamo Bay (though it remains open). Donald Trump’s first term began with a single executive order targeting Obamacare. Joe Biden signed 17 executive orders on his first day in 2021.
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The US government could shut down. Here’s what to know
If lawmakers don’t secure a spending deal before Friday midnight, all nonessential government functions will pause
- What is the US debt ceiling?
- US politics – live updates
A government shutdown looms after Republicans in Congress failed on Thursday to pass a pared-down spending bill. The potential shutdown could disrupt Christmas travel and deliver a blow to the US economy just a month before Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Lawmakers face a last...