The GOP has been trying to get a clean continuing resolution (CR) passed through Congress, but Democrats have resisted.
Dems are using the CR to try to create leverage for healthcare funding that they want.
Now, I believe if they were pushing only for tax credits linked to Obamacare, the deal would already be done, but that is far from the case, as Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) just revealed.
The shutdown started last week, I believe, because Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) backed himself into a corner.
He is fighting for his political life right now, as he is facing significant pressure in the form of a possible primary battle with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whom many on the left want to see replace Schumer in the Senate.
Democrats have held the line that they want money put back into the budget for healthcare, but they are not being entirely truthful about their request.
At this point, it is a “he said, she said” battle, and while the GOP was winning this battle early on, public sentiment is starting to turn, so there will be more pressure than ever to bring this shutdown to a close.
We are in a battle of semantics here, as Democrats say they are not funding healthcare for illegal immigrants, and the GOP points to Biden’s protected status and asylum recipients as individuals who would be covered if Dems get their way.
For instance, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) stated, “This entire shutdown is based on a ridiculous Republican lie. Speaker Johnson and Vice President Vance have pulled this out of their hats. They’re saying that the undocumented will be eligible for this, a flat out lie to weaponize the immigration issue in this critical crossroad and debate.”
If Democrats would let go of that aspect of the bill, I am fairly confident that the GOP would add back the subsidies for Obamacare rather than see premiums go through the roof next year for American families.
That is a reality, too, as I have already been shopping around for insurance, and my premium is scheduled to go up by about 40%, and that is for insurance that covers the bare minimum for me (with a premium for single coverage that would now exceed $1,000 per month).
That is not all that Democrats are going after, however, as Kennedy revealed, noting that there is more earmarked money in the Democrat version of the bill that nobody is talking about right now.
Kennedy claimed that the Democrats have about $20 million in funding that will be earmarked for foreign LGBTQ+ projects, among other liberal causes. He added, "I don't think Senator Schumer was the person in charge, because Senator Schumer is not the leader of the Socialist wing of his party, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez is. She's running the show."
Meanwhile, Schumer stated, "We have asked Republican leaders for months to sit down and talk to us, talk with us. They've refused and barreled us into a shutdown. They thought they could bludgeon us and threaten us and scare us. It ain't working, because my caucus and Democrats are adamant that we must protect the healthcare of the American people."
Democrats will never get the money for their pet programs or additional coverage, but I truly believe the GOP would add back in the funding for Obamacare premiums to get this shutdown over and done. The problem, however, is that Trump does not want to appear weak, and if the Dems get that concession, we will never hear the end of it. That is the problem when politicians are more worried about power than about representing We the People. It could be a great bipartisan moment, but today’s political temperature dictates that there is always a winner and a loser, and Trump will never take that loss while he is in office.
