U.S. Government Shutdown: Healthcare At Center Of Standoff As Blame Game Begins
The federal government officially shut down this morning — the first shutdown since the historic 35-day shutdown in 2018-2019 over funding President Trump’s border wall.
At issue this time: Senate Democrats are standing firm on their demand to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that help millions of Americans afford health insurance. Republicans, holding narrow majorities in the House and Senate, are refusing to negotiate until Democrats pass the stopgap bill first.
NOTE: Back in 2019, air traffic controllers and TSA staff calling out sick in protest of the shutdown helped break a 35-day stalemate. We will see what happens this time.
The blame game is in full swing with both parties pointing fingers at the other. But polls show more Americans are placing the blame on Republicans in polls leading up to this shutdown.
THE MESSAGING WAR
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) blamed Democrats for the government shutdown Wednesday, accusing Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) of bowing to “far-left activist groups” and dragging his colleagues into a “boxed canyon.” Back in the spring, Schumer got sharp criticism from the left wing of his party for not fighting a GOP funding bill—hence why he is pushing back this time.
House Democratic Caucus chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA) said Wednesday’s shutdown was “because Republicans failed to fix the health care crisis [they] created,” pointing to Democrats not having input in Trump’s tax and spending bill from July that rolled back Medicare and Medicaid eligibility.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), President Trump and Vice President JD Vance claim Democrats are trying to pass free healthcare for undocumented immigrants.
The Democrats’ budget proposal includes multiple policies on healthcare, including an extension to the Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the end of the year and a reversal of Trump’s Medicaid cuts. Illegal migrants in the U.S. are not legally eligible for federally funded health insurance, and the Democrats’ proposal does not change that. But, there are some nuances. We explain more ⬇️
The Senate, in a 55-45 vote, Wednesday rejected Republicans’ stopgap bill to fund the government through Nov. 21. The measure needs 60 votes to pass.
Three Democrats — John Fetterman (PA), Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), and Angus King (ME) — joined Republicans in support, but the measure fell short of the 60 votes needed.
THE IMPACT
According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), an estimated 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed each day the government remains shut down. Essential workers — like TSA agents, air traffic controllers, military service members, FBI agents, and postal workers — are required to keep working, but won’t be paid until the shutdown ends.
📲 Here’s what some federal workers and contractors in the Mo News community told us about how the shutdown is impacting them:
In past shutdowns, federal employees who are furloughed received back pay once funding was restored. Contractors usually don’t, or use PTO pay. This time, the Trump administration has hinted at possible permanent layoffs—meaning some of these federal employees may not have jobs to come back to.
Some agencies and parks have separate pots of money they can draw from to keep operations running for an extended period. Other offices had workers report in today just to sign furlough paperwork.
Back in 2019, by the time the government reopened, about $3 billion in U.S. economic activity was lost, according to the Congressional Budget Office.