Government Shutdown & Funding - The government shutdown is in its third week, impacting various services and programs [1] - Senate Democrats are blocking the bill passed by the House to reopen the government [2] - A single Democrat in the House supported the bill to prevent the shutdown [2] - 44 Democrats in the Senate voted against the bill, causing pain for Americans [3] - Every week of the shutdown results in a $15 billion loss in gross domestic product [4] Healthcare Subsidies & Obamacare - The debate over healthcare subsidies is a distraction from the core issue of government funding [8] - The subsidies don't expire until the end of the year, and a debate was planned for October/November [8][9] - Extending subsidies without Obamacare reform could face opposition in the House [7] - The current subsidy system lacks income caps, subsidizing even wealthy individuals [10] - Democrats initially set the subsidy expiration date for the end of 2025 [11] - Obamacare has led to increased healthcare costs [13][20]