Sen. Bill Hagerty on looming government shutdown: This is really up to the Democrats right now

Government Shutdown & Budget Negotiations - The White House Budget Office is instructing federal agencies to prepare for potential mass layoffs due to a possible government shutdown [1] - The Republican side views Democratic demands as "blackmail," particularly regarding a "trillion dollars esque" proposal from Chuck Schumer [2] - Republicans claim Democrats are blocking Senate proceedings and nominees, hindering the appropriations process [2] - A key point of contention is healthcare for illegal immigrants, estimated to cost hundreds of billions of dollars [13][14] - There is discussion around ACA health credits, with some Republicans potentially open to negotiation, but not within the current bill [7][15][16] Political Theater & Blame Game - The potential shutdown is seen by some as political theater, with both parties attempting to assign blame [4][18][19] - Senator Schumer is reportedly under pressure from his party not to acquiesce to Republican demands, potentially mirroring the situation with former Speaker McCarthy [19][20] Foreign Relations & National Security - There are growing concerns about Russian incursions into NATO airspace, viewed as intentional testing of NATO's response [21][23] - The US has also experienced similar incursions, including a Chinese spy balloon and unidentified drones [22] - NATO's general has suggested shooting down violating drones, raising the question of whether similar action should be taken against fighter pilots [23][24]