Government Shutdown & Political Landscape - Discussions to reopen the government are occurring, potentially through bottom-up efforts due to disruptions like travel interference and SNAP/WIC benefit concerns [1] - The speaker suggests two potential solutions to the government shutdown: reducing the threshold from 60 to 50 votes (nuclear option) or engaging in genuine negotiations regarding the Affordable Care Act [2] - The House of Representatives, under current leadership, has not completed the 12 appropriations bills, which could alleviate the need for continuing resolutions and allow government departments to resume operations [3][4] SNAP Benefits & Economic Factors - A federal judge ordered the continuation of SNAP benefits during the shutdown, impacting 42 million Americans, including 35 million in Texas [5] - The speaker agrees that too many Americans rely on SNAP benefits, attributing it to factors like low minimum wage ($7) and the prevalence of the working poor [6][7] - The speaker claims the country has seen a loss of 1 million jobs in the early months of the current administration [8] - The speaker highlights the disparity between the increasing wealth of billionaires and the struggles of those relying on food banks and SNAP/EBT cards, with 55% of SNAP users being families with children [10][11] Healthcare & Insurance Coverage - The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that 17% of Texas' population lacked health insurance coverage in 2024, and over 1 million could become uninsured if subsidies expire [12] - The lack of health insurance coverage leads to increased emergency room visits, ultimately raising insurance premiums for everyone [14][15] Potential Senate Run - The speaker is considering a run for Senate in Texas, a state that hasn't elected a Democrat statewide in over 30 years [16] - The decision hinges on the ability to expand the electorate and engage people who haven't previously been involved in politics [17][18]

Joining us now, Arizona Democrat Senator Ruben Ggo. Senator, it's good to to to have you on. Um, you've got a bill. Senator Johnson had a bill.Did both of them um failed to pass at this point. Have I got that right. >> Yeah.I mean, actually, ours and failed to pass. The Republicans refused to hear and led it to the floor. Instead of debating it and actually putting to a vote, they stopped it all together.there. And our bill was actually very clean and simple, which is give everybody every employee that's a ...

Welcome back. And joining me now is Democratic Senator Ruben Ggo of Arizona. Senator Ggo, welcome to Meet the Press. >> Good morning. >> Thank you so much for being here. Let's start where I left off with the Treasury Secretary and the shutdown, federal workers have now missed their first full paycheck. Democrats are demanding that any deal to reopen the government include an extension of those Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Early enrollment starts November 1st. Senator ...

President Trump has said that Republicans will not be extorted by into giving Democrat by giving in to de Democrats demands. This comes as the government shutdown enters day 22. Joining us right now is New Hampshire Democrat Senator Jean Shaheen.She has been one of the lead negotiators for the Democrats during the shutdown. And Senator, thank you for being with us this morning. Nice to be with you.Let me let me just correct you though. I'm not a lead negotiator because there are no official negotiations goi ...

Today marks day 20 of the Trump Republican government shutdown and still no progress. The House of Representatives was out of session again today, which means that since August, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has allowed just 12 legislative days for House members. 12 in three months.Democrats say there's a reason for that and it's to shield Donald Trump from the embarrassment of what's in the Epstein files. Speaker Johnson is still refusing to swear in Arizona's newly elected Congresswoman Adelita Graalva, ...

Welcome to day 18 of the government shutdown. >> Tens of millions of people are going to experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays, and deductibles. >> At the heart of the shutdown is a clash over subsidies that help people buy Affordable Care Act health insurance.Democrats really feel strongly about these subsidies. It's a law that President Barack Obama passed and they also feel like it could be something that would help them with swing voters because people really don't like it when they lose t ...

Healthcare Policy & Funding - Democrats emphasize the Republican-created healthcare crisis and advocate for addressing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits with urgency [3][7][9] - Republicans are perceived as unwilling to address the healthcare crisis, leading to potential closure of hospitals, nursing homes, and community health centers due to Medicaid cuts [4][5] - The debate centers on extending ACA tax credits, with concerns that failure to do so will significantly increase premiums, co-pays, and deductibles for millions of Americans [5] - Democrats highlight that 93% of ACA tax credit beneficiaries make $63,000 or less, countering the Republican claim that it primarily benefits high-income earners [11] - A couple making $88,000 per year could see their health insurance costs rise from $8,000 to $24,000 if ACA tax credits expire [11][12] Political Negotiations & Stances - House Republicans cancelled votes multiple times, indicating internal disarray and unwillingness to address the healthcare crisis [3][4] - Democrats express readiness to negotiate with anyone, anytime, any place to reopen the government and enact a spending agreement [3] - The White House meeting revealed an initial acknowledgment of the need to address healthcare, but Republicans suggested delaying action [7][8] - Democrats are open to evaluating adjustments to the ACA tax credits if presented in good faith, potentially from the Senate [13] - Democrats criticize House Speaker Johnson for deeming healthcare "extraneous" and for pursuing recisions that undermine negotiated agreements [14][16] Political Commentary - The speaker views the indictment of New York State Attorney General Leticia James as a malicious prosecution that will be dismissed [19][20] - The speaker criticizes Donald Trump for focusing on revenge rather than addressing the high cost of living [20][21]

Trump RX Overview - Trump RX is a Trump-branded US government website set to launch in 2026, aiming to offer discounted prescription drugs directly from Pfizer to American consumers [1] - The deal with Pfizer involved the threat of steep tariffs and a three-year exemption for the company [1] - Similar deals are reportedly in the works with other drug makers [1] Concerns and Criticisms - Existing services like Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs and Good RX already offer some of the listed drugs for less money [1] - For the over 90% of Americans with health insurance, they are likely already getting lower prices through their insurance plans than what Trump RX would offer [1][2][8] - The Wall Street Journal's editorial board described Trump RX as a political branding exercise [2] - The White House's dealing with Pfizer was criticized as a form of political extortion [3] - It is argued that Trump RX is a distraction from the fact that the current administration is taking healthcare coverage away from millions of Americans or making it unaffordable [11] Political Context - The announcement of Trump RX included criticism of Obamacare [3][4] - The government shutdown fight is viewed by many as being about preserving healthcare [11] - There are concerns about the ethics of putting the president's name on a government website [6][7][13]

Healthcare Crisis & Potential Impact - Approximately 506% of Americans who would lose their healthcare benefits reside in states that voted for Trump [3] - Around 5 million people could either lose their healthcare or face an increase of $15,000 to $20,000 in healthcare costs if Obamacare subsidies lapse [4] - Some Republican families with $100,000 in income could see their premiums increase by $15,000 [17] Political Standoff & Negotiations - A stalemate exists where Leader Thun is unwilling to negotiate until the shutdown ends, raising concerns about follow-through [3] - Republican leadership asserts there is nothing to negotiate with Democrats regarding healthcare [5] - The Trump administration is accused of using the shutdown as leverage to inflict pain on Americans, including cutting funds to energy projects in 15 states [8] - Some Republican senators are concerned about the healthcare cliff and want to negotiate, but are allegedly constrained by Trump [16] Misinformation & Discourse - The discussion of healthcare for undocumented immigrants is minimal in actual negotiations, despite being a prominent Republican talking point [13][14] - The use of AI imagery in social media posts is seen as a negative development in political discourse [14][15] Presidential Involvement & Responsibility - The President is criticized for a lack of engagement and concern regarding the potential loss of Obamacare benefits [10] - The Trump administration is seen as actively unraveling healthcare progress [11]

Uh I've got Senator uh uh Chuck Schumer. He's the minority leader right now. He joins us. Senator Schumer, um this is this is the lie of the day uh that that um that the administration is pushing. Uh could you please uh explain? And by the way, we're going to ask you some tough questions. We've been knocking your name around today. So, but but I feel like this is most important. We need to clear this up because this is the lie that Republicans are using to try to to well confuse their base, lie to their bas ...