the DON JONES INDEX…
	GAINS POSTED in GREEN LOSSES POSTED in RED 9/25/25... 14,910.78 9/18/25... 14,910.78 6/27/13... 15,000.00
(THE DOW JONES INDEX: 9/25/25... 46,121.28; 9/18/25... 46,018.32; 6/27/13… 15,000.00)

LESSON for SEPTEMBER 25th, 2025 – “DEBT MEN TALKING”

Next Wednesday, barring a miraculous meeting of the minds or TACO (Donald Trump and/or Republicans chickening out) or DACO (Democrats, as in the past, also taking the knee), the Federal government will shut down.

At the beginning of last week, September 18^th, the Google AI Overview... erroneously reporting Trump as a “President-elect” said negotiations between him, his Congressional majority and the Democratic minority (at least seven Senators of which would have to submit to pass the House passed Continuing Resolution (aka can kick, let alone full budget approval) were “contentious”

As of today, they are just plain dead – Federal workers contemplating a long, unpaid vacation while taxpayers are facing the prospect of a lack of services in many key areas.

“Surprisingly,” concluded Wendell Primus and Molly Reynolds from the Brookings Institute, it will be Democrats, not Republicans “calling for a shutdown this year.”

Each year, they wrote (September 18^th, ATTACHMENT ONE), “Congress must reach agreement, in some form, on 12 separate bills that provide the funding for discretionary federal programs, ranging from the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health to national parks and many education programs. The regularity of the process is important to effective congressional oversight, as agency heads often testify in front of the relevant appropriations subcommittees annually,” and the process is delayed beyond the September 30th, as often happens, a “continuing resolution” extends funding until agreement is reached.

But, in recent years, shutdowns have become more comment and partisans have refused to greenlight CRs... the federal government has closed down 21 times since 1977 and, since 2013 there have been three shutdowns (for 17 days in 2013, and for 35 days in late 2019 and early 2019) – the former when Republicans wanted to defund and/or delay the implementation of the Affordable Care Act while the latter was over funding for construction of the “big, beautiful wall” along the southern border.

This year, Brookings contended, “the shoe is on the other foot.”

An estimated $400+ billion is being disputed, with Democrats clamouring to restore Republican cuts to healthcare (as was projected by Congressional Budget Office to cause 10 million people to lose Affordable Care Act and Medicaid coverage) and other issues (including tariffs, immigration, vaccine policies) holding up resolution.

Personal and partisan policies are also in play... Democrats—who control neither the House, the Senate, nor the White House—“are facing increasing pressure from some of their key constituencies to be seen as fighting more aggressively against President Trump and his administration’s aggressive use of executive power.”

Their perceived weakness might be a motivator to refuse a CR can kick beyond next Tuesday – sooner, perhaps, since most Congressmen (Jewish, gentile or other) have left Washington to enjoy a long weekend over the Rosh Hashana holiday.

In the case of a shutdown, both parties are expected to play the blame game.

Zachary Schermele of USA Today believes that Democrats would have the upper hand because confirmation of a Republican proposal would have required sixty “yea” votes which, as events turned out, were not there.

Last year, the heyday of Elon Musk, DOGE and their MAGAjority, it was Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer who chickened out and gave Republicans a victory, angering his left. Under growing pressure, now, he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are attempting to stand firm (or, at least, seem to be doing do).

"What the Republicans have proposed is not good enough to meet the needs of the American people and not good enough to get our votes," he said. (ATTACHMENT TWO) President Trump and Republican leaders are working on a “stopgap” (can kick) including, in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination, more security funding for the politicos but, “in a Sept. 15 social media post, (Trump) urged Republicans to "fight back" against "Radical Left Democrat demands" by voting for the bill.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune called Democrats “too stubborn” and “see it as politically advantageous to have a shutdown," he told Punchbowl News. "Their base is “clamoring” for a fight.

Including the shutdown among the three Trump crises (tariffs and immigration being the others), the Independent U.K. (ATTACHMENT THREE) surmised that, to garner the support of seven Democratic senators required for the sixty vote supermajority, at least some concessions on healthcare cuts would be necessary.

But Trump does not seem interested, saying he wanted a “clean” continuing resolution, a “stopgap spending bill to keep the government open as Congress writes the 12 spending bills needed to keep the lights on.”

A USA Today analysis of the Republican can-kick stated that the stopgap would largely maintain current funding levels until Nov. 21. “It also would add nearly $90 million to shore up security for members of Congress, Supreme Court justices and executive branch officials,” after the Kirk assassination, but ignore Democratic health care concerns about restoring Medicaid and Obamacare. (ATTACHMENT FOUR)

"Zero chance that we will do that," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said regarding repeal of the Medicaid cuts.

"By refusing to work with Democrats, Republicans are steering our country straight toward a shutdown," said Schumer and Jeffries in a joint statement.

Oxford Economics tallied up the numbers and made a list of those states most affect and USA Today, to no great surprise, says most of leaned Democratic. California and New York – which have both expanded Medicaid and have large immigrant populations – are expected to be hit hardest. Other vulnerable states with large immigrant populations include Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico and Washington, D.C. (ATTACHMENT FIVE... see charts and graphs here)

Oxford’s lead economist Barbara Denham said: “The number of newly uninsured will rise significantly, putting more at risk of worse long-term well-being, which will sap productivity growth.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sent a letter to US president Donald Trump over the weekend and have urged him to meet with congressional leaders to avoid a shutdown. (Economic Times, September 22^nd, ATTACHMENT SIX)

Trump expressed his openness to meeting with Democrats but remained skeptical about its impact, saying, “I’d love to meet with them, but I don’t think it’s going to have any impact.”

As pressure also increased on the interest rate of US Treasury Notes, Democrats failed to block the nomination of Stephen Miran, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, to the open Federal Reserve seat by a 48-47 vote in favor.  (USA Today, ATTACHMENT SEVEN)

“But Trump had one Fed loss, too: An appeals court Monday said Lisa Cook can remain for now on the Federal Reserve board as she (fought) Trump's unprecedented attempt to remove her from the central bank;” Cook arguing that Trump's allegations were a “pretext to fire her for her monetary policy stance”.

With Cook and embattled Chair Jerome Powell still on deck, the Fed voted to cut their benchmark rate by 25 basis points, or a quarter-point, at the central bank's Sept. 16-17 meeting, as expected. The decision came “on the heels of economic reports showing a widespread slowdown in the labor market and dwindling consumer sentiment. (U.S. News, ATTACHMENT EIGHT)

Many prospective homebuyers (as well as homeowners looking to refinance) had been hoping that the Fed's move would lead to lower interest rates on mortgages, but only Miran... confirmed by the Senate in a rushed vote late Monday just hours before the meeting began.. proposed the half point cut that President Trump deemed acceptable on the road down to a 2% mark. Some consumers are under the impression that they should even wait to lock in a mortgage rate until after the rate cuts because mortgage rates will decline further.

The A.P., reporting that the Fed’s first cut since December lowered its short-term rate to about 4.1%, down from 4.3%, reported Chairman Powell’s contention that it was “the risks that we’re seeing to the labor market that were the focus of today’s decision,” at a post rate cut press conference (ATTACHMENT NINE). Fed projectors had projected that they expected to reduce their key rate “twice more this year, but just once in 2026” while investors on Wall Street had projected (and President Trump dreamed of) as many as five more cuts “for the rest of this year and next.”

A.P.’s Christopher Rugaber opined that “it’s unusual to have weaker hiring and elevated inflation, because typically a slowing economy causes consumers to pull back on spending, cooling price hikes”... an epiphenomenon last widely seen back in the days of the Ford/Carter “stagflation” era as saw both thrown out of office. “Powell suggested last month that sluggish growth could keep inflation in check even if tariffs lift prices further,” thusly earning him The Wrath of Trump (who has also claimed Cook... above... is guilty of mortgage fraud, but, so far, the DoJ has failed to indict or impeach her.)

On Tuesday, Trump said Fed officials “have to make their own choice” on rates but added that “they should listen to smart people like me.” Trump has said “the Fed should reduce rates by three full percentage points.”

When asked what the signs would be that the Fed is no longer functioning independent of political pressure, Powell said, “I don’t believe we’ll ever get to that place. We’re doing our work exactly as we always have now.”

“Eleven of 12 Fed voters on its rate-setting committee (which includes all seven governors on the central bank’s board, appointed by the president, and five more drawn from among 12 regional-bank presidents) backed the quarter-point cut,” the Wall Street Journal reported... Miran, who served as a senior White House adviser until his confirmation to the central bank board this week, was the lone dissenter, favoring a larger half-point cut.

Unnamed “officials” (presumably the rate setters above or persons working on their behalf) are navigating “an economy reshaped by sweeping policy experiments. Trump has imposed tariffs that far exceed those of his first term, raising costs for manufacturers and small businesses. The full effects on consumer prices remain unclear as companies adjust supply chains and pricing strategies. Sharper curbs on immigration could be contributing to a slower pace of job gains by reducing labor force growth,” the WSJ suggested (ATTACHMENT TEN).

Several of these “officials” acknowledge that tariffs may temporarily push up prices. But they warn that higher costs from imported goods and materials could sap hiring as firms shield profit margins from the hit delivered by tariffs. In addition, taxes on imports will rob consumers of purchasing power as firms pass along higher costs.

Fed officials have long debated how to manage those tradeoffs; Powell “making a calculation that the risks from inflation may be easier to manage and that the Fed should accept more inflation risk to prevent deeper cracks from imperiling the labor market.”

Amidst these considerations, Congress first proposed a “seven-week punt” on government to avert a shutdown Oct. 1, which advanced one step closer to passage a week ago yesterday, when a key procedural vote was approved 216 – 210... paving the way for a vote on final passage later in the week — potentially Friday — and setting up a Senate vote before the deadline to prevent a lapse in federal funding... with both chambers “scheduled to be out of session in observance of Rosh Hashanah.” (Politico, ATTACHMENT ELEVEN) The White House released a statement of administration policy Wednesday evening supporting the stopgap funding measure – and demanding that “every Member of Congress must support passage of this clean, short-term CR to keep the Government open as discussions on full-year appropriations continue.”

But they didn’t.

The threat of a U.S. government shutdown surged on Friday, as the U.S. Senate rejected a short-term funding bill to keep federal agencies operating after September 30 and then left town for a week-long break.

“The lawmakers voted 44-48 to defeat a stopgap spending bill that would have kept federal agencies operating at current funding levels through November 21.” (Reuters, ATTACHMENT TWELVE) The measure, which required sixty votes, faced near universal opposition from Democrats, who demanded increased healthcare funding for healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and the restoration of funding cut from the Medicaid healthcare program for lower-income Americans. But that effort failed 47-45.

Only 43 Republicans and one Democrat, Senator John Fetterman, voted for it. “Two Republicans, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Rand Paul, joined other Democrats and independents in opposition. Republicans were also plagued by absences, with eight members not voting.”

In a move to pressure Senate Democrats, House Republican leaders said they would not return from vacation until after Oct. 1.

"If there was ever a sign that the Republicans wanted a shutdown, that's it," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said.

Later Friday afternoon, Reuters attended the flop press conference featuring Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and “other” Democrats.

Thune blamed the donkeys, saying “... it's going to be an up or down vote on whether they want to keep the government open..." while Schumer blamed Republicans, as above.

Earlier, Politico (ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN) called the outcome of the House vote “a victory for Speaker Mike Johnson” who lost only two votes from GOP Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana while Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) voted “yes” in the only minor party defection.

Had it passed the Senate, the House bill was to keep federal agencies funded through Nov. 21. It would have allowed the Trump administration to spend more freely on the WIC nutrition program that serves low-income pregnant women, infants and children, satisfying a request made by the White House and – post Charlie – allocate $30 million for lawmaker security and $58 million to provide enhanced protection for members of the executive branch and justices on the Supreme Court.

Later on Wednesday, Democrats unveiled their own legislation to keep the government open through October 31. It would also restore funding to the Medicaid healthcare program for lower-income Americans that was eliminated by Trump's tax cut bill and would permanently extend healthcare tax credits under the Affordable Care Act. (Reuters, ATTACHMENT FOURTEEN)

"The contrast between the Democratic budget proposal and the Republican proposal is glaring. The Republicans want the same old status quo: rising costs, declining healthcare. Democrats want to meet people's needs by improving healthcare and lowering costs," the New York Democrat said.

An anonymous Senate Republican leadership aide rounded up by Reuters described the Democrats' bill as "partisan" and "not a serious proposal."

Schumer, however, asserted after his House defeat, that: “The public is on our side. Public sentiment is everything,” the liberal Huffington Post reported his declaration of defiance. (ATTACHMENT FIFTEEN)

Andrew O’Neill, director of advocacy for the progressive group Indivisible, reacted to Democrats’ unveiling of their competing funding bill with health care policies – saying: “About damn time we’re seeing some fight from Democrats!”

If a Jones here or there expected either party’s partisan bill to pass, they would have to eat their disappointment on Friday.

But if an ass was to ass-ume victory lay in blocking the Republican bill and shutting down the gumment... well... they got what they’d wished for.

Whereas Republicans needed at least seven Democrats to join them, Democrats held firm over their demands on health care and domestic spending. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the lone Democrat to vote with a majority of Republicans in favor of the bill. Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky were the only Republicans to vote against it.

Foiled, the remaining elephants decamped... presumably to drown their sorrows in Manischewitz (or, perhaps, slivovitz), pig out on kosher lox and bagels and relax a bit (and raise a bit of money) until the eve of the Sept. 30 deadline (the Senate) or until October first (the House). (Time, ATTACHMENT SIXTEEN)

Time also brought to mind a previous stopgap where Schumer and a handful of Senate Democrats crossed party lines to back a Republican stopgap that kept the government open through the end of the fiscal year – earning brickbats from his left.

This time, it was the Republicans leaving for their vacations empty-handed. President Trump disparaged Democrats for being willing to force a shutdown "if they don't get everything that they want." He said GOP leaders would "continue to talk to the Democrats but I think you could very well end up with a closed country for a period of time."

The liberal Guardian U.K. also saw the defeat of the can kick as a (sort of) victory for the American left.

“Senators will have to choose: to stand with Donald Trump and keep the same lousy status quo and cause the Trump healthcare shutdown,” Schumer drew his line, “or (to) stand with the American people, protect their healthcare, and keep the government functioning,” Schumer said. (ATTACHMENT SEVENTEEN)

“We don’t work for Donald Trump, we don’t work for JD Vance, we don’t work for Elon Musk, we work for the American people,” Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat, said before the chamber voted. “And that is why we are a hard no on the partisan Republican spending bill because it continues to gut the healthcare of everyday Americans.”

Thune argued that the Republicans’ legislation included everything Democrats had pushed (for) when they controlled the Senate under former President Joe Biden while the asses’ bill was not clean – “it’s filthy," Thune said. (Fox, ATTACHMENT EIGHTEEN) "It’s packed full of partisan policies and measures designed to appeal to Democrats’ leftist base."

Speaking of leftists, the Huffington Post posted an estimate by the Congressional Budget Office that 15 million fewer people will have health insurance by 2034 as a result of the Medicaid cuts and the lapse of the subsidies. (ATTACHMENT NINETEEN)

Andrew O’Neill, director of advocacy for the progressive group Indivisible, reacted to Democrats’ unveiling of a competing funding bill with health care policies this week, saying: “About damn time we’re seeing some fight from Democrats!”

The far-right New York Post, to its credit, did at least report on Jeffries’ explanation of the Democratic “hard no” above. “Democrats are fighting hard to cancel the cuts. Democrats are fighting hard to lower the cost. Democrats are fighting hard to save your healthcare,” the Minority Leader promised while Sen. Schumer added: “The theater must end. Let’s sit down and negotiate.” (ATTACHMENT TWENTY)

President Trump urged Republicans to keep the federal lights on. “Congressional Republicans, including [Senate Majority] Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson, are working on a short term ‘CLEAN’ extension of Government Funding to stop Cryin’ Chuck Schumer from shutting down the Government,” he posted on Truth Social.

“In times like these, Republicans have to stick TOGETHER to fight back against the Radical Left Democrat demands, and vote ‘YES!’ on both Votes needed to pass a Clean CR this week.”

On Friday, before the Jewish holiday (and, also, the beginning of Fall) the Independent U.K. reported that White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf, accompanying the President on his short holiday in London, was caught on a hot mic exchanging pleasantries with British participants during a roundtable where... surfeited with pomp and pageantry among the royals... he explained the premise of Trump 2.0, saying: “Our brand is crisis.” (ATTACHMENT TWENTY ONE)

The New Jersey Spotlight News (ATTACHMENT TWENTY TWO) published a statement from Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th), the top Democrat on the House Energy & Commerce, which oversees health policy, saying, during floor debate Friday: “You can’t cut a trillion dollars without creating devastating consequences for our constituents.”

“These tax credits help tens of thousands of people in the Fifth District, and hundreds of thousands across Jersey, afford their health care,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5th) said in a statement after voting against the Republican bill.

“The Republican bill is a clean, nonpartisan, short-term continuing resolution to fund the government to give us time to do the full appropriations process,” dissented Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota who leads his party in the Senate.

Media coverage of the potential shutdown included plenty of partisan venom from the usual suspects, but also a discussion between Terry Gerton of the Federal News Network and Mitchell Miller, Capitol Hill correspondent of WTOP. (ATTACHMENT TWENTY THREE)

“Essentially it was the classic, clean CR, and that’s why Republicans have been pointing the finger at Democrats and vice versa,” was Miller’s take on the voting.

“So the House bill passed on straight party lines, right?” asked Gerton.

“Right,” Miller replied. “There was just one Democrat that voted for it.”

“What was also interesting, though, as they moved to the House-passed bill, it really didn’t even come close to getting the 60 votes that were needed, for a variety of reasons, but it only went down on a 44 to 48 vote. You had one Democrat, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, voting for it. You had two Republicans voting against it, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky. Sometimes that happens with these bills, but the bill just kind of went down very quickly.”

“Is there any viable path to avoiding a shutdown before October 1st?” Gerton inquired.

“You never know with Congress,” Miller replied, “...but I think we really are trucking right down the road toward a shutdown because there doesn’t seem to be any even alternate ramp that we usually see in these kind of showdowns.”

And when Gerton asked whether there might be anything “that might break loose on the 29th or 30th that would give us hope?” Miller answered: “I think actually the only real glimmer of hope would be the staffers. I mean, they’re the ones that do the hard work, as you well know, and if they could try to find some middle ground on a few of these issues to help move things forward, that might crack something.”

“Congress has a duty to fund government agencies on time, but it has an equally important duty to rein in an out-of-control executive branch,” said President Everett Kelley of AFGE, the Federal Government employees’ union. (ATTACHMENT TWENTY FOUR)

“Without safeguards, federal employees will continue to face untenable working conditions,” he said, but added that momentum is growing “in the fight to overturn President Trump’s illegal and destructive directives stripping collective bargaining rights from most federal employees.”

“Congress is out of town this week, but when lawmakers return on Monday, Sept. 29, they'll be facing an immediate government funding deadline. If Congress doesn't act before Wednesday, Oct. 1, there will be a government shutdown,” wrote Allison Pecorin of ABC News. (ATTACHMENT TWENTY FIVE)

“Democrats and Republicans are currently locked in a staring contest,” Pecorin deduced. “It’s not clear what, if anything, will be done to stop a shutdown next week.”

"If [Democrats] want to shut down the government, they have the power to do so, but if they think they are going to gain political points from shutting down the government over a clean nonpartisan CR, something they voted for 13 times under the Biden administration, I would strongly urge them to think again," Majority Leader John Thune said on Friday ahead of the Senate vote to block this short-term funding bill.

“The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Democrat’s health care proposals would cost $1.4 trillion over 10 years. Democrats have said they’re willing to negotiate with Republicans, so this package should be viewed as an opening offer and not a set of red lines.”

Politico (ATTACHMENT TWENTY SIX) reported that the White House had “officially” warned Republicans to stick together (and Democrats to kneel) on the seven-week GOP funding patch.

“Failure to pass [the stopgap] would result in a senseless Government shutdown that would be disastrous for the American people,” the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement Wednesday. “Opposition to H.R. 5371 is an endorsement of a senseless Government shutdown that the American people will not stand for.”

In advance of the resolution of the budget shutdown dispute with its proposed costly security bennies (as well as the quickening pace and escalation of political violence), House lawmakers from both parties have been gifted what some see as a token $10K per month (double the $5,000 currently allocated earlier this summer) for personal security following Kirk assassination according to another of the several Politico revelations about the politicos a week ago yesterday prior to Friday’s Senatorial scuttle. (Sept. 17^th, ATTACHMENT TWENTY SEVEN)

Some frightened Republicans “unsatisfied with that dollar amount” brought their concerns to the House floor, where “a large gaggle of Republicans from all corners of the conference took their issues straight to Speaker Mike Johnson and House Administration Chair Bryan Steil.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (himself a victim of a political shooting) said later there were “ongoing conversations,” when asked if GOP leadership would add more money for member security in the stopgap directly.

“The funding can be authorized, we need to make sure that that money is in the right buckets,” said Steil of the ongoing discussion of security funding in the full year legislative branch funding bill – if passed on Friday.

After that failed to happen, Politico also took note of the “nearly precise inversion of the 2013 showdown (also) over health care that closed government agencies for 17 days,” in a wolf-hour dispatch (4:45 AM, September 22^nd, ATTACHMENT TWENTY EIGHT)

Schumer defended the role reversal Friday after the stopgap was stopped. "They were taking something away. We're trying to restore something that they took away."

Pressed on the turning of the tables, Schumer waved his dirty intellectual tongue-banner – insisting that there was an articulable distinction between past and present. “It’s a world of difference when you’re trying to do some good for people rather than doing negative stuff for people.”

“My brain’s falling out of my head,” Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) said in an interview. ”When you talk about the Freedom Caucus talking about passing a CR and the Democrats saying: ‘I’m going to shut down the government,’ I’ve never seen anything so weird in my life.”

Another anonymous House Republican described a closed-door conference meeting last week as like being in “The Twilight Zone,” with several hard-liners who once opposed continuing resolutions as preludes to bloated, opaque omnibus spending bills voiced support for Friday’s short-term “clean” CR punt.

“There’s nothing clean about the administration undermining Congress,” Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) said, accusing Trump’s money man Russ Vought of nefariosity. After top Democratic leaders demanded a meeting, the President said he would “love to meet with them, but I don’t think it’s going to have any impact.”

He would pivot, then pivot (or, perhaps, dispivot) again, as below.

But over the weekend, the partisan politicos played their blame games while the mediots scrapped with one another over which faction would be blamed in 2026 and 2028 in the event of a long-term shutdown.

After attending a later, Monday morning, press briefing, Politico reported (9/22, 3:00 PM ATTACHMENT TWENTY NINE) that White House SecPress Karoline Leavitt hurled forth predictions and accusations like so many slime balloons. “If the government is shut down, it will be the fault of the Democrats, and it will only hurt the most vulnerable in our country: Our seniors, veterans, military families, and...” (making the issue personal for the now-targeted solons peeping or eavesdropping in) “increasing security for members of Congress, which is something this White House and the administration supports,” Leavitt said.

“Democrats know that the right thing to do is join with Republicans to pass this clean funding extension,” Leavitt added. “That is what the president wants.”

One thing the President did not want, as of Monday afternoon, was the meeting that Schumer and Jeffries had called for, as Djonald UnAvailable said he didn’t think a meeting would affect funding fight talks.

“I’d love to meet with them, but I don’t think it’s going to have any impact,” Trump had told reporters on Saturday night. “They want all this stuff, they haven’t changed, they haven’t learned from the biggest beating they’ve ever taken, just about.”

Over the weekend, however, Trump performed his third favorite ploy (after #2, TACO and #1, revenge and retal.)... pivoting.

“President Donald Trump will meet with the Democratic leaders in Congress this week ahead of a looming risk of a federal government shutdown,” ABC reported (September 22, ATTACHMENT THIRTY) “according to two people familiar with the situation and granted anonymity because they are unauthorized to discuss it. The meeting is set for Thursday, one of the people said.”

CBS (ATTACHMENT THIRTY ONE) also reported that Trump will meet with Democratic leaders as Congress seems to be “barreling toward a government shutdown,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries confirmed Tuesday. 

"In the meeting, we will emphasize the importance of addressing rising costs, including the Republican healthcare crisis," the Democrats said. "It's past time to meet and work to avoid a Republican-caused shutdown." In a letter to Mr. Trump this past weekend, Schumer and Jeffries had demanded a meeting with the president and said Democrats would not support a "dirty spending bill" that does not address their health care priorities. 

"Republicans will bear responsibility for another painful government shutdown because of the refusal of GOP congressional leadership to even talk with Democrats," the letter said. "As a result, it is now your obligation to meet with us directly to reach an agreement to keep the government open and address the Republican healthcare crisis." 

In a lengthy Timeline from the New York Post covering Tuesday and Wednesday – and including takes on the shooting at Dallas ICE, Putin and Zelenskyy and the U.N.’s “triple sabotage” of a lurching escalator, malfunctioning teleprompter and defective translation apps (among other crises) – Postie Ryan King revealed that Trump had “abruptly cancelled his planned meeting with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to address the fight over a partial government shutdown.” (ATTACHMENT THIRTY TWO)

"After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive," Trump wrote on Truth Social, faulting the dastardly duo “for demanding more health care spending and other progressive wishlist items.”

Striking back, the liberal MSNBC called his address to the U.N. “mortifying for America” (Wednesday morning, 6:00 AM, ATTACHMENT THIRTY THREE) – perhaps “the most blatantly humiliating one yet, as far as America’s reputation is concerned.”

There were his diatribes against the teleprompter and the escalator, of course, and he said if his bid on the renovation of the building had not been rejected two decades ago, he “would’ve brought marble floors to the building.”

Amid wildfires, drought and triple digit temparatures, he boasted that that America was the “hottest country anywhere in the world” (even Qatar!) and, as often has been the case, promoted his nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize while calling green energy “scam” and, in his customary quixotic quip, reiterated that windmills were “pathetic.”

Washington Post reporter Ishaan Tharoor wrote on X that a senior foreign diplomat posted at the U.N. texted him about Trump’s remarks: “This man is stark, raving mad. Do Americans not see how embarrassing this is?”

Another example of what even Fox considered madness (but might, in fact, be his most sensible remarks of the year) was his accusation that London Mayor Sadiq Khan wanted to impose “sharia law” on the U.K.

"Europe is in serious trouble,” he told the U.N. dignitaries. "They've been invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody's ever seen before. Illegal aliens are pouring into Europe... and nobody's doing anything to change it, to get them out. It's not sustainable. And because they choose to be politically correct, they're doing just absolutely nothing about it," Trump said – then added that London’s “terrible mayor” wanted to go to sharia law and “(b)oth the immigration and their suicidal energy ideas will be the death of Western Europe.” (ATTACHMENT THIRTY FOUR)

Actually, the United States could use sharia law (one of whose premises is that the right hand of a thief should be cut off).

Thousands, if not millions of Americans would welcoming seeing de-manication (not a death penalty for males, but cutting off the hands of telemarketers, netscammers and various other pestiferous fraudsters).

It’s hard to steal identities with only one hand.

“After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders (Schumer and Jeffries) could possibly be productive,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Tuesday morning. (CNN, ATTACHMENT THIRTY FIVE)

The Democrats had confirmed just shortly before that they were scheduled to meet with the president this week in the Oval Office... (n)ow, with each party publicly trading barbs and refusing to cave, the prospect of a shutdown seems more serious than ever.

But a quintet of Cable guys and gals reported that the cancellation came came after a conversation with GOP leaders (unnamed, but probably including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune) on Monday night, where they cautioned against dealmaking with Democrats, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

“Thune has been abundantly clear about what he thinks on this issue, and the president is aware of his position,” one source familiar with the discussions told CNN.

Johnson had made a similar case against the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium subsidies inside the Capitol last week before lawmakers left town, telling reporters: “We’re not going to pay for health care for illegal aliens, that’s against the law, we’re not doing that.”

Republicans had argued their bill to fund the government through November 20 was a “clean” continuing resolution, or CR, with only $30 million in extra security money for members of Congress, $58 million for security for the executive and judicial branch and a funding “fix” for DC to adjust a mistake in an earlier bill.

The Democratic bill, meanwhile, included expensive health care changes, such as extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. Republicans argued it was inappropriate to add such provisions to a stopgap funding bill and that they should be negotiated as part of a year-end funding bill.

Of course, as critics contended, denial or delay over the Christmas holidays would mean that millions of Americans would lose access to healthcare.

After the cancellation, Jeffries invoked that phrase on X that has been known to irk the president: “Trump Always Chickens Out,” while Schumer – who would have to deliver Republicans seven votes to pass the GOP stopgap measure in the Senate – accused Trump of throwing a tantrum and “running away from the negotiating table before he even gets there.”

As the likelihood of a shutdown surged after the cancel, the OMB (Office of Management and Budget) began polling federal agencies on the means they would take to continue during the interim. But as of Monday, the current versions had not been widely shared with Congress or the public and White House web page dedicated to those plans was blank. (Reuters, September 23, 2025 5:31 AM EDT – ATTACHMENT THIRTY SIX)

“Congress and the public are completely in the dark about how the Administration would comply with the law while continuing to carry out critical national security functions (including military preparedness, as below),” warned Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee that oversees shutdown operations.

Later Monday morning, CNBC reported that Trump had mocked Schumer and Jeffries, posting on Truth Social that Democrats in Congress “seemed to have totally lost their way.” (9/23. 10:01 AM, ATTACHMENT THIRTY SEVEN)

“I look forward to meeting with them if they get serious about the future of our Nation,” he added. “We must keep the Government open, and legislate like true Patriots rather than hold American Citizens hostage, knowing that they want our now thriving Country closed.”

Eleven minutes later, Fox (ATTACHMENT THIRTY EIGHT, 10:12 AM) took note of a letter from Schumer and Jeffries where top congressional Democrats laid the possibility of a shutdown on his and Republicans’ feet.

They argued that the Trump-backed short-term extension was "dirty," which would mean it had partisan policy riders or spending attached to it, and panned it for continuing "the Republican assault on healthcare," ignoring expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies, and possibly leading to the closure of hospitals and other healthcare facilities across the country.

"With the September 30th deadline fast approaching, Republicans will bear responsibility for another painful government shutdown because of the refusal of GOP congressional leadership to even talk with Democrats," they wrote.

Trump dismissed their appeal for a meeting to “another long and brutal slog through their radicalized quicksand...” which dismissal Jeffries called “unhinged.”

Both parties agreed that their enemies would “own” the shutdown.

Moments before delivering a scorching address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump declared that he won’t meet with the top Dems until “they get serious about the future of our nation.”

“After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“The three had been scheduled to meet on Thursday after repeated requests from the two Democrats,” according to the Trump-friendly New York Post (ATTACHMENT THIRTY NINE, 12:25 pm Tuesday)

Later that afternoon, Fox (4:29 PM, ATTACHMENT FORTY) sent reporters Elizabeth Elkind and Alex Miller to a “media availability” in his Brooklyn, New York district where... besides calling Trump “unhinged”... he said the Republican CR “continues to gut the healthcare of the American people."

Shortly thereafter, Schumer held his own press conference where he charged, "Today seems to be tantrum day for Donald Trump. Stop ranting, stop these long diatribes that mean nothing to anyone. Get people in a room and let's hammer out a deal."

And, an hour later, Reuters... taking note of the Democratic leaders’ press conferences... reported that Speaker Mike declared that he did not intend to call House members back to Washington before October 1 – “by which point the government will have shut down absent Senate action.

“Johnson (said) his chamber completed its work when it passed its stopgap funding bill on Friday, a move that also presents the Senate - where bills require bipartisan support to pass - no chance to modify the House bill.” (5:27 PM, ATTACHMENT FORTY ONE)

Trump’s Truth Social posts added that Democrats stood for “Radical Left Policies” including “High Taxes, Open Borders, No Consequences for Violent Criminals, Men in Women’s Sports, Taxpayer funded 'TRANSGENDER' surgery, and much more."

But the OMB remained “unclear” on contingency plans once America runs out of money, although the British agency did opine that: “Mandatory spending, such as on the Social Security and Medicare benefits, would continue; as would interest payments on the federal government's $37.5 trillion in debt.”

And ABC, following another news conference engineered by Schumer after Trump had made it clear that there would be no meeting... not now, not ever. (6:41 PM, ATTACHMENT FORTY TWO)

"Donald Trump is causing the shutdown. This is a Trump shutdown and he is barreling right toward it right now, and he knows he is going to be blamed for the shut down," Schumer said, descending into bitterness and sarcasm as the implications of the shutdown emerged.

"This is not what the American people want or deserve. Donald Trump can't even negotiate a budget bill with Democrats. This great negotiator. The kind of meeting we wanted to have that he just pulled out, it's the kind of thing every president has to do," Schumer said.

Trump says Democrats have a “radical agenda”, Schumer added, “Really? Really? Tell the American people what is radical about protecting America's health care."

Yesterday morning, Roll Call (6:00 AM, ATTACHMENT FORTY THREE) made the perhaps-innocent observation that the tit-for-tat verbal jousting playing out on social media may be inching the country closer to a shutdown that neither party claims to want.

The operational word there is “claims”... whereas, as probable, the Democrats, Republicans and President are all hoping a shutdown will punish the American people enough to intimidate them into consent for a surrender (the administration) or a TACO (the Democrats). Neither option seems likely, given that the midterms (when the public would have its say) are more than a year away and the next Presidential contest more than three years.

Timing favors the hold-outs. Barring insurrections, assassinations or... as as Rep, Haley Stevens (D-Wi) initiated today... impeachment (albeit only of HealthSec RFK Junior), America will be Trump’s diaper and the stench, as months and years go by, will be awesome,

“There are consequences to losing Elections,” Trump boasted on Truth Social but, based on their letter to me, “the Democrats haven’t figured that out yet,” he said in his unpivot pivot - rejecting the request for a meeting Democrats made over the weekend.

“Clearly, GOP extremists want to shut down the government because they are unwilling to address the Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating America...” Jeffries griped and announced plans for a caucus on Monday, despite few Dems and no Pubs even being in town.

In announcing his sudden reversal, Trump railed against Democrats for pushing “over $1 trillion in new spending” for health care, opening the country’s borders to undocumented migrants and “essentially create Transgender operations for everybody.”

Roughly 2.2 million individuals with marketplace coverage could face higher monthly premiums absent an extension, and Roll Call reported that the Congressional Budget Office predicts 4.2 million would lose their health insurance over the next 10 years because of rising costs.

Fox News (ATTACHMENT FORTY FOUR) interviewed Sen. Joni Ernst, chair, so to speak, of the mummified corpse of the Senate DOGE Caucus named after tech-billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, laid the fault of a potential shutdown on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in her letter to CBO Director Phillip Swagel calling for “a sweeping economic operational impact analysis from the agency, including how a shutdown could affect back pay costs for furloughed non-essential employees, military pay, congressional pay and the broader economic impact that the government closing could have on the private sector,” focusing upon how “companies and businesses” (not people) could “recoup losses after a shutdown ended” (presumably through more handout and tax breaks financed either through further cutbacks in services or, DOGE be DOG-damned, more debt.

"Once again, Donald Trump has shown the American people he is not up to the job," Schumer told the Fox. "It's a very simple job: sit down and negotiate with the Democratic leaders and come to an agreement, but he just ain't up to it. He runs away before the negotiations even begin." 

As noted by ABC (Attachment 24, above), Democrats and Republicans remain “locked in a staring contest.”

Republicans on Capitol Hill want Congress to pass a short-term funding bill without any additional add ons to keep the government funded at FY2024 levels through Nov. 20. They say this will allow more time for Congress to work on the annual appropriations bills that they hope can be enacted before the next funding deadline. The White House has backed this approach.

“Passing a short-term funding bill that doesn’t include any sort of major policy riders is pretty par for the course on Capitol Hill. Democrats advanced many of them while former President Joe Biden was in office. Republicans say Democrats are being disingenuous by not supporting this seven-week solution.” 

If there is a government shutdown, millions of federal employees will go without a paycheck and many -- such as airport security officers, air traffic controllers and members of the military -- will be told to come to work anyway. ICE agents also go without pay. National parks will close and the Smithsonian museums also typically close within a few days.

Employees will enjoy their time off and those with savings can survive until a solution, at which time they will receive full back pay. Federal contractors, on the other hand, “are not required to work and are also not guaranteed backpay.” 

Social Security will continue to be distributed, “though there can be slow downs.”

The lone Democratic dissenter, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania thinks a government shutdown would be a mistake, and plans to vote for a House-passed continuing resolution to keep the gumment open,” according to the paleo-conservative National Review. The NR Peanut Gallery fairly crackled with comments. (ATTACHMENT FORTY FIVE)

Conservatives said “Hell no to health insurance for illegals and life support for NPR and PBS,” asked “Is TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) back?” and a dreamer wrote “Schumer is pleading for someone to primary him.” (In New York!) Another suggested that “AOL covets that seat”. (probably meaning AOC – DJI)

The NR did allow a few liberals to post grievances too, and some of their postings included Trump’s expertise in “baiting the trap”. Object to sending in the National Guard to blue cities? “You’re on the side of the criminals.” Object to increased ICE funding? “You’re pro-illegal immigrant.”

And many amateur strategists praised Fetterman as “an example of what the Dems need to return to if they want to be viable in national elections,” a “normal Democrat” as in the good ol’ days, a “sane Democrat (albeit with brain damage)” while others admitted that Fet was gifted with an easy cheesy task in having to overtake Dr. Oz (who has now joined the ranks of the Trump traitors!).

The Military Times (September 24, 1:38 PM, ATTACHMENT FORTY SIX) assessed the effects of a shutdown on national defense and reported that most active duty troops would not be paid during the duration unless a separate Pay Our Troops Act of 2026 is passed with, as it appears, bipartisan support.

“Specialty medical care for wounded warriors would continue. But office hours could be curtailed because of staffing issues.”

Defense Working Capital Fund activities — which includes the Defense Commissary Agency — “were previously allowed to continue to operate until cash reserves were exhausted. For commissaries, that would be about 60 days, unless cash reserves run out before then.”

Veterans’ Affairs hospitals will remain open and operational. “Some department information hotlines could be shuttered during a shutdown, and some VA central office staff would be furloughed until new funding is approved. But compared to other departments, the impact on overall VA operations would be minimal.”

And finally, the New York Times assessed Trump’s Go-It-Alone policy yesterday (ATTACHMENT FORTY SEVEN) and concluded that the “Republican governing trifecta” (White House, Congress and SCOTUS) gave him unlimited, quasi-dictatorial power and authority “to push through his big priorities, including enacting a major tax cut and domestic policy bill, clawing back billions in congressionally approved spending and winning confirmation of his nominees,” but not “passing a government spending bill that can win the necessary 60 votes” in the Senate.

“Mr. Trump canceled the meeting after a call with Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the majority leader, who urged the president not to meet with Democratic leaders. Mr. Johnson has told reporters before the meeting was canceled that he was “not certain” it was “necessary,” leaving Schumer to screech, impotently, that “Donald Trump is not a king.”

But he is.

A naked King, perhaps, should the shutdown extend into and past Christmas and into 2026, when something... anything... happens, but a King, nonetheless.

And the question may then becomes whether... if protests gather force... authorities will have to begin shooting (er... in PC, “deploying lethal force” against) American citizens.

	IN the NEWS: SEPTEMBER 18^th to 24^th, 2025
Thursday, September 18, 2025 Dow: 46,108.00	ABC cancels Jimmy Kimmel under FCC pressure two weeks after Steven Colbert’s CBS contract terminated in 2026. Now, President Trump tells NBC to fire “losers” Seth Myers and even the innocuous Jimmy Fallon and Trumpy FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatens to start yanking broadcast licenses. “Tonight, we are all Jimmy Kimmel,” Colbert says. Trump himself enjoys pomp and pageantry at Windsor Castle, talking trade and Ukiraine with U.K. PM Starmer. In America, his HHS pet RFK Junior convenes his new handpicked CDC panel – they redlight vaxxes for chicken pox (CATO... chickens always Trump out) and repeal Biden healthcare provisions that will allow doctors and insurers to gouge the sick. Those with money are coveting $800 Ray Ban AI glasses that alter reality and play music, while influencers advise low-income mothers to use newspapers for diapers. Five cops serving warrant on domestic violence shot, 3 killed in rural Pennsylvania. Shooter shoots himelf and the family dog.
Friday, September 19, 2025 Dow: 45,834.22	It’s National Donut Day and, also, Fat Bear week. NBC owner Disney said to need approval for upcoming mergers, thus Kimmel, as Disneyland turns 70. Former President Obama cites Trumpy hypocrisy on cancel culture, ABC’s Jonathan Karl cites the firing of Erik Siebert, who could not find reason to convict James Comey, Leticia James and anybody Trump targets. Republicans are getting nervous; Ted Cruz actually breaks with His Man while gunslinger shoots ABC studio in Sacramento, California. Flash flooding brinds mudslides back to unlucky Ruidoso, NM and Barstow, CA, where a two year old is swept away and drowned. Summer hangs on despite first day of fall on Monday. In the courts, a TV lawyer says the TV firings are legal because private corporations, unlike the government, have exclusive power over their employees, FTC sues Ticketmaster for colluding with scalpers, Reality TV stars sue for “inhumane treatment”, Florida judge throws out Trump’s lawsuit against the New York Times and Luigi Mangione, having won his Federal dismissal, petitions for dismissal of state charges.
Saturday, September 20, 2025 Dow: Closed	It’s National POW/MIA day. Wars in Ukraine and Gaza roll on... mass protests by hostage families in Israel are dismissed by Netanhayu, whose ultra-right Economic Minister Six hundred Russian drones attack Ukrainian cities; they fire back with 150 against Russian oil facilities. Putin sends Russian jets to invade Estonia, leading Trump to say that he was “disappointed.” In the courts, killer Luigi Mangione wants his case dismissed due to the publicity and comments by politicos and celebrities on social media. TV lawyers say companies can fire employees who post posts that they do not agree with, but Djonald UnMonied’s lawsuit agains the New York Times is tossed. Active shooter sprays New Hampshire country club with bullets.
Sunday, September 21, 2025 Dow: Closed	It’s Talkshow Sunday... on ABC’s “The Week”. Chris Murphy (D-Ct) says America is “turning into a “banana republic” like Iran where Trump is using the government to silence and punish his political enemies.” Praises Cruz, tells other Republicans to confront the President and is writing a “No Political Enemies act.” Roundtablerr discuss Kamala Harris’ tell all book. Donna Brazile says that it leaves “unanswered questions.” Bernie Sanders aide Fais Shakur says she has “no future” in the emocratic party, which is not so bad because former Trumpie Sara Isgur says that Democrats, period, have no future due to their “leftist purity.” Robert Bluey of the Heritage Foundation had no comment, Stephen Smith and Chris Christy debated Trump’s war on the media... Christie comparing FCC Chair Carr to “some guy in Hoboken.” Dr. Richard Bessert says that RFK’s handpicked CDC is “steeped in anti-vaxxing ideology” and their meeting ended in chaos. “As a doctor, I no longer trust the CDC,” because RFK Junior “is on a mission and he’s not done yet.” Foreign affirs arise on Face the Nation; French President Macron disagrees with Trump’s contention that the Russian attack on Poland and Romania was a mistake. “They were what Putin wanted.” Margaret Brennan interviews Syria’s Achmed Al Sharaj who says he expelled Iran and its proxies while PM Netanahu says Israel will be a “super Sparta” and hyper-genocidal minister Bezalel Smotrich says Gaza will be cheap paradise “because all the demolition work has been done.” Sixty Minutes profiles Neal Ferguson who is running the UATX to counter left wing universities with his own teachings from Palantir and the Hoover Inst.
Monday, September 22, 2025 Dow: 46,381.54	It’s the first day of autumn and, also, Rosh Hashana – the Jewish New Year 5386 - a day for repentence of the past and reflections on the future. No future for civilians in Gaxa, where Israel continues bombing civilians while President Trump and PM Netanyahu agree that thee will never be a Palestinian state; to hell with the UN and foreign supporters whose stance they call “performative” even as they destroy more West Bank villages. Nor is there any peace in Ukraine as President Zelenskyy flies here to address the U.N. tomorrow. At the funeral for Charlie Kirk, attended by thousands and MAGA celebrities widow (and newly appointed head of “Turning Point”) says Charlie only wanted to save young men and expresses forgiveness for his killer (now in custody). Trump disagrees, saying: “I hate my opponents and I don’t want the best for them,” while Veep Vance says Kirk “transformed” America. To prove it, the Dynamic Duo commands AyGee Pam Bondi to prosecute Comey, James and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Ca) to hurry up, despite lack of criminal evidence. “We have to do it now!” he says, calling the move “accountability and not retaliation”; also promoting HHS/MAHA’s RFK jr. orders to Americans, especially women, not to take Tylenol while pressuring his handpicked FCC Chair Carr to start pulling licenses of hostile news media while DefSec Pete Hegseth bans journalists from questioning the military. Deciding to play nice and, at least, listen to the House and Senate Democratic majority leaders, he pivots on his “no talk, no way” stance. But along comes another problem, as...
Tuesday, September 23, 2025 Dow: 46,292.78	... under even more pressure from viewers, performers, politicians and businessthings, Disney chickens out and Jimmy Kimmel is restored to CBS (some NextStar and Sinclair surrogate stations excepted). Even pro-MAGA elephants like Ted Cruz oppose stifling of speech. See his monologue here. Matt Gorman of the far-right Targeted Victory says Americans “do not have the right to a TV show.” Leaving this mess behind, POTUS scoots north to New York to address the wokesters at the UN (the latest foreign foes of the Gaza war being France and the Saudis). Under tight security, the Secret Service detects and foils a plot to crash communications, presumably by China while Hamas, being Hamas, tries to win support for a Palestinian state they would control by executing “Israeli collaborators”. In the other big war, SecState Marco praises Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil and asserts that Prersident Trump is the only one who can end this war – by toughening sanctions and making speeches. “It’s a stupid war,” he opines. So Trump, addressing the General Assembly, says Americcc is a “proud country” that protects people with “different ideas” and also “...the hottest country in the world.” Politically inclined Joneses were bewildered by the statement while the sun, concurring, continues baking the proud and the purulent nationwide (except for a few places where flash floods and mudflows drown towns and wash away a two year old child). And then he unpivots his pivot on meeting Schumer and Jeffries – telling them, in effect, to go kiss a pig.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025 Dow: 46,121.28	Rockin’ and rollin’ and pollin’ in the ‘30s, the Pesident calls climate change a :con job” and suggests that Russia might be a “paper tiger” even as their drones attack Denmark. He does say Putin “disappointed’ him, but is more agitated that the escalator at the UN building stalls, his teleprompter blacks out and translations do too... a triad of terror he attributes to unnamed terrorists. Perhaps Antifa? But he waffles on whether he will pull troops out of Chicago and send them to fight in Ukraine. As for the climate hoax. Typhoon Ragasa strikes Hong Kong with record ferocity... but it’s over there, so no problemo, dudes. As DHA reports two million alien deportations, a strange gunman shoots up the ICE palace in Texas. He carves liberal slogans into his bullets, but shoots only migrant detainees and then himself. Prior failed Trump assassin Ryan Roush also tries to stab himself with a pen after being convicted of the attempt – but fails at that, too. And yesterday’s failed Internet hack is blamed on “a network of foreign actors” (not including Claudia Cardinale, RIP).
For all the furor in Washington and amidst the media, there was hardly any movement in the Don... stocks were stolid, partisans predictable and those who had spent... still in advance of Tariff Day... while those who did not went without.

THE DON JONES INDEX

CHART of CATEGORIES w/VALUE ADDED to EQUAL BASELINE of 15,000

(REFLECTING… approximately… DOW JONES INDEX of June 27, 2013)

Gains in indices as improved are noted in GREEN. Negative/harmful indices in RED as are their designation. (Note – some of the indices where the total went up created a realm where their value went down... and vice versa.) See a further explanation of categories HERE

ECONOMIC INDICES		(60%)
CATEGORY	VALUE	BASE	RESULTS by PERCENTAGE			SCORE		OUR SOURCES and COMMENTS
INCOME	(24%)	6/17/13 revised 1/1/22	LAST	CHANGE	NEXT	LAST WEEK	THIS WEEK	THE WEEK’S CLOSING STATS...
Wages (hrly. Per cap)	9%	1350 points	9/18/25	+0.38%	9/25	1,589.97	1,589.97	https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/wages   31.46
Median Inc. (yearly)	4%	600	9/18/25	+0.055%	10/2/25	827.82	828.28	http://www.usdebtclock.org/   44,106 48.607 634
Unempl. (BLS – in mi)	4%	600	9/18/25	+2.33%	9/25	530.25	530.25	http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000/ 4.3
Official (DC – in mi)	2%	300	9/18/25	+0.03%	10/2/25	215.74	215.68	http://www.usdebtclock.org/      7,264 267 269
Unofficl. (DC – in mi)	2%	300	9/18/25	+0.29%	10/2/25	234.68	234.00	http://www.usdebtclock.org/     14,580 622 664
Workforce Participation Number Percent	2%	300	9/18/25	+0.42% -0.015%	10/2/25	297.17	297.13	In 163,332 368 405 Out 103,816 876 936 Total: 267,148 244 341 61.139 131 122
WP % (ycharts)*	1%	150	9/18/25	-0.16%	9/25	150.71	150.71	https://ycharts.com/indicators/labor_force_participation_rate 62.30
OUTGO	(15%)
Total Inflation	7%	1050	9/18/25	+0.4%	9/25	927.45	927.45	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.4
Food	2%	300	9/18/25	+0.5%	9/25	262.59	262.59	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.5
Gasoline	2%	300	9/18/25	+1.9%	9/25	255.11	255.11	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm    +1.9
Medical Costs	2%	300	9/18/25	-0.1%	9/25	274.20	274.20	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     -0.1
Shelter	2%	300	9/18/25	+0.4%	9/25	250.63	250.63	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.4
WEALTH
Dow Jones Index	2%	300	9/18/25	+0.22%	10/2/25	350.49	351.27	https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/index/ 45,490.92 46.018.32 121.28
Home (Sales) (Valuation)	1% 1%	150 150	9/18/25	+2.04% -2.96%	9/25	123.91 277.56	123.91 277.56	https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics Sales (M):  4.01 00Valuations (K):  422.4 2.6
Millionaires (New Category)	1%	150	9/18/25	+0.055%	10/2/25	133.74	133.81	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    23,729 742 755
Paupers (New Category)	1%	150	9/18/25	+0.024%	10/2/25	133.17	133.20	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    37,213 314 305
GOVERNMENT	(10%)
Revenue (trilns.)	2%	300	9/18/25	+0.22%	10/2/25	467.11	468.13	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    5,470 482 494
Expenditures (tr.)	2%	300	9/18/25	+0.14%	10/2/25	279.83	279.44	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    7,375 385 395
National Debt tr.)	3%	450	9/18/25	+0.09%	10/2/25	358.49	358.17	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    37,469 501 527
Aggregate Debt (tr.)	3%	450	9/18/25	+0.07%	10/2/25	380.05	379.78	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    104,412 518 603
TRADE	(5%)
Foreign Debt (tr.)	2%	300	9/18/25	+0.19%	10/2/25	257.76	257.27	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    9,383 400 418
Exports (in billions)	1%	150	9/18/25	+1,15%	9/25	174.76	174.76	https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 280.5
Imports (in billions))	1%	150	9/18/25	-5.94%	9/25	151.56	151.56	https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 358.8
Trade Surplus/Deficit (blns.)	1%	150	9/18/25	-23.12%	9/25	253.88	253.88	https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 78.3
SOCIAL INDICES		(40%)
ACTS of MAN	(12%)
World Affairs	3%	450	9/18/25	+0.1%	10/2/25	471.00	471.47	Right-wing riots in the U.K. and in the Netherlands in advance of their election; omnipartisan riots in France. But Notre Dame finally reopens after six years. Prayers fail as Italian flooding continues.
War and terrorism	2%	300	9/18/25	-0.2%	10/2/25	286.08	285.51	As Hamas terrorists execute “collaborators”, Israeli hostage families continue protesting the war while Euros support their taking over a new Palestinian state. Trump declares Antifa ia “major terrorist organization”.
Politics	3%	450	9/18/25	-0.1%	10/2/25	460.70	460.24	Gumment veers closer to shutdown (above). California passes Icy anti-mask law. Tax breaks for electric cars ending soon... fire sales in progress.
Economics	3%	450	9/18/25	nc	10/2/25	428.79	428.79	Trump raises visa price for foreign geniuses from $1,500 to $100,000. Inflation down, except for food and rent but poverty and uncertainty is leading to childlessness. Michelob dethrones Modelo and Bud as America’s #1 selling beer.
Crime	1%	150	9/18/25	-0.1%	10/2/25	210.95	210.74	Driver who was bullied by peers shoots up Amazon warehouse in Columbus, GA. Coach shot at youth ballgame in Katy, TX. Seciroty Industry Associates selling hi tech costly security to panicked rich suburbanites, but scammers, perhaps Canadian, are sending kiddie porn to Americans & blackmailing them;
ACTS of GOD	(6%)
Environment/Weather	3%	450	9/18/25	+0.2%	10/2/25	349.04	349.74	Wildfires quenched as rains drench the American West. Gabrielle a fish storm, but Humberto and Imelda on the way – tornadoes predicted for Arklahoma. Thousands of scientists say that global warming is real. And wind and solar power is cheaper than coal.
Disasters	3%	450	9/18/25	-0.1%	10/2/25	413.14	412.73	Tiger kills handler before dozens at what PETA calls a “cruel circus” in Oklahoma. Near crash between Easy Jet and a Tunisian jew at not-sp-nice Nice Airport in France. Man killed on Orlando’s Universal Roller Coaster by overhanging metal. Another crushed on the National Mall by a car painted by Andy Warhol.
LIFESTYLE/JUSTICE INDEX		(15%)
Science, Tech, Education	4%	600	9/18/25	-0.1%	10/2/25	616.46	615.84	Radar and communications outages at two Dallas airports, mechanics and motives unknown – but China blamed for cyberhackers who shut down EU airports and strand returning tourists. Bill Nye, the Science Guy, gets his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Equality (econ/social)	4%	600	9/18/25	+0.2%	10/2/25	664.40	665.73	New documentary calls Lilith Fair “inspirational” as 2025 astronaut class includes 4 men and 6 women. Aurthorities declare that black student at Delta State hanged himself... Ben Crump calls it murder. Former Miss America Mallory Hagan cancelled for disrespecting Charlie Kirk.
Health	4%	600	9/18/25	-0.2%	10/2/25	421.34	420.50	ER deaths surge in hospitals taken over by “private equity firms”. Authorities report deer running into roads and it’s the start of baby snake season. 160,000 Jeeps recalled for doors falling off, Hyundai recalls 500,000 bad seat belt vehicles. California to ban carcinogenic Teflon by 2028. FDA says alcohol kills, especially women in their 20s and 30s. and, if they get pregnane, Tylenol will make their newborns autistic (CDC says now 1 in 21, opposed to 1 in 150). Consequently...
Freedom and Justice	3%	450	9/18/25	-0.2%	10/2/25	485.96	484.99	... parents sue videogames that addict kids and drive them crazy. DoD King Pete restricts media access to military. Most of the usual cases drag on and those that are settled are appealed.
CULTURAL and MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS			(6%)
Cultural incidents	3%	450	9/18/25	nc	10/2/25	572.27	572.27	Demon Slayer repeats as #1 movie; other top soups include Ohio State (NCAA football). The NFL sees 7 last minute victories, two by blocked field goals (one a Pick Six by a 350 lb. lineman). MBL testing robot umpires for deployment as questioners ask: robot athletes next? Former NFL star Mel Owens is the next Golden Bachelor while Corey Feldman is eliminated from “Dancing With THE Stars”. RIP: Actress Claudia Cardinale (“Pink Panther”, “8 ½”), NFL star Rudi Johnson, Sonny Curtis, author of the Mary Tyler Moore theme, country singer Brett James (“Jesus Take the Wheel”) in plane crash
Miscellaneous incidents	4%	450	9/18/25	nc	10/2/25	541.78	541.78	South African preacher predicts the Rapture on Tuesday. Didn’t happen. School bus driver turns up the heat on kids – saying: “I’m gonna cook you all.” 44-year-old cookn’ on Knoxville course knocks a hole in one. More animal news... New York City to ban horse carriages and 2025 Fat Bear contest begins in Alaska.
Such a busy week, such drawling indices!

The Don Jones Index for the week of September 25^th through October 1^st, 2025 was DOWN 1.18 points

The Don Jones Index is sponsored by the Coalition for a New Consensus: retired Congressman and Independent Presidential candidate Jack “Catfish” Parnell, Chairman; Brian Doohan, Administrator. The CNC denies, emphatically, allegations that the organization, as well as any of its officers (including former Congressman Parnell, environmentalist/America-Firster Austin Tillerman and cosmetics CEO Rayna Finch) and references to Parnell’s works, “Entropy and Renaissance” and “The Coming Kill-Off” are fictitious or, at best, mere pawns in the web-serial “Black Helicopters” – and promise swift, effective legal action against parties promulgating this and/or other such slanders.

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GOOGLE AI OVERVIEW on the SHUTDOWN

FISCAL YEAR 2026 SHUTDOWN RISK

· As of September 18, 2025, Congress ha(d) not enacted any of the 12 appropriations bills for the new fiscal year, which begins on October 1, 2025. (And the hadn’t as of today.)

· Negotiations between the Republican-controlled Congress and the Democratic administration of President-elect Trump are proving contentious.

· Hardline Republicans and Democrats have both indicated that a fight over funding, particularly regarding social policy riders and health care subsidies, makes a shutdown a real possibility.

· Federal agencies and contractors are making preparations for a potential lapse in government funding. 

ATTACHMENT ONE – FROM the BROOKINGS INST.

SURPRISINGLY, DEMOCRATS—NOT REPUBLICANS—WILL BE CALLING FOR A SHUTDOWN THIS YEAR

By Wendell Primus and Molly E. Reynolds September 18, 2025

• A government shutdown on Sept. 30 resulting from a fight over health care is a real possibility.

• Democrats—who control neither the House, the Senate, nor the White House—find themselves with increasing pressure from some of their key constituencies to be seen as fighting more aggressively against President Trump and his administration’s aggressive use of executive power.

• Recent history suggests that, from a concrete policy perspective, shutdowns are often futile—but political dynamics can still cause them to happen.

Each year, Congress must reach agreement, in some form, on 12 separate bills that provide the funding for discretionary federal programs, ranging from the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health to national parks and many education programs. The regularity of the process is important to effective congressional oversight, as agency heads often testify in front of the relevant appropriations subcommittees annually. The appropriations committees in the House and Senate have historically prided themselves on being bipartisan; indeed, several key staffers, known as clerks, have worked for both Republicans and Democrats. Each year, Congress tries but routinely fails to finish all the appropriations bills before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. Legislators then turn to what’s known as a continuing resolution, which funds the government at the funding levels from the prior year, often until late November or early December with a hope that by then the appropriations process can be completed.

Each year, Congress must reach agreement, in some form, on 12 separate bills that provide the funding for discretionary federal programs, ranging from the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health to national parks and many education programs. The regularity of the process is important to effective congressional oversight, as agency heads often testify in front of the relevant appropriations subcommittees annually. In recent years, shutdown threats have become common and actual lapses in appropriations more frequent; in the 17 years between 1996 and 2013, there were no lapses, but there have been three in the 11 years since, including a record-length shutdown in 2018 and 2019. From the perspective of the broad public, they primarily serve as reminders that Congress is broken and cannot get its work done on time. From an economic lens, however, the effects are real, at least temporarily. Lurching from shutdown threat to shutdown threat also makes it harder for agencies—many of whom have been hamstrung in recent months by various administration actions related to personnel and spending—to plan and use resources responsibly.

The two most significant shutdowns—for 17 days in 2013 and for 35 days in late 2018 and early 2019—both had, at their center, a demand from Republicans that Democrats were unwilling to agree to. In the case of the former, it was a desire to defund and/or delay the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. And in the case of the latter, it was funding for the construction of a barrier along the southern border. What both issues had in common was that they were important ones for Republican messaging, and a desire to be seen as “fighting” for the “conservative” position was key for many members.

This year, the shoe is on the other foot. It is Democrats who are navigating political pressures from key constituencies and assessing what to ask for in exchange for their votes, which are necessary to clear the 60-vote threshold to end debate in the Senate. On one hand are questions of institutional power. This year has been marked by repeated incursions by the executive branch into Congress’ power of the purse. Recent estimates from the Democrats on the House and Senate appropriations committees put the total amount of funds being held up by the administration at $410 billion. In addition, the White House is also seeking to cancel approximately $5 billion in federal spending through a tactic known as “pocket rescissions” that the Government Accountability Office has held is illegal. Democrats’ proposed CR includes several provisions that address this behavior by the executive branch.

In addition, there are various policy issues that are animating Democrats that could be shutdown fodder. The counterproposal released by Democrats this week includes the extension of certain subsidies for individuals to purchase health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and reverses some cuts to Medicaid enacted this summer; those cuts were projected by CBO to cause 10 million people to lose coverage. But if there’s another shutdown threat later this fall, we could imagine any number of other policies—the administration’s tariffs, its aggressive immigration enforcement and calls for mass deportation, or the evolving changes to vaccine policy, to name a few—emerging as demands. Articulating multiple asks could also, strategically, provide an off-ramp if any one of them is met.

Beyond these substantive questions, however, is a political one. Democrats—who control neither the House, the Senate, nor the White House—are facing increasing pressure from some of their key constituencies to be seen as fighting more aggressively against President Trump and his administration’s aggressive use of executive power. That political dynamic, when coupled with the institutional and policy considerations discussed above, may well lead them to conclude a shutdown is the right move—especially since Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was widely criticized by some in his party for not fighting harder in March. But to make that call, Democrats will also have to confront that, as the party generally more oriented toward “making government work,” other constituencies might be skeptical of the value of a shutdown.

How might all of this play out? Because enrollment in health care plans that would be affected by the expiration of subsidies begins Nov. 1, Democrats may feel that if they are going to make a stand on that issue, it needs to be now, on a temporary spending bill. But even if Republicans agree and a shutdown is averted now, both parties will find themselves right back in this scenario—and without possibly the clearest logical bargaining chip—later this year, when a continuing resolution would run out. At that point, Republicans—including the White House–may well prefer to pass another spending bill at existing levels, left over from 2024. They secured increases in spending on key priorities like immigration enforcement and defense as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act this summer, and any cuts they’d like to see, they could attempt to accomplish via the various tactics already in use by the Office of Management and Budget to restrict the flows of federal funds.

Taking all these factors into account, a shutdown may be coming. Politically, key elements of the Democratic base want to see Democrats putting up a fight. The timing of a shutdown, however, is not quite so clear. One could imagine a short-term continuing resolution that runs to late November, at which point disagreement over other core issues—the power of the purse, immigration, or otherwise—could result in a shutdown.

But a shutdown on Sept. 30 resulting from a fight over health care is a real possibility. The parties have been fighting over health care at a fever pitch since the ACA was enacted. If the subsidies are not extended, marketplace premiums will rise substantially and an estimated four million more Americans will join the ranks of the uninsured. If a shutdown results, Democrats may find themselves in the difficult spot of searching for a set of concessions to which Republicans would agree while also facing continued pressure from key constituencies to “keep up the fight.”

Recent history suggests that, from a concrete policy perspective, shutdowns are often futile—but political dynamics can still cause them to happen. 

ATTACHMENT TWO – FROM USA TODAY

AS SHUTDOWN DEADLINE NEARS, DEMOCRATS HAVE RARE LEVERAGE OVER TRUMP. THEY'RE DIGGING IN.

Republicans are proposing a short-term funding measure, but Democrats won't play ball without concessions on health care.

By Zachary Schermele

How is political leverage shifting in shutdown negotiations?

What are the key Medicaid funding disputes in shutdown talks?

How is political leverage shifting in shutdown negotiations?

What security funding is requested post-Charlie Kirk killing?

WASHINGTON – With each passing day on Capitol Hill, a government shutdown is looking more likely.

Time is running out for Democrats and Republicans in Congress to strike a compromise, and neither side appears to be budging in a debate where partisan gridlock could lead to the closing of everything but essential government services. Funding expires in about two weeks at midnight on Oct. 1, and lawmakers have a planned vacation for one of those weeks tied to the Jewish holidays.

For the first time since March, Democrats have a significant political advantage over President Donald Trump. Senate rules require Republicans to get at least some Democratic votes to pass a budget and avoid a shutdown.

The last time Democrats were in this position, they decided brinksmanship wasn't worth the political cost. Fearful of how shuttering the government could empower Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency to further erode the federal workforce, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer struck a short-term funding deal with Republicans. Progressive Democrats fumed.

Six months later, Schumer isn't playing so nice. Neither is Hakeem Jeffries, his counterpart in the House of Representatives. The two top Democrats have warned a shutdown is inevitable this time around if Republicans don't offer some concessions, particularly around health care.

Government shutdown looms: A look at how and where federal workers would be most affected

Yet Democrats aren't satisfied with what the GOP has offered so far, Schumer told reporters Sept. 10.

"What the Republicans have proposed is not good enough to meet the needs of the American people and not good enough to get our votes," he said.

Republicans in the House are working on a stopgap funding measure that would keep the federal government's lights on until just before Thanksgiving, congressional leaders have said, and Trump is throwing his support behind that strategy. In a Sept. 15 social media post, he urged Republicans to "fight back" against "Radical Left Democrat demands" by voting for the bill.

"Democrats want the Government to shut down," he wrote.

What happens in a shutdown?

When members of Congress can't agree on how to fund the government, it shuts down.

Some federal workers, those considered nonessential, stop coming to work and getting paid. Essential workers, in fields such as law enforcement and the military, stay on the job, albeit without pay. Both groups are ultimately reimbursed when the government reopens.

National parks have mostly closed during past shutdowns. Benefits such as Social Security and federal student loans continue to be available to Americans, but the agencies that oversee those programs are reduced to skeleton staffs, risking disruptions in services.

Sticking points: Obamacare, Medicaid cuts

One of the main sticking points in the shutdown negotiations is around Medicaid funding. Many Democrats have vocally pushed to reverse recent cuts to the program that were enacted as part of Trump's major tax and spending law.

Read more: If you live in these states, Trump's tax law will cut health care funds the most

They're also worried about Obamacare subsidies that are about to expire at the end of the year. If Congress doesn't intervene, millions of people could see their health care premiums rise.

Evading a shutdown "starts with a conversation about how to avoid all this pain for millions of Americans across the country," said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, at a press conference Sept. 9.

In a recent interview with Punchbowl News, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republicans aren't interested in negotiating on health care right now. Their priority is keeping the government open for the next seven weeks, he said, but Democrats are being too stubborn.

"They see it as politically advantageous to have a shutdown," he said. "Their base is clamoring for that."

More security for politicians?

The shutdown racket also comes amid heightened tensions on Capitol Hill over the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who had close relationships with many Republican lawmakers.

On both sides of the aisle, members of Congress have grown increasingly worried about their own safety since Kirk's Sept. 10 killing. According to the White House Office of Management and Budget, the Trump administration is requesting an additional $58 million in security funding for the executive and judicial branches.

Read more: 'Our lives are in danger.' Lawmakers cancel events, critique security after Kirk shooting

House Speaker Mike Johnson said on "Face the Nation" Sept. 14 that Congress is "evaluating all the options" for making lawmakers safer. He told reporters the next day he's working on attaching a plan to bolster members' security to a stopgap funding bill.

Despite Democrats' concerns for their own safety, they still aren't likely to support the measure if it means funding the government without meeting their demands.

Contributing: Francesca Chambers

Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY.

ATTACHMENT THREE – FROM IUK

TRUMP'S THREE CRISES: TARIFFS, IMMIGRATION AND A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the brief hunt for the suspected shooter rocked President Donald Trump and conservatives last week.

But while the Kirk assassination briefly swept aside a series of crises at home and abroad that threaten Trump’s major goals, they remain nevertheless as pressing issues for the White House.

On Thursday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics put out its Consumer Price Index report, which showed that inflation jumped by 0.4 percent in August and by 2.9 percent in the past 12 months. Jobless claims also rose by 27,000 to 263,000 for the week ending Sept. 6, one of the highest levels since 2021, when the economy was still recovering from the Covid-19-induced recession.

The only potential source of good economic news for this week is that the Federal Reserve will meet and likely lower interest rates by a quarter- or half-percent after Trump has long badgered Chairman Jerome Powell into doing so.

Trump also faces a major issue of his administration’s own making. Last week, Trump’s mass deportation push created an international crisis when US immigration agents detained 300 South Korean workers at a Hyundai factory in Georgia.

The whole affair outraged Seoul and it led to Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau meeting with officials from South Korea to express his regret.

Trump even took it a step further, saying he didn’t want to “frighten off or disincentivize investment into America by outside countries or companies” and that the United States would “welcome” foreign companies and their employees into the United States and “we are willing to proudly say we will learn from them, and do even better than them at their own ‘game,’ sometime into the not too distant future!”

Then, there’s the issue of a government shutdown. At the end of the month, the government runs out of money unless a stopgap spending bill is passed. Such a bill would need to get seven Democratic votes in the Senate.

But Trump does not seem interested, saying he wanted a “clean” continuing resolution, a stopgap spending bill to keep the government open as Congress writes the 12 spending bills needed to keep the lights on.

ATTACHMENT FOUR – FROM USA TODAY

IS THE GOVERNMENT ABOUT TO SHUT DOWN? 

Not so fast. Congressional Republicans introduced a short-term funding measure Tuesday to keep the government open until just before Thanksgiving. In hopes of avoiding a seemingly inevitable shutdown, the bill would largely maintain current funding levels until Nov. 21. It also would add nearly $90 million to shore up security for members of Congress, Supreme Court justices and executive branch officials in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's Sept. 10 assassination. But the bill would do nothing to address Democrats' concerns over what they're calling a "looming health care crisis."

Is the government about to shut down? Republicans and Democrats far apart in talks.

Republicans just proposed a seven-week funding extension. While it doesn't address Democrats' Medicaid demands, it would boost security for lawmakers.

WASHINGTON – Congressional Republicans introduced a short-term funding measure on Sept. 16 to keep the government open until just before Thanksgiving.

In hopes of avoiding a seemingly inevitable shutdown, the bill would largely maintain current funding levels until Nov. 21. It also would add nearly $90 million to shore up security for members of Congress, Supreme Court justices and executive branch officials in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's Sept. 10 assassination.

But the bill would do nothing to address Democrats' concerns over what they're calling a "looming health care crisis." Medicaid cuts recently enacted by Republicans and expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies are about to wreak havoc across the country, they've warned. They refuse to strike a funding deal unless those issues are addressed.

"Zero chance that we will do that," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said of repealing Medicaid cuts. And the impending changes to "Obamacare" shouldn't be connected to a time-sensitive government funding deal, he argued, since they don't take effect until the end of this year.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) takes questions from members of the press at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 16, 2025, in Washington, DC. GOP leaders face a long week as they try to rally House Republicans behind a stopgap funding bill to avert a shutdown.

Those disagreements once again raise the likelihood of a government shutdown when funding runs out Sept. 30. Leaders in both parties are already pointing fingers.

"By refusing to work with Democrats, Republicans are steering our country straight toward a shutdown," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a joint statement.

The federal government has closed down 21 times since 1977, with each shutdown averaging about eight days. The most recent one lasted for 35 days, from December 2018 to January 2019, during Donald Trump's first term as president.

Back then, negotiations broke down over disputes related to funding for Trump's border wall. This time around, Democrats say Republican leaders haven't taken any of their concerns seriously.

"Real leaders don’t do negotiation through carrier pigeons," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, who has been part of the budget talks. "They don’t outright ignore their colleagues when they ask for a meeting."

Johnson, meanwhile, said Democrats are embarking on a "fool's gambit."

"Some of them apparently believe that shutting down the government will be some sort of life raft for them so they can regain the support of the American people," he said.

ATTACHMENT FIVE – FROM USA TODAY

IF YOU LIVE IN THESE STATES, TRUMP'S TAX LAW WILL CUT HEALTH CARE FUNDS THE MOST

by Jim Sergent

Democratic-leaning states will feel more of the impact of sweeping Medicaid cuts included in the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," according to a new analysis by Oxford Economics.

The report, written by lead economist Barbara Denham, says that millions of Americans – regardless of where they live – will lose access to health insurance because of the tighter eligibility rules and new work requirements. Undocumented immigrants will be disproportionately affected, with many losing coverage under Medicaid, Medicare and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

States such as California and New York – which have both expanded Medicaid and have large immigrant populations – are expected to be hit hardest. Other vulnerable states with large immigrant populations include Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico and Washington, D.C.

“Federal funding cuts and the expiration of the Marketplace subsidies will have several economic consequences,” Denham wrote. “The number of newly uninsured will rise significantly, putting more at risk of worse long-term well-being, which will sap productivity growth.”

States with the highest percentage of residents enrolled in Medicaid

Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them.

The new law limits federal matching funds for noncitizens’ medical care, shifting the financial burden to state governments and hospitals. That's particularly concerning for states with high percentages of foreign-born residents, many of whom rely on Medicaid.

The federal cuts to Medicaid funding come at a time when states are looking to trim their spending, too. KFF recently reported California has paused enrolling new undocumented immigrants in its health coverage program, while Illinois has stopped state-funded health benefits for all immigrant adults ages 42 to 64. States such as Idaho and Tennessee also enacted legislation limiting immigrant access to state health care benefits.

States with the highest percentage of foreign-born residents

Since 2012, 40 states and the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid under federal initiatives. But with the expiration of marketplace subsidies and new restrictions on immigrant coverage, a handful of states now face the steepest declines in federal health care funding.

Based on Oxford Economics’ analysis of Congressional Budget Office and KFF data, more left-leaning states will lose more money per resident as the new law rolls out, but right-leaning Louisiana stands to lose the most ($5,855 per resident) of any state. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Wyoming – states that didn't expand their Medicaid benefits – will see some of the smallest cuts.

How much Medicaid funding each state is projected to lose per resident

Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them.

Some states have passed laws to buffer their residents or their budgets against federal cuts. For example:

◾ Their residents: New York, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Dakota require coverage for adults earning up to 138% of the federal poverty line.

◾ Their budgets: Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah and Virginia tie Medicaid spending to federal funding levels.

ATTACHMENT SIX – FROM THE ECONOMIC TIMES (INDIA)

GOP-DEMOCRAT STANDOFF OVER HEALTHCARE PUTS US GOVERNMENT AT RISK OF SHUTDOWN

By Shreya Biswas Updated: 22 September, 2025 04:41 AM -4 GMT

Synopsis

Federal government shutdown 2025: The United States is nearing a potential government shutdown due to disagreements over healthcare and Medicaid. Senate Democrats are struggling to gather enough votes before the September 30 deadline. House passed a short-term funding bill, but it failed in the Senate. Democrats are pushing to protect healthcare programs.

Government shutdown

Federal government shutdown 2025: The federal government is facing a critical funding deadline next week, with the possibility of a shutdown looming as Senate Democrats struggle to secure enough votes. The ongoing standoff is over disagreements over healthcare and Medicaid cuts, and with September 30 approaching, the US government could face a potential shutdown, as per a report.

Government Shutdown Looms as Senate Democrats Scramble for Votes

The House passed a short-term funding bill, which was pushed by Republicans on Friday to keep the government running through November. But the measure failed to clear the Senate, where it fell short of the 60 votes needed for approval, as per a Mint report.

What Are Democrats Demanding in the 2025 Budget Talks?

However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sent a letter to US president Donald Trump over the weekend and have urged him to meet with congressional leaders to avoid a shutdown, as per the report. They wrote that, “At your direction, Republican congressional leaders have repeatedly and publicly refused to engage in bipartisan negotiations to keep the government open,” as quoted in the Mint report.

ALSO READ: This 65-year-perfect recession predictor just sent Wall Street a grim warning

The main focus of the Democrats’ proposal is on protecting healthcare programs, including reversing cuts to Medicaid and extending enhanced health insurance subsidies, as per the report.

Schumer and Jeffries said, “Democrats have been clear and consistent in our position. We are ready to work toward a bipartisan spending agreement that improves the lives of American families and addresses the Republican healthcare crisis,” as quoted in the Mint report.

Meanwhile, divisions within the Democratic Party were seen as the Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote for the Republican bill in the House, according to the report.

ALSO READ: Why is Crypto market crashing today? What’s driving Bitcoin and Ethereum down?

What Is Trump Saying?

While speaking to reporters on Saturday, Trump expressed his openness to meeting with Democrats but remained skeptical about its impact, saying, “I’d love to meet with them, but I don’t think it’s going to have any impact,” as quoted in the report. The US president also warned that a government closure could occur, but essential payments like Social Security and the military would continue, reported the Mint.

The Blame Game

Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, have framed the short-term funding bill as a routine stopgap measure, as per the report. They argue that Democrats are responsible for the potential shutdown due to their refusal to compromise on Medicaid cuts.

However, Schumer and Jeffries countered, saying, “With the September 30th deadline fast approaching, Republicans will bear responsibility for another painful government shutdown because of the refusal of GOP congressional leadership to even talk with Democrats," as quoted by Mint.

Lawmakers Will Have One Day to Strike a Deal and Avoid Shutdown

Lawmakers return to Washington Monday, September 29, after a Rosh Hashanah break, leaving just over a day to reach an agreement before the deadline. If no deal is reached, this will mark the first government shutdown since the month-long closure during Trump’s presidency in 2018-2019, as reported by Mint.

FAQs

What’s causing the possible government shutdown?
A disagreement over healthcare funding and Medicaid cuts is stalling a budget agreement ahead of the September 30 deadline.

What are Democrats demanding?
Democrats want to reverse Medicaid cuts and extend enhanced health insurance subsidies.

ATTACHMENT SEVEN – FROM USA TODAY

WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE FED?

The Senate narrowly voted in favor of President Donald Trump’s pick to join the Federal Reserve board of governors, just in time for its September rate decision meeting beginning Tuesday.

Why this matters: Trump is now one step closer to majority on the seven-person Fed board, which sets the nation's economic policy.

•	There are concerns over the Fed’s independence. The Senate confirmed the rushed appointment of Stephen Miran, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, in a 48-47 vote in favor. Miran’s nomination spurred questions from lawmakers concerned he would bow to Trump’s demands for more aggressive rate cuts.
•	But Trump had one Fed loss, too: An appeals court Monday said Lisa Cook can remain for now on the Federal Reserve board as she fights Trump's unprecedented attempt to remove her from the central bank.  Cook argues Trump's allegations are a pretext to fire her for her monetary policy stance.
•	Why is the Fed expected to cut rates now? While inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target, when the labor market is weak, cutting interest rates can make borrowing costs cheaper for businesses and consumers.

ATTACHMENT EIGHT – FROM US NEWS

THE FED CUT RATES. WILL MORTGAGE RATES FOLLOW SUIT?

Some homebuyers have been anticipating lower mortgage rates after the Federal Reserve's September meeting, but mortgage interest rates are unlikely to fall further as a result of the Fed rate cut.

By Erika Giovanetti Sept. 17, 2025, at 3:50 p.m.

The Fed Cut Rates. What Now?

Fed rate cuts don't equal lower mortgage rates.

Key Takeaways

· Some consumers have been hoping that Fed rate cuts would lead to lower mortgage rates so they can buy a home or refinance their mortgage, but long-term mortgage rates move independently from the federal funds rate.

· During the last rate cut cycle beginning in September 2024, 30-year mortgage rates actually increased due in part to the resilient labor market. This year, employment numbers are looking less strong.

· Mortgage rates may continue to decline over time as the economy weakens and the central bank moves toward a more accommodating monetary policy, but rate cuts won't have a direct impact.

Federal Reserve policymakers voted to cut the benchmark rate by 25 basis points, or a quarter-point, at the central bank's Sept. 16-17 meeting, as expected. The decision comes on the heels of economic reports showing a widespread slowdown in the labor market and dwindling consumer sentiment.

Many prospective homebuyers (as well as homeowners looking to refinance) have been hoping that the Fed's move would lead to lower interest rates on mortgages. Some consumers are under the impression that they should even wait to lock in a mortgage rate until after the rate cuts because mortgage rates will decline further.

That may be unwise: "The Fed cut will not cause mortgage rates to change," says Melissa Cohn, regional vice president of lender and broker William Raveis Mortgage, in a statement.

Here's why mortgage rates are unlikely to fall as a result of the most recent Fed rate cut.

Read: 

Fed Cuts Don't Mean Lower Mortgage Rates

The Federal Reserve doesn't set mortgage rates – mortgage lenders do. And a lower federal funds rate doesn't necessarily mean mortgage rates will fall – just look at how 30-year rates reacted to Fed rate cuts just one year ago.

Before the central bank began cutting rates in September 2024, interest rates on 30-year mortgages had already fallen from over 7% to about 6%. It was only after the Fed began cutting rates that mortgage rates trended higher once again.

However, mortgage rates didn't rise because of the Fed's policy. At this same time last year, markets were responding to relatively strong employment reports as well as the 2024 election. Mortgage rates continued to move higher through early 2025 as President Donald Trump announced far-reaching tariffs, which are generally believed to increase inflation.

Over the past two months, mortgage rates have been trending downward once again. Not because of the Fed, but because recent employment numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics have shown that job growth is stagnant and the U.S. economy added nearly 1 million fewer jobs than previously thought between March 2024 and 2025.

Generally, interest rates on long-term borrowing products like mortgages tend to be lower in times of economic distress and higher when the economy is strong.

Compare Top Mortgage Lenders in charts and graphs HEre

Economists Say Price Cuts Are 'Priced In'

Another reason mortgage rates don't react directly to Fed rate cuts? Lenders take note of market conditions and anticipate the central bank's policy decisions, offering lower rates to borrowers before the cuts are even announced.

"The Federal Reserve rate cut this week has already been priced into mortgage rates, so the immediate impact will be minimal," says Selma Hepp, chief economist at the real estate analytics platform Cotality, in a statement.

Bill Banfield, chief business officer at Rocket Mortgage, agrees. He says in a statement that "waiting for the official news doesn't guarantee a better deal. Often, it means the best moment has already passed."

Still, the September Fed meeting could change the path forward for mortgage rates. Investors will be listening closely to Fed Chair Jerome Powell's post-meeting press conference, searching for clues about the future direction of policy. Banfield says that "any sign of fewer cuts later this year or early next year or hesitation" could push rates higher.

In the Fed's updated projections materials, the central bank calls for an additional quarter-point rate cut over the next three years compared with the June projections. That could ultimately signal better conditions for mortgage rates through 2027 – although a lot could happen between now and then.

"As is always the case, these individual forecasts are subject to uncertainty and they're not a committee plan or decision," Fed Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said in a Sept. 17 press conference following the rate announcement. "Policy is not on a preset course."

For now, those who are in the market for a mortgage shouldn't chase the news but rather should follow more timeless advice: Buy a house when your finances are ready and when the monthly payment makes sense for your financial situation.

For the most part, economic forecasters expect mortgage rates to stay above 6% through 2025 and 2026, so those who are expecting rates in the 5% range may be waiting a while.

ATTACHMENT NINE – FROM THE A.P.

FEDERAL RESERVE CUTS KEY RATE FOR FIRST TIME THIS YEAR

By  CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Updated 5:43 PM EDT, September 17, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point Wednesday and projected it would do so twice more this year as concern grows at the central bank about the health of the nation’s labor market.

The move is the Fed’s first cut since December and lowered its short-term rate to about 4.1%, down from 4.3%. Fed officials, led by Chair Jerome Powell, had kept their rate unchanged this year as they evaluated the impact of tariffs, tighter immigration enforcement, and other Trump administration policies on inflation and the economy.

Yet the central bank’s focus has shifted quickly from inflation, which remains modestly above its 2% target, to jobs, as hiring has grounded nearly to a halt in recent months and the unemployment rate has ticked higher. Lower interest rates could reduce borrowing costs for mortgages, car loans, and business loans, and boost growth and hiring.

“It’s really the risks that we’re seeing to the labor market that were the focus of today’s decision,” Powell said at a press conference following the Fed’s two-day meeting.

Still, Powell did not lay the groundwork for a rapid series of cuts, disappointing some investors. Fed officials, in a set of projections also released Wednesday, signaled that they expect to reduce their key rate twice more this year, but just once in 2026. Before the meeting, investors on Wall Street had projected five cuts for the rest of this year and next.

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And Powell noted that the committee was pretty evenly split on whether to cut rates once or twice more this year. As a result, he said that the projected cuts should be seen as more a “probability” than a “certainty.”

Powell and the Fed “wanted to be noncommital, wanted to be careful, and wanted to be data dependent and keep all their options open for future policy,” said Matt Luzzetti, chief U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank.

The broad S&P 500 stock index ticked down 0.1% by the close of trading, while the Nasdaq also fell. The Dow Jones industrial average moved up 0.5%.

Just one Fed policymaker dissented from the decision: Stephen Miran, who President Donald Trump appointed and was confirmed by the Senate in a rushed vote late Monday just hours before the meeting began. Miran preferred a larger half-point cut, but Powell told reporters there wasn’t “very much support” for the bigger-size cut among Fed officials.

Many economists had forecast there would be additional dissents, and the meeting’s outcome suggests that Powell was able to patch together a show of unity from a committee that includes Miran and two other Trump appointees from his first term, as well as a Fed governor, Lisa Cook, whom Trump is seeking to fire.

Still, there were still significant differences among the 19 officials on the Fed’s rate-setting committee about where the Fed should go next. Seven policymakers indicated they don’t support any further cuts, while two supported just one more and 10 favor at least two more. One official — likely Miran — indicated that they would support several large cuts to bring the Fed’s rate to 2.9% by year’s end. Fed officials submit their forecasts of future rate moves anonymously.

Powell said the wide divergence reflects the uncertain outlook for the economy, given that inflation remains stubborn even as hiring has stumbled.

“There are no risk-free paths now,” Powell said. “It’s not incredibly obvious what to do.”

The Fed is facing both a challenging economic environment and threats to its traditional independence from day-to-day politics. At the same time that hiring has weakened, inflation remains stubbornly elevated. It rose 2.9% in August from a year ago, according to the consumer price index, up from 2.7% in July and noticeably above the Fed’s 2% target.

It’s unusual to have weaker hiring and elevated inflation, because typically a slowing economy causes consumers to pull back on spending, cooling price hikes. Powell suggested last month that sluggish growth could keep inflation in check even if tariffs lift prices further.

Separately, Trump’s attempted firing of Cook is the first time a president has tried to remove a Fed governor in the central bank’s 112-year history, and has been seen by many legal scholars as an unprecedented attack on the Fed’s independence. His administration has accused Cook of mortgage fraud, but the accusation has come in the context of Trump’s extensive criticism of Powell and the Fed for not cutting rates much faster and steeper.

An appeals court late Monday upheld an earlier ruling that the firing violated Cook’s due process rights. A lower court had also previously ruled that Trump did not provide sufficient justification to remove Cook. Also late Monday, the Senate voted to approve Miran’s nomination, and he was quickly sworn in Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday, Trump said Fed officials “have to make their own choice” on rates but added that “they should listen to smart people like me.” Trump has said the Fed should reduce rates by three full percentage points.

When asked what the signs would be that the Fed is no longer functioning independent of political pressure, Powell said, “I don’t believe we’ll ever get to that place. We’re doing our work exactly as we always have now.”

The Fed’s move to cut rates puts it in a different spot from many other central banks overseas. Last week, the European Central Bank left its benchmark rate unchanged, as inflation has largely cooled and the economy has seen limited damage, so far, from U.S. tariffs. On Friday, the Bank of England is also expected to keep its rate on hold as inflation, at 3.8%, remains higher than in the United States.

ATTACHMENT TEN – FROM WSJ

FED LOWERS RATES BY QUARTER-POINT, SIGNALS MORE CUTS ARE LIKELY

Concerns about a job-market slowdown are overriding jitters about inflation in justifying a pivot towards a shallow sequence of rate reductions

By Nick Timiraos Updated Sept. 17, 2025 5:20 pm ET

WASHINGTON—The Federal Reserve approved a quarter-point interest rate cut Wednesday, the first in nine months, with officials judging that recent labor-market softness outweighed setbacks on inflation.

A narrow majority of officials penciled in at least two additional cuts this year, implying consecutive moves at the Fed’s two remaining meetings in October and December. The projections hint at a broader shift toward concern about cracks forming in the job market in an environment complicated by major policy shifts that have made the economy harder to read.

MORE ON THE FED DECISION

· The Fed’s Monetary Policy Decision

· Fed Officials’ Economic Projections

· Live Blog: Markets React to Fed Decision

Recent declines in the growth rate for both the number of people looking for jobs and those gaining employment have “certainly gotten everyone’s attention,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference.

Powell, who referred to “downside risk” six times at a news conference in July, said on Wednesday, “That downside risk is now a reality.”

The Fed’s carefully drafted postmeeting statement pointed to those concerns when it said the rate cut was justified “in light of the shift in the balance of risks.” The statement no longer described the labor market as “solid.”

Eleven of 12 Fed voters backed the quarter-point cut. Fed governor Stephen Miran, who served as a senior White House adviser until his confirmation to the central bank board this week, was the lone dissenter. He favored a larger half-point cut.

The projections underscore how coming decisions could be more contentious: Seven of 19 meeting participants penciled in no further rate reductions this year, and two more penciled in only one more cut. And they show that most officials don’t expect to make many more reductions next year under their current outlook for solid—if somewhat slower— economic activity.

Note: The Fed’s 12-person rate-setting committee includes all seven governors on the central bank’s board, who are appointed by the president. The other five voters are drawn from among 12 regional-bank presidents, many of whom vote on a rotating basis.

Officials had been reluctant to lower rates until now because the labor market had looked firmer and inflation has been stubborn, moving sideways or rising this year. “There’s no risk-free path,” Powell said. In an environment where the Fed faces risks of both higher inflation and weaker employment, “it’s not incredibly obvious what to do.”

Wednesday’s decision unfolded against a backdrop of unprecedented political pressure on a central bank that has generally been allowed to operate with independence from direct political control.

Participants’ forecasts for the rate target at the end of 2025

President Trump has berated Powell for months for the central bank’s reluctance to cut rates. Senate Republicans confirmed Miran to his seat on Monday night, and he was sworn in just before the Fed’s two-day meeting began on Tuesday morning. Miran, who is on unpaid leave from the White House, has said he could go back when his Fed term expires early next year.

Last month, Trump attempted to fire a Fed governor, Lisa Cook, the first-ever such removal effort, over alleged mortgage wrongdoing. Cook challenged the decision in court. A federal appeals court this week upheld a lower-court ruling that allowed Cook to remain in the job—and participate at the meeting.

Powell has said the president’s criticisms aren’t affecting how the Fed does its job. Markets have rallied in recent weeks, including after Powell indicated in a widely watched speech last month that a cut was more likely than not this week.

The rate cut will reduce the benchmark federal-funds rate to a range between 4% and 4.25%, the lowest level in almost three years. The cut should provide some immediate relief to consumers with credit-card balances and small businesses with variable-rate debt. Mortgage rates and other long-term borrowing costs are less sensitive to individual Fed moves, but have declined in recent weeks as investors anticipate a modest sequence of additional cuts.

The Fed cut rates by 1 percentage point between September and December 2024, lowering them from a two-decade high, to prevent unnecessary weakness to the economy after a substantial and broad decline in inflation. But officials paused cuts after that, amid signs of stronger growth and potentially stickier inflation.

Officials are navigating an economy reshaped by sweeping policy experiments. Trump has imposed tariffs that far exceed those of his first term, raising costs for manufacturers and small businesses. The full effects on consumer prices remain unclear as companies adjust supply chains and pricing strategies. Sharper curbs on immigration could be contributing to a slower pace of job gains by reducing labor force growth.

Some policymakers have been more concerned about inflation, which has been running above the Fed’s target for more than four years. They worry that businesses and consumers could become more accustomed to price increases in ways that make inflation more persistent. They are also uneasy about making bolder commitments to lower rates at a time when stocks are hitting new records and new tax cuts might provide stimulus in the months ahead.

Others have expressed concern that the lagged impact of the Fed’s aggressive moves to combat inflation with big rate hikes in 2022-23 will lead to undesirable weakness in the labor market, particularly amid softness in the rate-sensitive housing sector.

Several of these officials acknowledge that tariffs may temporarily push up prices. But they warn that higher costs from imported goods and materials could sap hiring as firms shield profit margins from the hit delivered by tariffs. In addition, taxes on imports will rob consumers of purchasing power as firms pass along higher costs.

Fed officials have debated how to manage those tradeoffs all year long. In leading his colleagues to cut rates, Powell is making a calculation that the risks from inflation may be easier to manage and that the Fed should accept more inflation risk to prevent deeper cracks from imperiling the labor market.

The picture on employment has shifted notably since officials last met in late July. Back then, payroll gains were reported to have averaged 150,000 a month over the three months ending in June. That figure has since been revised down to 96,000. It declined further to 29,000 in the three months ending in August.

Officials aren’t sure how much those figures reflect weaker demand, because immigration restrictions could also be reducing the number of people available to work. The unemployment rate edged up to 4.3% in August. It had held between 4% and 4.2% over the preceding year.

Meanwhile, inflation has ticked up in recent months. A key measure of underlying inflation that excludes volatile food and energy prices edged up to 2.9% in July from 2.6% in April, which was a four-year low. That measure stood at 2.7% one year ago, when officials began to lower rates and began with a larger half-point rate cut.

“Even putting the politics aside, it’s a tough, very complex situation,” said Donald Kohn, an economist who spent 40 years at the central bank and served as Fed vice chair during the 2008 financial crisis.

There are some tariff-exposed goods with price increases that central bankers might be able to ignore as a “one-off,” said Kohn, but firmer services inflation is “harder to look through, and gives reason to be cautious about how fast you want to cut.”

ATTACHMENT ELEVEN – FROM POLITICO

HOUSE GOP ONE STEP CLOSER TO PASSING 7-WEEK STOPGAP FUNDING BILL

Republican leaders hope to put the partisan legislation on the floor by Friday.

By Katherine Tully-McManus 09/17/2025, 6:12pm ET

The House GOP’s seven-week punt on government funding, which would avert a shutdown Oct. 1, is one step closer to passage.

Republicans stayed mostly united on a procedural vote Wednesday evening, paving the way for a vote on final passage later in the week — potentially Friday. There are just 13 days before the deadline to prevent a lapse in federal funding and both chambers are scheduled to be out of session next week in observance of Rosh Hashanah.

The 216-210 vote bodes well for Speaker Mike Johnson, who can’t afford more than a couple GOP defections on a bill that isn’t expected to garner much, if any, Democratic support.

But Republican leaders tied the rule governing floor debate for the stopgap spending measure to consideration of a separate resolution honoring conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last week — a combination that effectively ensured GOP support for this procedural step, even from conservatives otherwise skeptical of the funding patch.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), for instance, has pledged to oppose the bill to fund the government through Nov. 21. He voted “present” on the rule vote to register his displeasure but not be perceived as opposing the Kirk resolution.

President Donald Trump has also urged House Republicans to pass the stopgap funding measure this week and the White House released a statement of administration policy Wednesday evening supporting the measure.

“President Trump opposes a Government shutdown and every Member of Congress must support passage of this clean, short-term CR to keep the Government open as discussions on full-year appropriations continue,” the White House statement read.

ATTACHMENT TWELVE – FROM REUTERS

US GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN LOOMS; SENATE REJECTS STOPGAP FUNDING BILL

By David Morgan and Nolan D. McCaskill September 19, 20253:13 PM EDT Updated 2 hours ago

Summary

· Senate rejects short-term funding bill, increasing shutdown risk

· Democrats demand funding for healthcare, Medicaid

· House passed bill, Senate vote expected post-recess

WASHINGTON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - The threat of a U.S. government shutdown surged on Friday, as the U.S. Senate rejected a short-term funding bill to keep federal agencies operating after September 30 and then left town for a week-long break.

The lawmakers voted 44-48 to defeat a stopgap spending bill that would have kept federal agencies operating at current funding levels through November 21. The measure faced near universal opposition from Democrats, who demanded increased healthcare funding.

Republicans said they could vote again on September 29, just a day before funding is due to expire, when senators return from a break.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune blamed Democrats for increasing the chances of a shutdown. "Eventually, it's going to be an up or down vote on whether they want to keep the government open," he said.

Democrats had demanded additional funding for healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and the restoration of funding cut from the Medicaid healthcare program for lower-income Americans. But that effort failed 47-45.

Congress has struggled to pass spending legislation in recent years due to rising partisan tensions, repeatedly raising the threat of a shutdown that would leave government workers unpaid and a wide range of services disrupted.

The temporary spending bill included $88 million to protect lawmakers, executive branch officials and the Supreme Court in the aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination.

Only 43 Republicans and one Democrat, Senator John Fetterman, voted for it, far short of the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate. Two Republicans, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Rand Paul, joined other Democrats and independents in opposition. Republicans were also plagued by absences, with eight members not voting.

The annual funding debate covers only about one-quarter of the federal government's $7 trillion budget, which also includes mandatory programs such as Social Security and Medicare, as well as payments on the nation's $37.5 trillion debt.

The same stopgap bill passed the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 217-212. In a move to pressure Senate Democrats, House Republican leaders said they would not return until after Oct. 1.

"If there was ever a sign that the Republicans wanted a shutdown, that's it," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said.

ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN – FROM POLITICO
HOUSE APPROVES STOPGAP FUNDING BILL, PUTTING SHUTDOWN BALL IN THE SENATE’S COURT

Federal funding is due to expire Oct. 1 if Congress can’t find an agreement.

By Katherine Tully-McManus 09/19/2025 10:54 AM EDT

The House Friday passed a seven-week government funding bill ahead of a Sept. 30 shutdown deadline, setting up a Senate clash over the GOP-led plan.

The 217-212 vote went almost along party lines — a victory for Speaker Mike Johnson, who could only afford to lose two votes if all Democrats stuck together in opposition. GOP Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana voted “no,” while Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) voted “yes” in the only party defections.

The short-term patch spearheaded by Republicans is aimed at buying lawmakers more time to negotiate new funding levels for agencies across the federal government. But Democrats in both chambers are irate Republicans are plowing ahead with a product they say was crafted with little input from their side of the aisle.

As such, the measure is expected to fail in the Senate later Friday, prolonging the brinksmanship as lawmakers prepare to leave town for a weeklong break ahead of the midnight deadline at month’s end.

Democrats are continuing to demand any funding measure include an extension of expiring enhanced subsidies for Obamacare insurance, which GOP leaders say should be dealt with outside the government funding process. They have introduced an alternative funding measure that would float federal operations for just a month and include the health care language, along with provisions designed to prevent President Donald Trump from clawing back funding previously approved by Congress.

“When Donald Trump says don’t even bother to deal with Democrats, he says he wants a shutdown. Plain and simple,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday. “You need our votes. To say not to bother with us is saying you don’t want a shutdown.”

The Senate will take procedural votes on both parties’ offers Friday afternoon; each is expected to fail to achieve the necessary 60-vote threshold to succeed, putting lawmakers no closer to a solution to avoid a shutdown.

The House-passed bill would keep federal agencies funded through Nov. 21. It would allow the Trump administration to spend more freely on the WIC nutrition program that serves low-income pregnant women, infants and children, satisfying a request made by the White House.

It would release the D.C. government’s full budget, which is mostly funded through locally raised revenue. Congress blocked the capital city’s authority to spend its own tax dollars back in mid-March, creating a roughly $1 billion hole in the city budget.

The legislation also would allocate $30 million for lawmaker security and $58 million to provide enhanced protection for members of the executive branch and justices on the Supreme Court — reflecting a major priority for Congress amid a surge of political violence and the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

In prior days, Johnson has heard from a number of his members demanding that even more money for lawmaker security be included in the government funding package — beyond the $30 million that had already been tacked on to bolster the program that coordinates Capitol Police and local law enforcement to protect members when at home in their districts.

Minutes before the vote, House GOP leaders pitched several holdouts on a standalone member security package in October, according to three people with direct knowledge. Johnson is also directing his colleagues to focus on changes to the full-year fiscal 2026 legislative branch spending bill, which is in the thick of bipartisan and bicameral negotiations and will be the vehicle for additional security investments.

Last minute headaches aside, this House-passed bill marks the second time this year that Republicans have managed to pass government funding legislation without needing any Democratic support. It also marks the continuation of a major shift for the House GOP Conference, where fiscal conservatives who rarely vote for spending bills signed on, saving Republicans from needing Democratic support to bail them out.

Even more striking was the unity among those conservatives advocating for a continuing resolution, which has for many years been anathema to House hard-liners like those in the Freedom Caucus. But these fiscal hawks banked on the stopgap solution being a more conservative deal than a bipartisan negotiated funding patch. Plus, Trump called on House Republicans to clear the measure this week.

ATTACHMENT FOURTEEN – FROM REUTERS

US HOUSE ADVANCES STOPGAP BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

By David Morgan and Richard Cowan September 17, 20258:07 PM EDT Updated 21 hours ago

· House approves debate on stopgap funding to prevent shutdown

· Democrats propose alternative funding bill with healthcare focus

· Senate needs bipartisan support to pass stopgap measure

WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday cleared the way for a vote later this week on a stopgap funding measure to avert a partial federal government shutdown in two weeks.

Lawmakers voted 216-210 to approve a measure allowing the House to open debate on the stopgap legislation, which would provide funding for federal agencies through November 21, giving the House and Senate additional time to reach agreement on full-scale appropriations bills for fiscal year 2026, which begins on October 1.

The stopgap, known as a continuing resolution or "CR," also includes $88 million to bolster security for members of Congress, the Supreme Court and the executive branch following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

House Republicans hope to pass the CR by Friday and send it on to the Senate, which would also need to approve the measure before Republican President Donald Trump could sign it into law.

The White House issued a policy statement backing the resolution, which Democrats have rejected as a partisan Republican bill.

Late on Wednesday, Democrats unveiled their own legislation to keep the government open through October 31. It would also restore funding to the Medicaid healthcare program for lower-income Americans that was eliminated by Trump's tax cut bill and would permanently extend healthcare tax credits under the Affordable Care Act.

The Democratic proposal is unlikely ever to become law.

But Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that it could provide the basis for a bipartisan compromise.

"We have two weeks. They should sit down and talk to us, and we maybe can get a good proposal. Let's see," Schumer said.

"The contrast between the Democratic budget proposal and the Republican proposal is glaring. The Republicans want the same old status quo: rising costs, declining healthcare. Democrats want to meet people's needs by improving healthcare and lowering costs," the New York Democrat said.

A Senate Republican leadership aide described the Democrats' bill as "partisan" and "not a serious proposal."

Republicans hold a 53-47 seat Senate majority but will need 60 votes to pass a stopgap measure before October 1. That would require support from at least seven Democrats.

The annual funding debate covers only about one-quarter of the federal government's $7 trillion budget, which also includes mandatory programs such as Social Security and Medicare, as well as payments on the nation's $37.5 trillion debt.

ATTACHMENT FIFTEEN – FROM HUFFPOST

REPUBLICANS PASS FUNDING BILL, PUT DEMOCRATS’ SHUTDOWN STRATEGY TO THE TEST

All eyes now turn to the Senate, where Democrats have said they’ll hold out for health care policies.

By Arthur Delaney and Igor Bobic Sep 19, 2025, 10:45 AM EDT

Things just got real for Democrats and their plan to leverage government funding into resistance against President Donald Trump and his policies.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Friday morning passed a bill to fund the government into November, strengthening their hand in the coming showdown over spending in the Senate.

Now it will be up to Senate Democrats whether the bill goes to Trump’s desk or the government partially shuts down at the end of the month. Democrats proposed their own draft that would fund the government and also address the rising cost of health care, but it was immediately shot down by Republicans, ratcheting up fears the government will plunge into a shutdown. Both the House bill and the Democrats’ Senate bill failed in test votes on Friday afternoon.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has insisted Republicans negotiate on a funding plan that includes an extension of Obamacare health insurance subsidies set to expire in December and a rollback of Medicaid cuts enacted as part of Republicans’ tax cut bill this year.

He has also suggested that Democrats wouldn’t be blamed if there is a shutdown on Sept. 30, citing the GOP’s unwillingness to enter into bipartisan talks.

“The public is on our side. Public sentiment is everything,” Schumer argued on Thursday.

Altogether, 15 million fewer people will have health insurance by 2034 as a result of the Medicaid cuts and the lapse of the subsidies, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The House passed the funding bill by a vote of 217 to 212, with Republicans Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Victoria Spartz (Ind.) voting no and Democrat Jared Golden (Maine) voting yes.

In a speech Friday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said: “We have heard all year how Republicans have a mandate, how Republicans have the presidency, how Republicans control the House, how Republicans control the Senate. Well, if that’s the case ... Republicans will own a government shutdown, period. Full stop. It’s the Republican shutdown.”

Republicans control 53 Senate seats, and 60 votes are needed to push the funding bill through the chamber. But Republicans have ignored Democrats’ demands, betting enough of them will fold and support the bill or that the public will blame them for a shutdown.

The progressive wing has urged Democrats to use government funding as leverage. Many were furious when Democrats voted for a government funding bill in March, as billionaire Elon Musk ripped through federal agencies and laid off workers.

Here’s how Andrew O’Neill, director of advocacy for the progressive group Indivisible, reacted to Democrats’ unveiling of a competing funding bill with health care policies this week: “About damn time we’re seeing some fight from Democrats!”

It’s not clear what the endgame is for Democrats in this fight, however. Republicans are confident the public will blame Democrats for a shutdown. Usually, it’s Republicans, not Democrats, who demand concessions for supporting a short-term funding bill. And in previous shutdowns, it’s Republicans who have taken the blame.

The Senate is leaving town for a previously scheduled recess in honor of the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah and will return shortly before the Sept. 30 funding deadline.

The House, meanwhile, has canceled votes until the end of the month, putting maximum pressure on Senate Democrats to swallow its funding bill.

“I understand that Democrats’ far-left base is desperate to pick a fight with President Trump, but really, I don’t think Democrats are going to win the next election by shutting down the government over a short-term, clean, nonpartisan funding measure,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) warned this week.

ATTACHMENT SIXTEEN – FROM TIME

KEY SENATE VOTE FAILS, LEAVING NO CLEAR PATH TO AVERT OCT. 1 SHUTDOWN

By Nik Popli

Senate Democrats on Friday voted to block a Republican stopgap spending measure that would keep the government open through late November, setting up a perilous showdown with just days before federal funding lapses and no clear path to prevent a partial shutdown.

The 44-to-48 vote came only hours after the House narrowly approved the same measure on a 217-to-212 tally, with all but one Democrat opposed and two Republicans breaking ranks. The House bill would have extended government funding at current levels until Nov. 21, while providing $88 million in additional security funds for Congress, the courts, and the executive branch in the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. It also allowed Washington, D.C. to resume spending its own local funds, after Congress voted in March to block the district from using $1 billion in funds the district had already budgeted.

But in the Senate, where Republicans needed at least seven Democrats to join them, Democrats held firm over their demands on health care and domestic spending. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the lone Democrat to vote with a majority of Republicans in favor of the bill. Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky were the only Republicans to vote against it.

The deadlock leaves Congress and the federal government in limbo. Both chambers are set to leave Washington for a recess pegged to Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. While the Senate is expected to return on the eve of the Sept. 30 deadline, the House is not scheduled to be back until Oct. 1. House Speaker Mike Johnson has hinted Republicans may stay home in their districts through the end of the month, effectively daring Senate Democrats to accept the House-passed measure or take the blame for a shutdown.

With both parties dug in, there is little sign of a bipartisan deal emerging before the Sept. 30 deadline. The consequences of a lapse in funding would be immediate: hundreds of thousands of federal workers, including members of the military, would go unpaid; many government offices would close; and federal agencies would be forced to curtail services.

Republicans, who control both chambers, insist their stopgap is a “clean” measure that merely maintains funding levels and buys time for longer-term negotiations. Democrats argue that “clean” is a misnomer, pointing out that those funding levels were reduced by cuts written into the tax-and-spending package Republicans muscled through earlier this year at Trump’s urging.

Democrats countered with their own proposal that would extend government funding only through Oct. 31 and enact sweeping new health care provisions. Their measure would permanently extend Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, reverse hundreds of billions in Medicaid cuts enacted in the GOP’s Big, Beautiful Bill, restore foreign aid and public broadcasting money clawed back by the Trump Administration, and provide $326 million for heightened security of public officials—nearly four times what Republicans have proposed.

An analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that around 4 million people would lose coverage starting in 2026 if the Affordable Care Act credits are to lapse, though such a move would increase deficits by nearly $350 billion over the next decade.

Senate Republicans dismissed the Democratic plan as unrealistic and blocked the measure in a party-line vote on Friday. “Democrats are yielding to the desires of their rabidly leftist base and are attempting to hold government funding hostage to a long list of partisan demands,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said ahead of the votes.

Still, Republicans cannot pass their measure without Democratic support in the Senate, where 60 votes are required to move most legislation forward and Republicans hold a narrow 53-47 majority. Six months earlier, Schumer and a handful of Senate Democrats crossed party lines to back a Republican stopgap that kept the government open through the end of the fiscal year. At the time, Schumer argued a shutdown would have given Trump even greater latitude to redirect money unilaterally. But the vote provoked a firestorm from progressive groups and rank-and-file Democrats, who accused him of capitulating without winning concessions. Schumer abandoned a planned book tour amid security concerns, and House Democrats openly criticized him for siding with Republicans.

Now, with the fallout from that decision still fresh, Senate Democrats are intent on not repeating it. “This is our chance to restore health care for millions of people in this country,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said on the Senate floor. “We are not going to be rolled again.”

Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office late Friday, President Donald Trump disparaged Democrats for being willing to force a shutdown "if they don't get everything that they want." He said GOP leaders would "continue to talk to the Democrats but I think you could very well end up with a closed country for a period of time."

Republicans believe they have the political upper hand, pointing to Schumer’s own past warnings against shutdowns. “What we’re seeing today from the Minority Leader is exactly what he once condemned,” Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said on the floor before the vote. “He is holding the American people hostage.”

Democrats counter that public sentiment is on their side, particularly on health care, and that Republicans will bear responsibility for following Trump’s command to avoid negotiating. 

“Republicans cannot expect that another take it or leave it extension of government funding that fails to address health care costs is going to cut it for the American people,” Schumer said on the Senate floor ahead of the vote, criticizing Trump for not negotiating with Democrats.

“Donald Trump does not want to talk,” he added. “He wants a shutdown. You have to have two parties to pass a bill.”

ATTACHMENT SEVENTEEN – FROM GUK
DEMOCRATS REJECT SPENDING BILL OVER HEALTHCARE CUTS AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS

Senate blocks funding bill passed by House on near party-line vote with Jeffries saying ‘We don’t work for Trump’

By Chris Stein Fri 19 Sep 2025 14.43 EDT

The US federal government drew closer to a shutdown on Friday, after Democrats made good on their vow not to support a Republican-backed measure that would extend funding for another two months because it did not include provisions to protect healthcare programs.

The GOP-controlled House of Representatives had in the morning approved a bill to extend government funding through 21 November on a near party-line vote, but Democrats swiftly blocked it in the Senate, where most legislation must receive at least some bipartisan support. Republicans, in turn, rejected a Democratic proposal to extend funding through October while preventing cuts to healthcare programs, setting up a standoff that could see federal agencies shutter and workers sent home just nine months into Donald Trump’s term.

“Senators will have to choose: to stand with Donald Trump and keep the same lousy status quo and cause the Trump healthcare shutdown, or stand with the American people, protect their healthcare, and keep the government functioning,” the top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, said before the votes.

Democrats have seized on the annual government funding negotiations to use as leverage against Trump’s policies and particularly cuts to Medicaid, the healthcare program for poor and disabled Americans, which Republicans approved in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act earlier this year. They are also demanding an extension of subsidies for Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance plans that are set to expire at the end of 2025, after which healthcare costs for millions of Americans are expected to increase.

“We don’t work for Donald Trump, we don’t work for JD Vance, we don’t work for Elon Musk, we work for the American people,” Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat, said before the chamber voted. “And that is why we are a hard no on the partisan Republican spending bill because it continues to gut the healthcare of everyday Americans.”

Republicans have backed a “clean” continuing resolution that extends funding without making significant changes to policies. Both parties’ proposals include millions of dollars in new security spending for judges, lawmakers and executive branch officials in response to the conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing.

The stopgap measures are intended to give congressional appropriators more time to pass the 12 bills that authorize federal spending for the fiscal year.

John Thune, the Republican Senate majority leader, called the Democratic proposal “fundamentally unserious” in a speech following the House vote.

“Instead of working with Republicans to fund the government through a clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution, so that we can get back to bipartisan negotiations on appropriations, Democrats are yielding to the desires of their rabidly leftist base and are attempting to hold government funding hostage to a long list of partisan demands,” he said.

Under pressure from their base to oppose Trump and still smarting from a disappointing performance in last year’s elections, the spending impasse will pose a major test of Democratic unity across Congress.

Maine’s Jared Golden was the only Democrat to vote for the Republican spending bill in the House, while Washington’s Marie Gluesenkamp Perez missed the vote but said she supported it. In the Senate, only Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman voted for the Republican spending bill. All represent states or districts won by Trump last year.

Of greater concern to Democrats is whether Schumer, the Senate minority leader, will be able to resist pressure not to allow a shutdown. A similar spending deadlock took place earlier in the year but ended on a sour note for Democrats after Schumer encouraged his colleagues to vote for a Republican bill to keep the government funded, arguing a shutdown would be “devastating”.

House Democrats opposed that bill and felt burned by Schumer’s compromise, but are once again counting on the Senate minority leader not to back down.

“I think Senator Schumer knows he’s got to hold the line there. We’ll see what this negotiation brings, but this is about fighting for healthcare. That’s an easy one for them to give us,” said the California congressman Ami Bera after the vote.

Democrats writ large believe they have leverage they need against a president who opinion polls show is growing unpopular with many voters, even though government shutdowns can bring their own risks for the party that instigates them.

“I don’t know how you could be in control of the House, the Senate, the executive, have more votes on the supreme court, and then blame the other party that’s completely not in power. That’ll be a new one,” said the Florida congressman Jared Moskowitz. Asked if he was concerned about Schumer’s resolve to oppose the Republican bill, he replied: “I’m Jewish, I have a lot of anxiety, all the time.”

The appropriations process is historically bipartisan, but the progressive Washington congresswoman Pramila Jayapal warned that even if a spending deal is reached, Republicans have damaged their trust with Democrats by actions like cancelling funding Congress had approved for foreign aid and public media.

“We need to make sure that once we approve a budget, that they don’t just go back and do a partisan vote to strip money away or close an agency. So, there’s got to be some provision in there about making and keeping a promise, versus getting us to vote for something, saying that they’re going to do something, and then changing their mind the very next day and passing a partisan rescission package,” she said.

There is little time left for Congress to find a compromise. Both chambers are out of session next week for the Rosh Hashanah holiday, and on Friday afternoon, the House’s Republican leaders cancelled two days in session that had been scheduled for the end of September, denying the Democrats the opportunity for another vote on the issue before funding lapses.

ATTACHMENT EIGHTEEN – FROM FOX

SENATE REPUBLICANS BLOCK DEMOCRATS' 'FILTHY' COUNTEROFFER AS SHUTDOWN DEADLINE LOOMS

Dem proposal included extending Obamacare subsidies and reversing cuts to public broadcasting, Medicaid

By Alex Miller  Published September 19, 2025 1:00pm EDT

Senate Democrats’ counteroffer to congressional Republicans’ short-term government funding extension was torpedoed by the GOP on Friday.

The bill, which varies drastically from the House’s proposal that passed earlier in the day, was filled with Democratic priorities that they say are the only sweeteners that would convince them to keep the government open. But the provisions were a bridge too far for Senate Republicans.  

The Democrats’ bill, which was unveiled late Wednesday night, failed 47-45 along party lines. However, the GOP’s CR will be voted on right after. The fate of that bill is in the air, given that Democrats have vowed to oppose it throughout the week.

THUNE PANS DEMOCRATS' SHUTDOWN STANCE AS 'BORDERLINE PATHOLOGICAL,' 'LIKE A DISEASE'

Senate Democrats offered a counter-proposal to congressional Republicans' short-term funding extension that includes policy riders that are a red line for the GOP. 

The deadline to pass a government funding extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR), is Sept. 30, and lawmakers are expected to leave Washington, D.C., Friday night for a weeklong recess to observe the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah.

House Republicans unveiled their CR on Tuesday and have lauded the bill as a "clean" funding extension until Nov. 21. While it doesn’t include partisan policy riders, it does include tens of millions to beef up security measures for lawmakers.

However, Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., opted to go with their own version of a CR, not because they disliked what was in Republicans’ bill, but what was not in it. They've also dug in against President Donald Trump's demand that Republicans cut Democrats out of the process. 

SENATE REPUBLICANS BRAND LOOMING CRISIS A 'SCHUMER SHUTDOWN' AS DEMOCRATS DIG IN

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., panned Senate Democrats for their resistance to a government funding extension and blasted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for trying to appease his "far left" base with threats of a shutdown. 

Their plan would have kept the government open until Oct. 31, permanently extended expiring Obamacare premium subsidies, undoing the "big, beautiful bill’s" Medicaid cuts, and clawing back the canceled funding for NPR and PBS.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., panned the bill and argued that the Republicans’ legislation was everything Democrats had pushed when they controlled the Senate under former President Joe Biden.

"It’s not clean – it’s filthy," Thune said. "It’s packed full of partisan policies and measures designed to appeal to Democrats’ leftist base."

GOP UNVEILS PLAN TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, INCLUDES $30M SECURITY HIKE AFTER CHARLIE KIRK KILLING

However, Schumer has accused Thune of not coming to the negotiating table and directly engaging with him to find a path forward to avert a government shutdown.

Democrats particularly want a deal on the expiring Obamacare subsidies, along with some assurances on future rescissions and impoundments.

"We'll sit down and negotiate, if they will sit down and negotiate," Schumer said. "We don't have a red line, but we know we have to help the American people."

ATTACHMENT NINETEEN – FROM THE HILL

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN LOOMS AFTER SENATE REJECTS HOUSE-PASSED STOPGAP FUNDING BILL

by Alexander Bolton - 09/19/25 1:24 PM ET

Senate Democrats on Friday blocked a House-passed bill to fund federal departments and agencies for seven weeks, putting Washington on the path to an Oct. 1 government shutdown.

Democrats came together in near unison to defeat the measure on a 44-48 vote, with only Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D) voting for the Republican-drafted proposal, which passed the House earlier Friday by a 217-212 vote.

Two Republicans voted against the House-passed continuing resolution: Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), an outspoken fiscal hawk who argued it would prolong Biden-era spending levels, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), a centrist who has voiced grave concerns about the Medicaid cuts Trump signed into law earlier this year. 

Democrats blocked the resolution, which would fund government until Nov. 21, after Republicans defeated an alternative Democratic proposal to fund government until Oct. 31, extend health insurance subsidies and restore nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid funding cuts.

The two failed votes leave Republican and Democratic leaders at loggerheads over how to avoid a government shutdown in only 11 days.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) put pressure on Democrats to support the House-passed stopgap funding measure, portraying it as the only bill that has a chance of getting President Trump’s signature to become law.

“The Republican bill is a clean, nonpartisan, short-term continuing resolution to fund the government to give us time to do the full appropriations process,” he said on the floor.

The GOP leader reiterated that he has no interest in meeting with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) to negotiate a compromise measure to keep the government open.

“I made it very clear that I wanted the Senate to return to regular order consideration of appropriations bills. I was not and am not interested in funding government through last-minute backroom deals,” Thune said.  

Democrats are pressing Republicans to attach language to the continuing resolution to extend health care premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act that are due to expire at the end of the year.  

Schumer said Friday that Republicans would be responsible for a shutdown because they are refusing to negotiate with Democrats on the funding plan despite needing Democratic votes to pass it through the Senate.

Schumer pointed out the government didn’t shut down under former President Biden and Democrats controlled the Senate majority because they were willing to negotiate.

“When we were in the majority for four years, there was not a shutdown. Not one. Why? Because we did what you’re supposed to do — talk in a bipartisan negotiation, and each side has input,” he told Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso (Wyo.) during a heated moment on the Senate floor Friday.

“We did it the right way. You are not,” he declared.

Republican leaders told House members Friday not to return to Washington until after the funding deadline expires, canceling scheduled votes for Sept. 29 and 30. The gambit gives Democrats the ultimatum of reconsidering the House-passed continuing resolution or triggering a shutdown.

“If Senate Democrats insist on a Schumer Shutdown of the federal government, Members should be prepared to return to DC,” the notice sent to members reads.

Some Democratic senators are feeling uncomfortable about their leadership’s risky confrontation over government funding, worrying that a shutdown could wind up giving Trump more power to reorganize federal departments and agencies and cherry-pick which federal workers are essential and must continue to work and which workers can be furloughed indefinitely.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) told The Hill that fellow Democrats’ constant warnings that Trump’s overzealous use of power is taking the country on the road to “autocracy” is at odds with their uncompromising position on the short-term funding bill.

Fetterman is warning colleagues that a shutdown would only hand more power to Trump and Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, something Schumer himself warned of in March when he voted for a partisan House-GOP crafted six-month continue resolution.

“If Democrats truly believe we’re on a rocket sled to autocracy, why would we hand a shuttered government over to Trump and Vought’s woodchipper at the OMB?” Fetterman said in a statement.

“I’m unwilling to vote for mass chaos and run that risk,” he added.

But many other Democrats think they have leverage over the White House and Republicans in Congress because of rising health insurance premiums and the unpopularity of the GOP’s One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, which cut $1 trillion from Medicaid.

Some Democrats think even if they don’t win any concessions from Republicans during a government shutdown, they will score political points by highlighting GOP opposition to extending the enhanced ObamaCare premium subsidies and restoring Medicaid.

“Today, we have a rare moment in the Senate where two bills come to the floor that truly crystallize the contrast between the two parties,” Schumer said before the vote.

“The choice is clear now. Our Republican colleagues seem to think Americans are happy with the direction of this country. They’re voting like they think the status quo is good enough, even though they’ve heard from so many of their constituents the fear of hospitals closing, of health care being diminished, of premiums going way up,” he said.  

 The alternative Democratic government funding stopgap would have permanently extended the enhanced health insurance premium subsidies at a cost of $349.8 billion over 10 years.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY – FROM NEW YORK POST

SENATE REJECTS HOUSE-PASSED STOPGAP FUNDING BILL, AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN LOOMS AT END OF MONTH

By Josh Christenson Updated Sep. 19, 2025, 4:47 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON — The House narrowly passed a stopgap funding bill on Friday — only for it to be rejected by the Senate hours later as the government careens toward a shutdown at the end of this month.

The spending measure, which would fund the government at current levels through Nov. 21, cleared the House 217-212, but failed to even receive a majority in the Senate, which voted it down, 48-44.

Just two Hill Democrats — Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania — voted for the bill, known in DC parlance as a continuing resolution, or CR.

Both Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) had insisted before the votes that Democrats would not keep the government open without further provisions protecting ObamaCare subsidies.

Those Affordable Care Act tax credits are set to expire at the end of this year after having been expanded during the Biden administration, likely driving up the cost of out-of-pocket health care premiums.

Some Dems have also opposed the Trump administration’s push for Congress to pass another $5 billion in rescissions of previously approved foreign aid and peacekeeping spending.

Still another effort led by Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY) to include funding for federal grants to local law enforcement was also rejected.

“I will continue to fight for this critical funding and urge Leadership to advance and emphasize the need to restore funding for our local law enforcement in any bipartisan government funding negotiations,” Gillen said.

“We are a hard ‘no’ on the partisan Republican spending bill because it continues to gut the healthcare of everyday Americans,” Jeffries declared to reporters ahead of the House vote.

“Democrats are fighting hard to cancel the cuts. Democrats are fighting hard to lower the cost. Democrats are fighting hard to save your healthcare.”

The House and Senate adjourned Friday and are scheduled to be out all next week, meaning that when they return Sept. 29, they will have just two full days to prevent a shutdown at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 30.

“The theater must end,” Schumer chastised Republicans after the Senate vote. “Let’s sit down and negotiate.”

House Republican leaders have already announced that there will be no more votes until Oct. 1, with the Senate GOP planning a second vote on the House package closer to the shutdown deadline in the hope that Democrats will reconsider.

“All it takes is a handful of Democrats to join the Republicans in keeping the government open and funded, and to ensure we have a chance to get the appropriations process completed in the way it was intended,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD). 

“Democrats voted in favor of clean CRs no fewer than 13 times during the Biden administration,” Thune added. “Yet now that Republicans are offering a clean CR, it’s somehow a no-go. It’s funny how that happens.”

Two Senate Republicans — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky — voted against the CR, joining Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana in opposition on the House side.

“I am willing to vote for a CR of any duration—short or long—the least damage to the Republic, but I cannot support one that ends funding right before a major holiday to jam us with an Omnibus. I’ve seen this playbook too many times,” Spartz wrote on X Sunday.

Bottom of Form

Friday’s legislation earmarked $58 million in extra funding for the security of federal officials and judges, with $30 million set aside for the executive branch and $28 million for Supreme Court justices.

Another $30 million will be placed in a fund to reimburse local law enforcement with help protecting members of Congress.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) indicated earlier this week that a standalone bill with even more taxpayer-funded security measures could be brought up for a vote in October.

Also Friday, Senate Democrats struck a deal with Republicans to put their own funding measure on the floor, but that bill also failed to clear the 60-vote legislative filibuster, 47-45.

President Trump has urged Republicans to keep the federal lights on, posting on Truth Social Monday: “Congressional Republicans, including [Senate Majority] Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson, are working on a short term ‘CLEAN’ extension of Government Funding to stop Cryin’ Chuck Schumer from shutting down the Government.

34

“In times like these, Republicans have to stick TOGETHER to fight back against the Radical Left Democrat demands, and vote ‘YES!’ on both Votes needed to pass a Clean CR this week.”

The White House also urged the GOP to support the bill in a separate policy statement Wednesday.

“President Trump opposes a Government shutdown,” that statement read, “and every Member of Congress must support passage of this clean, short-term CR to keep the Government open as discussions on full-year appropriations continue.”

ATTACHMENT TWENTY ONE – FROM IUK

Friday, September 19, 2025

 

 

Will Republicans roll Democrats again?

Congress left Washington no closer to a spending deal as Republicans failed to pass a stopgap spending bill while Democrats dug their heels in and said they would not negotiate with the GOP as a government shutdown looms.

On Friday, the House of Representatives held a vote on a “clean” stopgap spending bill known as a continuing resolution that passed with only one Democrat before leaving until October 1, after the shutdown would start.

Unsurprisingly, the Senate rejected the legislation. Democrats have said that they wanted to include an extension for expanded subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, that passed in 2022 under the Inflation Reduction Act.

It’s a marked difference between what happened in March, when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer joined with Republicans to pass a “clean” continuing resolution. Even though six Democrats joined him, which was enough to avert a shutdown, it caused a revolt in his caucus and Schumer’s numbers dropped precipitously.

Trump for his part has said he wants a “clean” continuing resolution and told Republicans that they did not need to work with the Democrats.

Read more here.

By Eric Garcia

 

 

Reading list

• Andrew Feinberg: Judge tosses out Trump’s $15B lawsuit against the New York Times
• Ariana Baio: Grim news for Trump on economy, immigration, and crime as Republicans say US headed in wrong direction: polls

 

 

Daily briefing

Trump demands TV networks get licenses canceled over ‘97% bad’ coverage of him after ABC caves to FCC on Kimmel

President Donald Trump on Friday said the nation’s television networks should have their broadcast licenses cancelled because coverage of him is overwhelmingly negative despite his victory in last year’s election, Andrew Feinberg reports

 

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Our brand is crisis.”

White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf caught on a hot mic exchanging pleasantries with British participants during a roundtable. 

• Shot in the dark: A vaccine advisory board, comprised of anti-vaccine advocates hand-picked by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., voted in favor of weakening Covid-19 vaccine recommendations on Friday, saying it should be a “individual” decision, Ariana Baio writes.
• Democrats divided: A vote to honor Charlie Kirk caused a split among Democrats in the House of Representatives, Eric Garcia writes. The measure saw 95 Democrats join 215 Republicans to support the resolution, while 58 Democrats opposed it, 38 voted “present” and 22 did not vote.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY TWO – FROM NJ SPOTLIGHT NEWS

ONCE AGAIN, CONGRESS SKIPS OUT AS SHUTDOWN NEARS

Funding bills don’t clear and blame game ramps up

BY Benjamin J. Hulac, September 22, 2025

WASHINGTON — Congress is once again heading toward a government shutdown after Republicans and Democrats in the Senate voted against one another’s funding bills and both congressional chambers left town.

After the House on Friday passed a short-term Republican bill to fund the government, the Senate voted in quick succession on proposals from both parties to keep money flowing past Sept. 30, when funding expires.

Democrats want funding to run through Oct. 31 and are pressing to include more than $1 trillion in health care funding. Republicans want to extend funding through Nov. 21 and provide $88 million for security for Congress, the Supreme Court and executive branch officials.

“You can’t cut a trillion dollars without creating devastating consequences for our constituents,” said Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th), the top Democrat on the House Energy & Commerce, which oversees health policy, said during floor debate Friday, referring to cut that size to Medicaid, the national health insurance system for the poor and disabled, within a new Republican budget law.

Clock is ticking

Both bills in the Senate fell short of the 60 votes most legislation needs to clear the Senate filibuster and become law. The two halves of Congress — the Senate and the House — must pass identical legislation before the president can sign it into effect.

The impasse between chambers and parties escalates the chance of a shutdown, with both parties pointing fingers and casting blame at one another.

“The Republican bill is a clean, nonpartisan, short-term continuing resolution to fund the government to give us time to do the full appropriations process,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota who leads his party in the Senate.

The funding deadline is the first significant point of leverage Democrats have enjoyed during the second Trump presidency since March, when Congress was also debating a funding bill.

House votes to curb presidential war powers

Because funding legislation requires 60 votes and Republicans have 53 senators, GOP members need support from at least seven Democrats to get whatever spending bill emerges from the chamber.

The Constitution empowers Congress, not the president, to write and approve the federal budget, though Trump has repeatedly violated federal budget law this year by canceling already-approved funding, according to the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office.

The House passed its bill on a 217-to-212 vote, with New Jersey’s delegation voting along party lines — Republicans for it, Democrats against.

In the funding negotiations, Democrats zeroed in on extending federal tax credits for the 2010 federal health law known as Obamacare. Their proposal would permanently extend tax credits that are scheduled to expire at the end of the year.

“This bill does not protect Americans’ health care,” Rep. Nellie Pou (D-9th) said of the Republican proposal, criticizing it as a “blank check” for President Donald Trump.

Unless Congress acts swiftly, premiums for people who receive health coverage through federal marketplaces are projected to increase about 16% in New Jersey.

“These tax credits help tens of thousands of people in the Fifth District, and hundreds of thousands across Jersey, afford their health care,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5th) said in a statement after voting against the Republican bill.

Democrats and some Republicans, including Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-2nd) and Tom Kean Jr. (R-7th), support a separate bill to extend those credits to 2027.

What if there is a government shutdown?

Federal government shutdowns tend to cost — not save — money.

“For one, putting contingency plans in place has a real cost. In addition, many user fees and other charges are not collected during a shutdown, and federal contractors sometimes include premiums in their bids to account for uncertainty in being paid,” the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan group, said last week. “While many federal employees are forced to be idle during a shutdown, they have historically received and are now guaranteed back pay, negating much of those potential savings.”

During a shutdown, certain groups of federal workers are considered “essential” and are required to work without pay, such as active members of the armed forces, embassy staff, air traffic controllers, airport security and border security.

Politics, Law & Public Safety

As threats increase, so may protection for Congress

Other employees considered “non-essential” will be furloughed, though under a 2019 law they would be paid once Congress passes funding legislation to keep the government running.

Services and payments through Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will still essentially continue as usual, since those programs are not funded through the congressional appropriations process.

The U.S. Postal Service and Amtrak would not be affected. Both receive federal money but also collect payment from customers.

Federal lands, like those of the National Park Service or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, may be closed to the public or operate with limited staff.

The inability of Congress to fund the government is a relatively modern phenomenon. The first shutdown happened in 1981 after President Ronald Reagan vetoed a funding bill because he wanted deep cuts for domestic programs. That shutdown lasted just four days.

Since then, funding gaps that stretched at least two weeks have happened in 1995 and into 1996; in 2013; and, most recently, for 34 days in December 2018 and into January of 2019.

That shutdown cost about $3 billion, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Many federal workers cannot travel during a shutdown, and scores of federal contractors also have to stop their work.

Planning is also thrown into flux, as the CBO report says: “Agencies without appropriations also are constrained in what goods and services they can purchase.”

ATTACHMENT TWENTY THREE – FROM FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK

THERE’S NO CLEAR PATH TO AVOID A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

"I think that the viable path to avoiding a shutdown, unlike in past showdowns where we've had this before, it's really almost closed," said Mitchell Miller.

By Terry Gerton September 22, 2025 12:27 pm

Guest:	Mitchell Miller
Title:	Capitol Hill correspondent, WTOP
Summary:	With just days left before the fiscal year ends, Congress is locked in a standoff over how, or whether, to keep the government open. House Republicans passed what they say is a clean CR but it did not pass the Senate. Now the House is out until after Oct. 1.

Terry Gerton Well, there was a lot of action in Congress on Friday regarding dueling continuing resolutions. Catch us up. What was in the House proposal? Let’s start there.

Mitchell Miller Alright, so this was a flurry of activity that we often see like a day or two right before the deadline for a shutdown. This time it all happened last week, right on Friday, lawmakers trying to get all of this done and then get out of town, but of course that didn’t actually happen. So in the House, it was a clean continuing resolution. From the Republican standpoint, they said, this is what we do all the time. It includes all kinds of basic-level funding for everything, but it also was to include additional security funding for lawmakers because, of course, of what happened with Charlie Kirk, there’s been a lot of concern here on the Hill about threats against lawmakers, which have just skyrocketed. And so they tucked in $30 million extra here and there, and then they pulled some from other funds. So there was a lot of additional funding for lawmakers to use within their own offices, as well as the legislative branch more broadly, and the White House actually. And then separately from that, just for the people here in D.C, it was also going to include a fix to that infamous budget glitch for D.C. of a billion dollars that there was a hearing about last week with D.C. crime and the Mayor, Muriel Bowser, said, boy we could really use that money if that’s included in there. So there were some, a few extra things, but essentially it was the classic, clean CR, and that’s why Republicans have been pointing the finger at Democrats and vice versa, which we’ll get into more in a moment.

Terry Gerton So the House bill passed on straight party lines, right?

Mitchell Miller Right. There was just one Democrat that voted for it. And so it passed pretty much as expected that it was going to be largely along party lines. And then the real question, of course, was what was going to happen in the Senate?

Terry Gerton And what did happen in the Senate?

Mitchell Miller Well, in the Senate, Senate Democrats tried to pass their own piece of legislation that would have extended government spending through the end of October. It was really a largely symbolic measure. They tried to restore a lot of the cuts that are in the Big, Beautiful Bill. They wanted to bring back a lot things related to healthcare. They have been really beating the drum in connection with extending the tax credits on the Affordable Care Act, as you know. They’ve had lots of complaints about the cuts to Medicaid, so that was clearly probably going to be dead on arrival and it certainly was. What was also interesting, though, as they moved to the House-passed bill, it really didn’t even come close to getting the 60 votes that were needed, for a variety of reasons, but it only went down on a 44 to 48 vote. You had one Democrat, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, voting for it. You had two Republicans voting against it, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky. Sometimes that happens with these bills, but the bill just kind of went down very quickly.

Terry Gerton They would have needed the 60-vote threshold to pass it, right?

Mitchell Miller Absolutely, yep. And they were not even close.

Terry Gerton I’m speaking with Mitchell Miller. He’s the Capitol Hill correspondent for WTOP. All right, so Mitchell, what happens now? Both chambers are on recess this week. Is there any viable path to avoiding a shutdown before October 1st?

Mitchell Miller I think that the viable path to avoiding a shutdown, unlike in past showdowns where we’ve had this before, it’s really almost closed. There’s a very slight glimmer maybe that something could happen at the last minute. You never know with Congress, but I think we really are trucking right down the road toward a shutdown because there doesn’t seem to be any even alternate ramp that we usually see in these kind of showdowns. For example, the House, before they left on Friday, they said, oh, by the way, the House leadership said we are not coming back on the 29th or the 30th. Obviously, the 30th is the key deadline date. So essentially, what they are going to do is politically jam Democrats and dare them not to do something on the Senate side with Senate Republicans. And unlike what happened in March — when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer got a lot of grief for, a lot of people said he caved to what Republicans want — this time, Democrats are really basically all on board with the position that they’re taking, which is they have decided to put all their chips in on saying that it’s the Republicans’ fault because they are not negotiating on these key issues related to these Affordable Care Act tax credits, along with other various issues. We’ve talked about the security issue, and they’re essentially just saying that Republicans are trying to go it out alone, and this is not the way it’s been done in the past. Now, Republicans, on the other hand, as I noted earlier, they’ve said, look, this is a clean CR. This is essentially what we always talk about, wanting to buy more time so that we can get through to November 21st, in this case, because that’s where this legislation would extend funding to, and then we can do the appropriation work that we always do in Congress. But as we’ve talked about before, the appropriations process is now really poisoned for a lot of reasons and I just don’t think that there is any reason that we are not going to have a shutdown.

Terry Gerton Has the White House weighed in at all? There’s always talk about who’s going to get blamed if there’s a shutdown, and sometimes it reverts back to the President and his team.

Mitchell Miller Right. And in this case, I think the White House feels confident that the Democrats are going to get the blame. The Democrats, of course, say, well, the Republicans are, they control all the levers of power. They control the White House. They control all of Congress. They have extra votes on the Supreme Court. But the White House basically told Republicans, stick with this clean CR and then we’re going to push the blame on the Democrats. The Democrats, it’s a big gamble for them because when you’re the party that is trying to do something in addition, as we’ve seen in these past shutdown confrontations, I think it’s easier for the White House to say, well, the Democrats always talk about how they want government agencies to be open, they’ve complained about us making cuts, and now they want to shut the government down. I can almost hear the President making these arguments as we get closer to the deadline. The Democrats, for their part, they are going to really be pushing this message on these healthcare issues.

Terry Gerton With both of the chambers in recess this week, can we hope that the staffs are scurrying around in the back rooms trying to find some compromise? Is there anything that might break loose on the 29th or 30th that would give us hope?

Mitchell Miller I think actually the only real glimmer of hope would be the staffers. I mean, they’re the ones that do the hard work, as you well know, and if they could try to find some middle ground on a few of these issues to help move things forward, that might crack something. It usually takes a couple of big breaks before — small breaks rather — for something to actually happen at the last minute. But right now, I just think that both sides are so dug in, so hard and so confident in their own positions that that’s why I don’t think there is going to be a breakthrough.

Terry Gerton Well, Mitchell, the next time we talk, we’ll know for sure.

Mitchell Miller Yes, we will.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY FOUR – FROM AFGE (GUMMENT EMPLOYEES)

Shutdown Looms as Congress Deadlocks Over Budget

September 22, 2025

With current federal funding set to expire on September 30, the risk of a government shutdown is growing. This week, both the House and Senate debated competing budget proposals, but failed to reach agreement, stalling progress and deepening partisan divides.

Congress has yet to send any of the 12 full-year appropriations bills to the President’s desk. In the meantime, lawmakers are considering temporary funding measures — known as continuing resolutions (CRs) — to keep the government running.

Earlier this year, President Trump proposed deep cuts to domestic programs, but those proposals have seen little movement in Congress. Now, Republicans in both chambers have introduced what they call a “clean CR” to extend current funding levels through mid-November. Meanwhile, Democrats have offered a more comprehensive plan that would reverse steep Medicaid cuts included in Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” and permanently extend ACA tax credits for millions of Americans.

The House narrowly passed the Republican CR, but it failed in the Senate, where 60 votes are typically required to advance major legislation. The bill received only 44 votes, with Republican Senators Rand Paul (KY) and Lisa Murkowski (AK) joining most Democrats in opposition. Only Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) broke ranks to support the GOP proposal.

While the Democratic alternative does not directly address key labor issues — such as restoring federal collective bargaining rights — it does seek to reassert Congressional authority over federal spending. The bill would limit the President’s ability to impose unilateral budget cuts, a tactic Trump used earlier this year to slash funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting. In a controversial move, he later attempted to bypass Congress entirely by introducing additional cuts late in the fiscal year. The Democratic proposal aims to block such end-runs around the legislative process.

A similar showdown in March ended when a group of Senate Democrats unexpectedly backed a Republican CR, extending funding through the end of September. That decision was met with backlash from party supporters, who saw it as a concession that allowed Trump to continue his aggressive push to shrink the federal government with minimal resistance.

“Congress has a duty to fund government agencies on time, but it has an equally important duty to rein in an out-of-control executive branch,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. “Without safeguards, federal employees will continue to face untenable working conditions. I urge both parties to come to the negotiating table and find common ground on the key issues facing most Americans — including the high cost of living, access to health care, and, for many of us, fair treatment on the job.”

As the deadline approaches, AFGE will continue to monitor developments and advocate for policies that protect federal workers, preserve critical services for the public, and strengthen workplace rights.

Shutdown Looms as Congress Deadlocks Over Budget

September 22, 2025

With current federal funding set to expire on September 30, the risk of a government shutdown is growing.
Congress Inches Closer to Vote to Overturn Trump’s Union-Busting Orders

September 22, 2025

Momentum is growing in the fight to overturn President Trump’s illegal and destructive directives stripping collective bargaining rights from most federal employees.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY FIVE – FROM ABC

THE GOVERNMENT COULD SHUT DOWN IN LESS THAN A WEEK. HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The government runs out of funding at midnight from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1.

ByAllison Pecorin September 24, 2025, 11:53 AM

What are the chances of a government shutdown?

Right now, congressional leaders are busy blaming one another for the looming shutdown, but no clear path is emerging for how funding might be approved.

Congress is out of town this week, but when lawmakers return on Monday, Sept. 29, they'll be facing an immediate government funding deadline. If Congress doesn't act before Wednesday, Oct. 1, there will be a government shutdown.

Right now, congressional leaders are busy blaming one another for the looming shutdown, but no clear path is emerging for how funding might be approved.

Here’s what you need to know with less than a week until a possible government shutdown:

Senate fails to advance bills to fund government as shutdown looms

What needs to happen to avert a government shutdown?

The government runs out of funding as the clock strikes midnight from Tuesday, Sept. 30 to Wednesday, Oct. 1. To avoid that shutdown, Congress must pass either a short-term funding bill, called a continuing resolution (or CR), or they must approve 12 separate full-year funding bills.

Congress does not have time to finish work on the full-year funding bills before the deadline, so they’ll need a stopgap bill. 

Unlike the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, funding bills need at least 60 votes to pass in the Senate. That means any government funding solution will require at least seven Senate Democrats to pass if every Republican supports the proposal.

In a Washington under total Republican control, government funding is one of few must-pass pieces of legislation that requires Democratic votes.

Current state of play

Democrats and Republicans are currently locked in a staring contest. It’s not clear what, if anything, will be done to stop a shutdown next week.

Efforts to pass a short-term funding bill failed last week.

On Friday, House Republicans (and one Democrat) passed a bill that would have kept the government funded until Nov. 20. But within hours of the House action, Senate Democrats blocked the measure from passing the Senate and instead offered their own funding bill that included a number of health care provisions Democrats say are essential. Republicans blocked that bill from advancing in the Senate.

Since then, no new proposal has been offered. Congress is out of town this week with no plans to return early. 

Trump cancels meeting with Democrats

Democrats have alleged that the White House and congressional Republicans have been unwilling to negotiate with them on a path forward on government funding.

After President Donald Trump said he would meet with Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries at their request, the president reversed course on Tuesday morning.  (See below)

“After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,” Trump posted on his social media channel. 

Democrats have responded by saying that Trump is running away from the negotiation table and will own the shutdown as a result.  

Schumer blames Trump for possible shutdown after he backs out of meeting with Democrats

What Republicans, Democrats want

Republicans on Capitol Hill want Congress to pass a short-term funding bill without any additional add ons to keep the government funded at FY2024 levels through Nov. 20. Republicans say this will allow more time for Congress to work on the annual appropriations bills that they hope can be enacted before the next funding deadline. The White House has backed this approach.

Passing a short-term funding bill that doesn’t include any sort of major policy riders is pretty par for the course on Capitol Hill. Democrats advanced many of them while former President Joe Biden was in office. Republicans say Democrats are being disingenuous by not supporting this seven-week solution. 

"If [Democrats] want to shut down the government, they have the power to do so, but if they think they are going to gain political points from shutting down the government over a clean nonpartisan CR, something they voted for 13 times under the Biden administration, I would strongly urge them to think again," Majority Leader John Thune said on Friday ahead of the Senate vote to block this short-term funding bill.

Republicans say that other policy priorities should be debated as part of the annual appropriations process, not as part of a short-term funding solution.

Democrats, on the other hand, want to use the funding deadline as leverage to secure health care-related wins and to restore cuts to Medicaid made by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Republicans passed in July. 

There’s a lot of health care provisions that Democrats outlined in their counter proposal that was rejected by the Senate last week – including the expansion of expiring Obamacare tax credits for federally backed health insurance premiums and the reversal of the Medicaid cuts that were signed into law under Trump’s megabil in July.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Democrat’s health care proposals would cost $1.4 trillion over 10 years. Democrats have said they’re willing to negotiate with Republicans, so this package should be viewed as an opening offer and not a set of red lines.

Democrats have repeatedly insisted they must secure health care-related wins to approve a funding package, but they have not yet been explicit about what specific wins they must secure in order to keep the government funded.

What’s different this time around?

In March, 10 Senate Democrats voted with Republicans to pass a continuing resolution to hold funding levels constant through the end of the fiscal year on Oct. 1. 

But now, what we’re seeing is a role reversal for both parties.

Democrats set fight over health care as possible government shutdown looms

Many times in the past several years it has been Republicans pushing for policy concessions on short-term funding bills while Democrats have repeatedly beat the drum for a clean short-term funding extension.

This time though, it's Democrats who are saying they must get policy concessions while Republicans challenge them to accept a stopgap funding solution with nothing attached. It bucks the historical trend.

What happens if there is a government shutdown? 

If there is a government shutdown, millions of federal employees will go without a paycheck and many -- such as airport security officers, air traffic controllers and members of the military -- will be told to come to work anyway. ICE agents also go without pay. National parks will close and the Smithsonian museums also typically close within a few days.

Federal contractors are not required to work and are also not guaranteed backpay. 

Social Security continues to be distributed, though there can be slow downs.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY SIX – FROM POLITICO

THE WHITE HOUSE IS OFFICIALLY WARNING REPUBLICANS — AND DEMOCRATS — TO GET BEHIND THE GOP LEADERSHIP-LED, SEVEN-WEEK FUNDING PATCH.

“Failure to pass [the stopgap] would result in a senseless Government shutdown that would be disastrous for the American people,” the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement Wednesday.

“President Trump opposes a Government shutdown and every Member of Congress must support passage of this clean, short-term CR to keep the Government open as discussions on full-year appropriations continue,” the statement continued. “Opposition to H.R. 5371 is an endorsement of a senseless Government shutdown that the American people will not stand for.”

The House is set to vote on the continuing resolution Friday, with a procedural rule vote scheduled for Wednesday evening.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY SEVEN – FROM POLITICO

HOUSE LAWMAKERS GET $10K PER MONTH FOR PERSONAL SECURITY FOLLOWING KIRK ASSASSINATION

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle had been agitating for more protection.

By Katherine Tully-McManus and Jennifer Scholtes 09/17/2025, 6:29pm ET

House leaders announced Wednesday night that members will be allowed $10,000 per month to cover personal security costs in the wake of the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk.

That monthly total doubles the $5,000 currently available to House lawmakers under a pilot program created this summer to boost member security, which would be extended through Nov. 21 under the stopgap funding patch House Republicans are trying to pass this week.

After the announcement was made, lawmakers unsatisfied with that dollar amount brought their concerns to the House floor, where a large gaggle of Republicans from all corners of the conference took their issues straight to Speaker Mike Johnson and House Administration Chair Bryan Steil. The pair held court for an extended period.

The speaker was making “lots of promises” for member security reforms later, according to one House Republican involved in the discussion, granted anonymity to discuss the private talks.

But a handful of those concerned Republicans say they’re holding out to force GOP leaders to add more money for member security directly in the stopgap.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said later there were “ongoing conversations,” when asked if GOP leadership would add more money for member security in the stopgap directly.

“We said that at the beginning of the week — is that we’re working with our members to find out how to properly make sure that everybody has the security they need to be safe,” Scalise said.

“More needs to be done” to ensure the security of lawmakers, congressional staff and constitutions, said the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, New York Rep. Joe Morelle, “but this is an important and necessary start.”

House Administration Chair Bryan Steil told reporters that the conversations will continue as appropriators work on a bicameral conference of the legislative branch spending bill, which funds security operations for Congress.

“The goal is having leg[islative] branch [appropriations], which is engaged right now in a conference, of them identifying the appropriate funding level as we go forward,” said Steil.

The announcement follows the finalization of a $32 million injection in funds for a longstanding program allowing members to request security through partnerships between the Capitol Police and local law enforcement agencies. That money is hitching a ride on the stopgap spending bill slated for a vote this Friday. The pilot program expansion is funded from a separate pot of money from the current fiscal year.

“The funding can be authorized, we need to make sure that that money is in the right buckets,” said Steil of the ongoing discussion of security funding in the full year legislative branch funding bill.

House lawmakers are also currently allowed to spend up to $20,000 for in-home security equipment.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY EIGHT – FROM POLITICO

TABLES TURN FOR DEMOCRATS AS THEY USE SHUTDOWN FOR LEVERAGE

The current standoff is a nearly precise inversion of the 2013 showdown over health care that closed government agencies for 17 days.

Chuck Schumer defended the role reversal Friday: "They were taking something away. We're trying to restore something that they took away."

By Meredith Lee Hill 09/22/2025 04:45 AM EDT

On one side is the minority party, using what little leverage it has — a looming government funding deadline — to push for priorities it can’t enact otherwise. On the other is the majority, insisting a short-term funding punt is no place for negotiation.

If that sounds familiar, that’s because just such a scenario has played out dozens of times on Capitol Hill over the past decade and a half — usually with Republicans pushing for policy concessions and Democrats insisting on a “clean” stopgap.

Not this time. The roles have been reversed between the two parties as Congress barrels toward a government shutdown Oct. 1 with no obvious off-ramp in sight.

It’s Republicans who are pushing a “clean” seven-week continuing resolution, which they say will buy time for more negotiations on full-year spending bills and possibly an extension of expiring health insurance subsidies. Democrats, meanwhile, wrote an alternative four-week punt that tacks on a laundry list of other demands, including a permanent extension of the insurance subsidies.

Conservative Republicans who have balked at past stopgaps have signed on to their party’s strategy, as have Democrats who have traditionally been most loath to flirt with shutdowns — such as the Washington-area members who represent federal workers who stand to be furloughed.

“My brain’s falling out of my head,” Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) said in an interview. ”When you talk about the Freedom Caucus talking about passing a CR and the Democrats saying, ‘I’m going to shut down the government.’ I’ve never seen anything so weird in my life.”

There are myriad reasons for the current moment’s Bizarro World politics, but the biggest is a transformation of incentives. Where Republicans have spent most of the past 15 years heeding the wishes of a party base spoiling for a fight, damn the consequences, it’s now Democrats in that position. The GOP, meanwhile, is in lockstep behind President Donald Trump, who is determined to corner his opposition.

The current situation, in fact, is a nearly precise inversion of the standoff seen in the fall of 2013, when conservative Republicans led by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas sparked a shutdown over a demand to reverse Democrats’ signature health care law, the Affordable Care Act. They backed down after 17 days.

“It did not work for them,” House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) recalled last week as he reflected on how Democrats are now seeking a reversal of parts of the GOP’s own signature legislation — health care provisions in the domestic policy bill the party passed in July. Democrats also want to extend the enhanced ACA subsidies that expire at the end of this year.

“They tied something unrelated to spending, Obamacare, and shut down the government,” Cole added. “That was the wrong thing to do then. … You are doing the same thing now. It’s nothing else.”

Democrats at the time insisted that any funding bill stay free of policy provisions. Then-Majority Leader Harry Reid at the time cast the choice for the GOP as “whether to pass the Senate’s clean CR or force a Republican government shutdown.”

They said much the same when they had majorities under President Joe Biden. According to statistics that have been circulated by Senate Republicans this month, Congress complied by passing 13 clean funding stopgaps in that four-year stretch.

Pressed on the turning of the tables, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Friday insisted there was an articulable distinction.

“What’s different? They were taking something away,” he told reporters. “We’re trying to restore something that they took away. It’s a world of difference when you’re trying to do some good for people rather than doing negative stuff for people.”

It’s not just Democrats who have had to confront a tactical 180 in the current fight. Facing grumbling from the right flank of his conference, Speaker Mike Johnson vowed last year to never pass another continuing resolution to fund the government. On Friday, he muscled through the second GOP-backed stopgap of 2025.

One House Republican described a closed-door conference meeting last week like being in “The Twilight Zone,” as several hard-liners who once opposed continuing resolutions as preludes to bloated, opaque omnibus spending bills voiced support for a short-term punt.

Among those who spoke up was Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), a former House Freedom Caucus chair, and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a co-founder of the hard-right group who used to push for shutdowns but now urged his colleagues to “send Chuck Schumer a clean CR.”

The key difference this time is Trump, who publicly backed both GOP-led stopgaps this year. It’s also helped that his budget director, Russ Vought, has delighted conservatives by seeking to formally rescind or simply not spend money Congress has previously appropriated. Democrats are now seeking a prohibition on those moves in the current standoff.

“There’s nothing clean about the administration undermining Congress,” Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) said.

Last week, Democrats were mainly fuming about Trump’s comments that GOP leaders shouldn’t “even bother dealing with” them. On Friday, he predicted “it could very well end up with a closed country for a period of time.” A day later, after top Democratic leaders demanded a meeting, he said he would “love to meet with them, but I don’t think it’s going to have any impact.”

Trump AI Advisor Wants 'American AI,' not 'Woke AI' | The Conversation

“Donald Trump told them, ‘Don’t talk to the Democrats,’ and so they didn’t,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said. “He wanted a clean CR, and he got it on the House side. I’m not sure what he’ll get in the Senate.”

Trump’s comments fueled partisan tensions that spilled into plain sight Friday with Schumer and Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 2 Republican leader, bickering on the Senate floor.

Barrasso accused Schumer of trying to take funding “hostage,” blocking Schumer’s attempt to claim speaking time to ask a question.

“The reason we are having a shutdown now is you and your leadership refused to talk to Democrats or have any input,” Schumer said in response. “Never a shutdown when we were in the leadership.”

Top Republican leaders are supremely confident that Democrats are holding a losing hand — based in part on the outcomes of past shutdown fights their own party instigated.

“You learn from past experience,” Thune said, responding to a question about the 2013 shutdown. “When you’re the ones who are trying to have a bunch of new stuff, generally, I think you’re the ones who end up getting blamed when there’s a shutdown.”

But Democrats so far have continued to dig in — including those members who have tended to serve as an internal bulwark against brinkmanship. Typically members with constituencies heavy on federal workers have been wary of shutdowns, but even they are dead set on opposing Republicans’ recent Medicaid cuts and securing the insurance subsidy extension.

“Everything they’re doing is designed to protect their dismantling of Medicaid and the health care system, and we made a very emphatic statement that we are going to stand strong,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said.

GOP leaders believe if Senate Democrats don’t fold right away, they’ll get an earful from constituents when they’re back home this week for the Rosh Hashanah break.

They’re eyeing members such as Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, who has been adamant in public that Republicans will bear the cost of a shutdown. Republicans think Warner, who is seeking reelection next year, is likely to change his tune. “I don’t know if they’ll want to stick it out then,” said one House Republican granted anonymity to speak frankly about party strategy.

But Warner said Friday he was ready to fight, citing “17 million Americans going without health insurance, cancer rates going up dramatically, [the] country visibly sicker with cuts to research.”

“I know the president may not want to acknowledge checks and balances,” Warner said. But “he can’t do this with Republican-only votes.”

Hailey Fuchs, Jordain Carney, Katherine Tully-McManus and Jennifer Scholtes contributed to this report.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY NINE – FROM POLITICO

WHITE HOUSE SAYS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN WOULD BE ‘THE FAULT OF DEMOCRATS’

Karoline Leavitt said the president wants a “simple, clean budget extension.”

“Democrats know that the right thing to do is join with Republicans to pass this clean funding extension,” Karoline Leavitt said on Monday. “That is what the president wants." | Francis Chung/POLITICO

By Cheyanne M. Daniels 09/22/2025 03:00 PM EDT

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that the administration is “advocating” to keep the government open amid a congressional funding fight, though she preemptively blamed Democrats for any potential shutdown.

“If the government is shut down, it will be the fault of the Democrats, and it will only hurt the most vulnerable in our country: Our seniors, veterans, military families, increasing security for members of congress, which is something this White House and the administration supports,” Leavitt said in a press briefing.

Leavitt’s words echo President Donald Trump’s, who on Friday said Democrats “want to shut down the country” after Senate Democrats voted down Republicans’ stopgap measure to keep the government funded through November. That same day, Senate Republicans voted to reject a Democratic bill that would fund the government past the end of the month and avoid an Oct. 1 shutdown.

“Democrats know that the right thing to do is join with Republicans to pass this clean funding extension,” Leavitt said on Monday. “That is what the president wants.”

Democrats have said they will oppose a GOP funding bill because Republicans didn’t negotiate with Democratic minority leaders, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

On Monday, Leavitt said the Trump Administration wants a “simple, clean budget extension.”

“This is the same budget that the Democrats approved six months ago, just adjusted for inflation,” she added. “Unfortunately, all of a sudden they want to shut down the government.”

Schumer and Jeffries have called for a meeting with Trump, though the president said he doesn’t think a meeting will affect funding fight talks.

“I’d love to meet with them, but I don’t think it’s going to have any impact,” Trump told reporters Saturday night. “They want all this stuff, they haven’t changed, they haven’t learned from the biggest beating they’ve ever taken, just about.”

ATTACHMENT THIRTY – FROM ABC

TRUMP TO MEET WITH SCHUMER AND JEFFRIES AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN RISK LOOMS

President Donald Trump will meet with the Democratic leaders in Congress this week ahead of a looming risk of a federal government shutdown

By LISA MASCARO Associated Press and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press September 22, 2025, 7:07 PM

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump will meet with the Democratic leaders in Congress this week ahead of a looming risk of a federal government shutdown.

Trump has agreed to meet with Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who are insisting on talks as the Democrats work to preserve health care programs as part of any deal to fund the government ahead of next week's Oct. 1 deadline.

That's according to two people familiar with the situation and granted anonymity because they are unauthorized to discuss it. The meeting is set for Thursday, one of the people said.

The chance for Trump and the congressional leaders to open talks comes at a critical period in the government funding cycle, with just days to go before federal money runs out with the end of the fiscal year on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

Trump had left the door open to a meeting even as he has also suggested there may be government closures.

“I’d love to meet with them, but I don’t think it’s going to have any impact,” Trump said in an exchange Saturday with reporters.

Congress has failed to pass legislation to keep the government running after having deadlocked following rounds of voting late last week.

While the House approved a Republican proposal to keep the federal government funded into November, the measure failed in the Senate, where the rules can require a higher 60-vote threshold that means support is needed from Republicans and Democrats. A Democratic proposal that would have boosted health care funds also failed.

Democrats are working to protect health care programs. The Democratic proposal would extend enhanced health insurance subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, plus reverse Medicaid cuts that were included in Republicans’ big tax break and spending cut bill enacted earlier this year.

Republicans have said the Democrats’ demands to reverse the Medicaid changes are a nonstarter, but they have also said there is time to address the health insurance subsidy issue in the months ahead.

The meeting was first reported by Punchbowl News.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY ONE – FROM CBS

TRUMP TO MEET WITH SCHUMER AND JEFFRIES AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN LOOMS

By Caitlin Yilek, Nikole Killion and Ed O'Keefe Updated on: September 23, 2025 / 7:42 AM EDT / CBS News

Washington — President Trump will meet with Democratic leaders as Congress seems to be barreling toward a government shutdown, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries confirmed Tuesday. 

Schumer and Jeffries, both New York Democrats, said in a statement that following "weeks of Republican stonewalling in Congress, President Trump has agreed to meet this week in the Oval Office."

"In the meeting, we will emphasize the importance of addressing rising costs, including the Republican healthcare crisis," the Democrats said. "It's past time to meet and work to avoid a Republican-caused shutdown."

Schumer and Jeffries have repeatedly asked Republican leaders to negotiate with them on a short-term funding patch. In a letter to Mr. Trump this past weekend, Schumer and Jeffries demanded a meeting with the president and said Democrats would not support a "dirty spending bill" that does not address their health care priorities. 

"Republicans will bear responsibility for another painful government shutdown because of the refusal of GOP congressional leadership to even talk with Democrats," the letter said. "As a result, it is now your obligation to meet with us directly to reach an agreement to keep the government open and address the Republican healthcare crisis." 

Competing proposals to keep the government funded past the Sept. 30 deadline failed in the Senate on Friday. The Republican measure would fund the government until Nov. 21, and provide an $88 million boost in security funding for lawmakers, Supreme Court justices and the executive branch. The Democratic proposal would keep it open until Oct. 31 and included security funding, health care priorities and other provisions that would roll back Mr. Trump's policies. 

Republicans argued Democrats have no reason to oppose their bill because it does not include any controversial provisions. 

The Republican bill narrowly cleared the House earlier Friday. 

Mr. Trump on Friday told reporters that the there could be a shutdown amid the impasse. 

"We'll continue to talk to the Democrats, but I think you could very well end up with a closed country for a period of time," he said.

On Saturday, Mr. Trump said, "I'd love to meet with them, but I don't think it's going to have any impact." 

After votes Friday, the House and Senate left Washington for at least a week. Both chambers were originally scheduled to be in recess until Sept. 29, but House leaders extended their break past the Oct. 1 deadline to pressure the Senate to adopt their bill. They said members should be prepared to return to Washington if the government shuts down. 

ATTACHMENT THIRTY TWO – FROM THE NEW YORK POST

TRUMP ADMIN LIVE UPDATES FROM SEPT. 23-24 NOTE: UPDATES POSTED in REVERSE ORDER

By Diana Nerozzi, Josh Christenson, Ryan King, Caitlin Doornbos, Desheania Andrews, Victor Nava, Carly Ortiz-Lytle, Samuel Chamberlain and Kaydi Pelletier

Updated Sep. 24, 2025, 4:23 p.m. ET

The president spoke out on the “despicable” deadly shooting at a Dallas ICE office this morning.

Vice President JD Vance also passionately called for an end to political violence after a sniper killed at least one migrant and wounded at least two others.

The VP spoke to a crowd Concord, N.C., on a previously scheduled trip, exactly two weeks after his longtime friend Charlie Kirk was shot dead while speaking at a Utah college campus during a stop on the conservative influencer’s American Comeback Tour.

This live blog has ended. Follow live updates on Trump’s national politics here for the latest news and analysis.

1 day ago

Trump condemns 'despicable' Dallas shooting: 'Brave Men and Women of ICE are just trying to do their jobs'

By Samuel Chamberlain

President Trump has just released a statement on this morning's deadly shooting at a Dallas ICE facility.

"I have been briefed on the deadly shooting at the ICE Field Office in Dallas, Texas. It has now been revealed the deranged shooter wrote 'Anti-ICE' on his shell casings," the president wrote on Truth Social. "This is despicable! The Brave Men and Women of ICE are just trying to do their jobs, and remove the 'WORST of the WORST' Criminals out of our Country, but they are facing an unprecedented increase in threats, violence, and attacks by Deranged Radical Leftists.

"This violence is the result of the Radical Left Democrats constantly demonizing Law Enforcement, calling for ICE to be demolished, and comparing ICE Officers to 'Nazis.' The continuing violence from Radical Left Terrorists, in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, must be stopped. ICE Officers, and other Brave Members of Law Enforcement, are under grave threat.

Trump's response to the Dallas shooting on Truth Social

Truth Social/@realDonaldTrump

"We have already declared ANTIFA a Terrorist Organization, and I will be signing an Executive Order this week to dismantle these Domestic Terrorism Networks.

"I AM CALLING ON ALL DEMOCRATS TO STOP THIS RHETORIC AGAINST ICE AND AMERICA’S LAW ENFORCEMENT, RIGHT NOW! The Trump Administration is fully committed to backing Law Enforcement, Strong Borders, securing our Homeland, deporting Violent Illegal Criminals, and fully rooting out the Left Wing Domestic Terrorism that is terrorizing our Country. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

1 day ago

Vance: We don't support illegal aliens, but don't want them executed

By Samuel Chamberlain

Addressing the actual shooting this morning, Vance told his enthusiastic audience in North Carolina:

"We're all mourning and rooting for and praying for everybody who was injured at that ICE facility, and as far as we know, it looks like some of the detainees -- in other words, some of the potential illegal aliens were some of those who are affected.

"Look, just because we don't support illegal aliens, we don't want them to be executed by violent assassins engaged in political violence."

Homeland Security officials say two detainees were killed and a third was wounded in the shooting by 29-year-old suspect Joshua Jahn, who took his own life as police closed in.

1 day ago

Vance: 'Stop telling your supporters that everybody who disagrees with you is a Nazi'

By Samuel Chamberlain

Still more from Vance in North Carolina:

"If you wanna stop political violence, stop attacking our law enforcement as the Gestapo.

"If you wanna stop political violence, stop telling your supporters that everybody who disagrees with you is a Nazi.

"If you wanna stop political violence, look in the mirror. If you wanna stop political violence, look in the mirror. That's the way that we stop political violence in this country, and we've got to do it."

1 day ago

Vance: 'Very top of the Democratic Party' must condemn violence

By Samuel Chamberlain

More Vance, from earlier this afternoon in North Carolina:

"When you go around and lie about our law enforcement, and you tell them that they're mistreating five-year-old girls, what do you think is going to happen? When Democratic politicians [encourage] doxxing, when they encourage us to unmask ICE enforcement officers, what do you think is going to happen?

"When the mayor of Los Angeles [Karen Bass] encourages violent protesters to get in the face of our law enforcement, what do you think is going to happen? What's going to happen is political violence, and political violence has gotten out of control in this country.

"We gotta stop it, we gotta condemn it, and that starts, unfortunately, at the very top of the Democratic Party."

1 day ago

Vance: If you encourage violence against law enforcement, 'go straight to hell'

By Samuel Chamberlain

In the last hour, Vice President JD Vance spoke at length on this morning's shooting targeting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas.

"The very people who keep us safe ought to be honored and protected and praised by Democrats and Republicans alike," the VP said during an event in Concord, NC.

"It is time to stop the rhetorical assaults on law enforcement — because here's what happens when Democrats, like [California Gov.] Gavin Newsom, say that these people are part of an authoritarian government; when the left-wing media lies about what they're doing; when they lie about who they're arresting; when they lie about the actual job of law enforcement, what they're doing is encouraging crazy people to go and commit violence.

"You don't have to agree with my immigration policies, you don't have to agree with Donald Trump's immigration policies, but if your political rhetoric encourages violence against our law enforcement, you can go straight to hell and you have no place in the political conversation of the United States of America."

2 days ago

Trump ‘understands’ Ukraine can’t agree to land swaps with Russia, Zelensky says

By Victor Nava

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that he believes President Trump’s positions on land swaps with Russia, as a concession for ending the war, has changed.

“It's important that today we had a good conversation with President Trump, and I think he understands, for today, that we can't just swap territories,” Zelensky told Fox News “Special Report” host Bret Baier. “It's not fair, it's not real.”

When asked if Trump’s position has changed, Zelensky responded: “Yes, I think so. And God bless it.”

“It's not about territories,” he added. “It's about the position of [Russian President Vladimir Putin]. He will continue if we will give them more than he really wants.”

2 days ago

‘Iran will never be on our side’ but India is ‘mostly’ with Ukraine, Zelensky tells Bret Baier

By Victor Nava

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky doesn’t believe Iran will ever support his war-torn nation but thinks India is “mostly” on Ukraine’s side.

“I think Iran will never be on our side, because [Iran will] never be on the side of the United States,” Zelensky told Fox News “Special Report” host Bret Baier Tuesday.

The issue of India purchasing Russian energy has brought the US relationship with India into troubled waters.

“I think India is mostly with us,” he added. “Yes, we have these questions with energy, but I think that President Trump can manage it, with Europeans, [and] make more close and strong relations with India.”

Zelensky said he believes the government of India will eventually “change their attitude to [the] Russian energy sector.”

Getting China on board “is more difficult,” Zelensky said, arguing, “It's not in their interests to not to support Russia.”

2 days ago

Zelensky: Putin ‘afraid’ of one-on-one meeting

By Victor Nava

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being “afraid” to meet with him in a one-on-one setting.

“He’s afraid,” Zelensky told Fox News “Special Report” host Bret Baier.

Zelensky said Putin was afraid of what a meeting would mean.

“He's not afraid of me … he’s afraid of such a meeting,” the Ukrainian leader added.

Zelensky said Putin fears what the “outcome” of a bilateral meeting would be.

2 days ago

Zelensky says relationship with Trump admin is 'closer than any time before'

By Victor Nava

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said one of his biggest takeaways from United Nations General Assembly gathering Tuesday is the improved relationship he and his team have President Trump.

“The positions of our teams are closer than any time before," Zelensky told Fox News "Special Report" host Bret Baier.

"Details of the situation on the battlefield from intelligence of both countries are similar," he added.

On his own relationship with Trump, Zelensky said: "I think we have better relation than before, and I think we didn't have close relation [before] because we didn't have maybe time, I don't know."

2 days ago

Melania Trump launches global tech education initiative during UN General Assembly

By Joseph Barberio

First lady Melania Trump announced the creation of her "Fostering the Future Together" initiative for global technology education on Tuesday in NYC while President Trump meets with world leaders during the UN General Assembly.

U.S. first lady Melania Trump walks to address an audience of spouses of heads of government, as she announces her Fostering the Future Together initiative, on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel in New York City, U.S., September 23, 2025.

"Since technology is evolving at a pace that exceeds lawmaking, we must identify simple solutions to protect our children's ingenuity," the first lady said to an audience of spouses of world leaders gathered at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel.

"Remember our next generation will also teach to revolutionize how we live, travel, design and connect."

Trump said the inaugural meeting of "Fostering the Future Together" will be hosted at the White House in early 2026 — and invited the world leader spouses to attend and adopt the campaign in their countries.

2 days ago

Leavitt demands UN probe if staff 'deliberately' stopped escalator for Trump

By Samuel Chamberlain

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has demanded that UN officials investigate whether an escalator at headquarters was "deliberately" stopped as President Trump and first lady Melania Trump stepped on it this morning.

"If someone at the UN intentionally stopped the escalator as the President and First Lady were stepping on, they need to be fired and investigated immediately," Leavitt wrote on X, citing a Times of London report that staffers had been overheard joking that they may switch off the escalator and make Trump walk to the hall to give his speech.

"The safety mechanism was inadvertently triggered by someone who was ahead of the president on the escalator," UN spokesperson Farhan Aziz Haq told The Times Tuesday. "The escalator was immediately reset and is in operation."

2 days ago

Trump praises Macron as a 'friend' and a 'fighter'

By Diana Nerozzi

Trump also lauded French President Emmanuel Macron, with whom he enjoys a good relationship despite the pair's disagreements about recognizing a Palestinian state.

“He’s doing a really good job. He's fighting hard," Trump told reporters.

"He's fighting on a lot of fronts. He's helping with regard to the Russia-Ukraine catastrophe. And his words of wisdom mean a lot. And we've been friends for a long time now, really from the first term on.”

2 days ago

Trump to meet with Middle East leaders to discuss Gaza

By Diana Nerozzi

Trump said he would meet with Middle East leaders later Tuesday to talk about finding a solution to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

“I think Gaza is going to come along. We're going to have a very important meeting. And my next meeting actually is going to be very important with leaders in the region," Trump said during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

"And we're going to talk about Gaza. We're going to see if we can do something about it. We want to stop that. We want to get our hostages back, or their hostages back.”

2 days ago

Trump meets with Macron, says of Ukraine: 'Let them get their land back'

By Samuel Chamberlain

After meeting with the president of Uzbekistan, Trump has moved swiftly on to meeting French President Emmanuel Macron.

During their meeting, Trump was asked about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"Three and a half years of fighting and killing everybody and killing 7,000 people a week for nothing, for nothing, nothing," he answered.

"So it's a very sad situation, but most of you have seen the recent statement I put out a little while ago, and I'm glad you got it, but I feel that way.

"I really do feel that way. Let them get their land back.”

2 days ago

Trump hails conviction of 'evil' would-be assassin Ryan Routh

By Samuel Chamberlain

President Trump congratulated federal prosecutors Tuesday for securing a conviction of Ryan Routh on charges that he tried to assassinate the now-47th president.

"Congratulations to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and the entire DOJ team on the conviction, in Florida, of the person who attempted an assassination on my life," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "The trial was meticulously handled, and I would like to thank the Judge and Jury for their time, professionalism, and patience.

"This was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him. I would also like to thank the Secret Service, Department of Florida Law Enforcement, and the wonderful person who spotted him running from the site of the crime, and acted by following him, and getting all information on car type and license plate to the Sheriff’s Office, IMMEDIATELY, which led to his arrest and conviction. What incredible instinct and foresight this person had — A very big moment for JUSTICE IN AMERICA!"

Routh, carrying a rifle, laid in wait for Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course while the then-Republican nominee played a round on Sept. 15, 2024. A Secret Service agent on advance patrol spotted Routh and fired shots at him, forcing him to flee the scene.

2 days ago

Trump: Ukraine can win back all territory seized by Russia

By Samuel Chamberlain

President Trump has just posted his most bullish assessment of Ukraine's ability to defeat Russia in its three-and-a-half-year-old war.

"After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation and, after seeing the Economic trouble it is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form," Trump wrote after meeting his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.

"With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option. Why not? Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win. This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like 'a paper tiger.'"

Later in the post, Trump added: "Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act. In any event, I wish both Countries well. We will continue to supply weapons to NATO for NATO to do what they want with them. Good luck to all!"

2 days ago

Trump applauds Zelensky for 'putting up one hell of a fight' against Russia

By Diana Nerozzi

President Trump applauded Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky for his ongoing defense against Russia, calling him a "brave man" before their private meeting at the UN.

"He's a brave man, and he's putting up one hell of a fight. And we'll see how that all turns out," Trump told reporters.

"But we're going to have a meeting, and we have about 30 meetings scheduled today. We have a lot of meetings scheduled today, going pretty late into the night, but this is an important one, and we have great respect for the fight that Ukraine is putting up. It's pretty amazing, actually.”

Zelensky responded by thanking Trump for his meeting and his efforts to stop the war.

"Just now we'll have meeting about Ukrainian children. Thank you for Melania’s personal involvement in this topic. This is very important. I will brief Mr. President and his team what's going on on the battlefield. We have good good news. Of course, we want to solve the war.”

2 days ago

Does Trump still trust Putin? 'I'll let you know in about a month,' prez says

By Diana Nerozzi

A reporter asked President Trump as he sat beside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy whether Trump still trusts Russian President Vladimir Putin — who has repeatedly ignored the US president's deadlines to end the war on Ukraine.

“I'll let you know in about a month from now," Trump told reporters.

Trump has previously repeatedly said he would give an update on fresh punishments for Russia in "two weeks."

2 days ago

Trump supports NATO countries shooting down Russian aircraft in their airspace

By Diana Nerozzi

President Trump said he supports NATO countries shooting down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace.

"Yes, I do," he said in response to a reporter's question on the sidelines of the UN.

2 days ago

Trump, Zelensky speak before closed-door meeting at UN: Watch live (SEE WEBSITE, ABOVE)

By Kaydi Pelletier

Watch live as President Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly:

They'll have a closed-door bilateral discussion immediately after. It had been scheduled for 1 p.m. but was delayed.

2 days ago

Trump praises EU Commission head, says UN would be better with different 'people running it'

By Diana Nerozzi

President Trump met with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“It's a great honor to be with a very powerful, very smart woman and a friend of mine," Trump told reporters after their meeting. "She does a fantastic job running lots of different nations.”

On what he wished was different in the UN, he said, "the UN could be unbelievable with certain people running it."

2 days ago

Trump, Zelensky meeting at 1 p.m.

By Caitlin Doornbos

President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are set to meet at 1 p.m. at the United Nations HQ, a Ukrainian official tells The Post.

2 days ago

Trump meets with Argentina President Milei at UN, endorses 'fantastic and powerful leader' for re-election

By Diana Nerozzi and Samuel Chamberlain

President Trump met with Argentinian President Javier Milei on the sidelines of the UN and endorsed his key ally for re-election.

"I’m doing something I don’t often do: I’m giving my full endorsement to him," Trump said.

"The people of Argentina — we’re backing him 100 percent. He, like us, inherited a mess and what he’s done to fix it is good," he added. "We need to make Argentina great again so it’s an honor for me to endorse.”

Trump was asked if his administration was looking at giving a "bailout" to Argentina to save the country from economic crisis. He's been rumored to be considering it, given his close relationship with Milei.

“We’re gonna help them but I don’t think they need a bailout. He’s doing a fantastic job," Trump said.

POTUS showed off a printout of a Truth Social post he'd made just before their meeting, endorsing Milei.

"Highly Respected President of Argentina, Javier Milei, has proven to be a truly fantastic and powerful Leader for the Great People of Argentina, advancing on all levels at record speed," Trump's post reads.

"He inherited a 'total mess' with horrible Inflation caused by the previous Radical Left President (much like Crooked Joe Biden, the WORST President in the History our Nation), yet he has brought stability back to Argentina’s Economy, and lifted it to a new level of Prominence and Respect!

"We have had a tremendous relationship with Argentina, which has become a strong ally, thanks to President Milei. I look forward to continuing working closely with him so that both of our Countries can continue on their incredible paths of success. Argentina: Javier Milei is a very good friend, fighter, and WINNER, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election as President — He will never let you down!"

2 days ago

Trump meets UN secretary-general on sidelines of General Assembly

By Samuel Chamberlain

President Trump has met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the first in a number of bilaterals the commander-in-chief has on his agenda today.

“We are entirely at your disposal to work together toward a just peace," the former Portguese prime minister told the American president.

"Our country is behind the United Nations 100%," Trump said in response. "I think the potential of the United Nations is incredible. Really incredible. It can do so much. I’m behind it. I may disagree with it sometimes but I am so behind it. … the potential for peace with this institution is so great.

"So I just want to thank you for treating us so lovely.”

2 days ago

'Always an honor' to speak at UN, Trump says, noting broken escalator and teleprompter made it 'more interesting'

By Samuel Chamberlain

President Trump posted a glowing assessment of his address to the UN General Assembly on Truth Social.

"It was a great honor to speak before the United Nations," he wrote. "I believe the speech was very well received. It focused very much on energy and migration/immigration. I have been talking about this for a long period of time and this Forum, was the absolute best from the standpoint of making these two important statements. I hope everybody gets to watch it!

"The teleprompter was broken and the escalator came to a sudden hault [sic] as we were ridding [sic] up to the podium, but both of those events probably made the speech more interesting than it would have been otherwise. It is always an honor to speak at the United Nations, even if, their equipment is somewhat faulty.

"Make America Great Again!"

2 days ago

Video shows moment UN escalator stops working for Trump (See at website ABOVE)

By Ryan King

New footage shows the moment that an escalator at the United Nations ground to a halt as soon as President Trump set foot on it while heading toward the General Assembly to deliver his speech.

"All I got from the United Nations was an escalator on the way up that stopped in the middle! If the first lady wasn't in great shape, she would've fallen," Trump later complained during his address -- after griping about his teleprompter failing as well.

"...These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter."

2 days ago

Trump wraps up UN speech with plea to build a 'bright, beautiful planet'

By Ryan King

Trump ended his address saying, "We're going to make our countries better, safer, more beautiful, we're going to take care of our people."

President Trump called on nations to come together and make the world a better place while concluding his 57-minute speech before the UN.

"Let us all work together to build a bright, beautiful planet, a planet that we all share, a planet of peace, in a world that is richer, better, and more beautiful than ever before," Trump said.

"We'll turn it around," he continued. "We're going to make our countries better, safer, more beautiful, we're going to take care of our people. Thank you very much. It's been an honor. God bless the nations of the world. Thank you very much. Bye."

2 days ago

Anti-Trump protesters block traffic in Manhattan as president speaks at UN: photos (see website)

By Post Staff

2 days ago

Christianity is 'most persecuted religion on the planet,' Trump says in call to 'protect religious liberty'

By Ryan King

While underscoring the need to safeguard religious freedom, President Trump called Christianity "the most persecuted religion on the planet."

"Together, let us defend free speech and free expression," Trump said. "Let us protect religious liberty, including for the most persecuted religion on the planet today, it's called Christianity."

The president also reiterated his warning about loose immigration policies and green energy campaigns "destroying a large part of the free world and a large part of our planet."

2 days ago

Trump to meet Brazilian president 'next week'

By Diana Nerozzi

President Trump said he has agreed to meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva "next week."

"We had a good talk and we agreed to meet next week, if that's of interest," he said.

Lula da Silva delivered remarks right before Trump at the UN and the two leaders likely passed each other backstage.

2 days ago

Trump: 'I worry about Europe,' 'devastated by energy and immigration'

By Ryan King

"I worry about Europe. I love Europe. I love the people of Europe, and I hate to see it being devastated by energy and immigration," the president lamented. "This double-tailed monster destroyed everything in its wake, and they cannot let that happen any longer."

Trump listed the impact of loose immigration policies in Europe and noted the heat deaths on the continent, which he blamed on the lack of air conditioning.

"We stand ready to provide any country with abundant, affordable energy supplies if you need them," Trump concluded this section of his remarks.

2 days ago

Trump calls climate change 'greatest con job ever perpetrated'

By Ryan King

President Trump described climate change policy as "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world."

"Now they could just call it climate change, because that way they can't miss. Climate change — because if it goes higher or lower, whatever the hell happens, is climate change," he vented.

"All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong. They were made by stupid people that have cost their countries fortunes."

2 days ago

Trump says he's 'feeling a lot safer' in NYC

By Caitlin Doornbos

President Trump said he felt more secure visiting his birthplace of New York City on Tuesday, thanks to his administration's push to crack down on crime nationwide.

"I'm in New York City, I'm feeling a lot safer," he said. "[We're] getting crime down."

"And by the way, speaking of crime, Washington, DC — Washington, DC, was the crime capital of America. Now it's a totally -- after 12 days, it's a totally safe city," he said.

2 days ago

'We will blow you out of existence': Trump puts cartels and terrorists on notice

By Ryan King

Cartels seeking to funnel drugs into the US will get blown "out of existence," President Trump warned during his speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

"We've recently begun using the supreme power of the United States military to destroy Venezuelan terrorists and trafficking networks led by Nicolas Maduro to every terrorist thug smuggling poisonous drugs into the United States of America," Trump crowed.

"Please be warned that we will blow you out of existence. That's what we're doing. We have no choice. Can't let it happen."

Venezuelan leader Maduro was not in attendance and is the subject of a $50 million bounty.

2 days ago

'Your countries are going to hell' because of 'open borders,' Trump warns UN leaders

By Caitlin Doornbos

President Trump had harsh words for UN nations on Tuesday over their "open borders," listing how immigrants are committing crimes across the world.

"Your countries are going to hell," he told the General Assembly.

"Your prisons are filled with so-called asylum seekers who repaid kindness — and that's what they did, they repaid kindness with crime.

"It's time to end the failed experiment of open borders."

2 days ago

Trump accuses UN of 'funding an assault on Western countries'

By Ryan King

In a series of dramatic attacks against the United Nations, President Trump accused the international body of "funding an assault on Western countries and their borders."

"In 2024, the UN budgeted $372 million in cash assistance to support an estimated 624,000 migrants journeying into the United States."

"Think of that," Trump fumed. "The UN is supporting people that are illegally coming into the United States, and then we have to get them out.

"The UN is supposed to stop invasions, not create them, and not finance them."

2 days ago

Trump: Europe is in 'serious trouble' due to immigration

By Diana Nerozzi

Europe is in "serious trouble" due to high levels of immigration, President Trump said.

"It'll be the death of Western Europe if something is not done immediately," he warned, adding: "Both the immigration and their suicidal energy ideas will be the death of Western Europe."

2 days ago

US to lead new Biological Weapons Convention push, Trump says

By Ryan King

The US will help lead a new international effort to enforce the Biological Weapons Convention that will include the use of artificial intelligence, President Trump announced.

"Just a few years ago, reckless experiments overseas gave us a devastating global pandemic," Trump said.

"I'm announcing today that my administration will lead an international effort to enforce the Biological Weapons Convention, which is going to be meeting with the top leaders of the world by pioneering an AI verification system that everyone can trust."

2 days ago

Melania Trump watches from UN floor as president speaks, seated near her native Slovenia

By Kaydi Pelletier

First lady Melania Trump is watching from the floor as her husband addresses the United Nations General Assembly. The chair next to her is reserved for South Korea.

The first lady, 55, is also seated near officials from Lithuania, Uruguay, Brazil and Slovenia, where she was born.

2 days ago

Trump says Ukraine war making Russia 'look bad,' adds 'Europe has to step it up'

By Diana Nerozzi

President Trump has threatened to impose additional tariffs on Russia — but only in the event European countries stop buying Russian oil.

"In the event that Russia is not ready to make a deal to end the war, then the United States is fully prepared to impose a very strong round of powerful tariffs, which would stop the bloodshed, I believe, very quickly," Trump said.

"Europe has to step it up. They can't be doing what they're doing," he added, noting he will be meeting with European leaders at the UN.

The war has been going on for over three years, and the timeline has made Russia "look bad," he added.

"It's not making Russia look good. It's making them look bad."

2 days ago

Trump rips allies for recognizing Palestine: 'Rewards too great for Hamas'

By Ryan King

President Trump re-upped his call to end the brutal war in the Gaza Strip and not so subtly ripped into US allies that recently moved to recognize Palestine as a state.

"We can't forget October 7," the president stressed. "Some of this body is seeking to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. The rewards would be too great for Hamas terrorists for their atrocities."

2 days ago

Photos show Trump's historic speech at the UN General Assembly

By Kathleen Joyce

Members of the Trump administration watched President Trump deliver his historic speech at the UN General Assembly.

First lady Melania Trump was also in attendance.

2 days ago

Trump calls on Hamas to release the hostages, 'stop the war'

By Diana Nerozzi

President Trump stressed that he wants Hamas to return all hostages in order to end its war with Israel.

"We have to stop the war in Gaza immediately. We have to stop it. We have to get it done. We have to negotiate. Immediately. Have to negotiate peace. We got to get the hostages back," he said.

Trump noted he wants Hamas to return both living and deceased hostages. The deceased are believed to number 38.

2 days ago

Trump declares Iran 'can never be allowed to possess ' a nuke

By Ryan King

The president declared that Iran can never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon and took a victory lap over June's Operation Midnight Hammer.

"My position is very simple. The world's number one sponsor of terror can never be allowed to possess the most dangerous weapon," he said, recounting his letter to Iran's Supreme Leader.

"No other country on Earth could have done what we did," he said of the attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. "No other country has the equipment to do what we did. We have the greatest weapons on Earth. We hate to use them."

2 days ago

Trump vents about getting turned down for UN HQ renovation

By Ryan King

President Trump groused about how he was once turned down in his bid to renovate the United Nations complex during his days as a real estate developer.

"I bid on the renovation and rebuilding of this very United Nations complex. I remember it so well. I said at the time that I would do it for $500 million," Trump recalled. "Everything would be beautiful. I used to talk about, 'I'm going to give you marble floors.'"

"But they decided to go in another direction, which was much more expensive at the time ... [and] a far inferior product," he added. "They had massive cost overruns."

"Unfortunately, many things in the United Nations are happening just like that, but on an even much bigger scale. Much, much bigger."

2 days ago

Trump: 'What is the purpose of the UN?'

By Diana Nerozzi

"I realized the United Nations wasn't there for us," President Trump said of his process of negotiating to achieve peace in various conflicts.

"That being the case, what is the purpose of the United Nations?" he asked rhetorically.

2 days ago

Trump: 'Empty words don't solve wars'

By Caitlin Doornbos

President Trump chided the UN for writing "strongly worded letters" instead of taking action to end world conflicts.

"All they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up," he said of the global body. "It's empty words — and empty words don't solve war.

"The only thing that solves war and wars is action."

2 days ago

Trump boasts about settling wars: 'Too bad I had to do these things instead of UN'

By Ryan King

President Trump crowed about the wars he claims to have ended and threw shade at the United Nations for not playing more of a role in brokering peace.

"No president or prime minister, and for that matter, no other country has ever done anything close to that, and I did it in just seven months," Trump said about seven wars he claims to have ended while in office.

"It's too bad that I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them. And sadly, in all cases, the United Nations did not even try to help in any of them," he added.

2 days ago

Melania Trump, Susie Wiles among US dignitaries watching Trump's UN speech

By Samuel Chamberlain

First lady Melania Trump is watching her husband give these remarks.

Younger first daughter Tiffany Trump and her husband Michael Boulos are here as well.

2 days ago

Trump threatens to send illegal immigrants back home 'or perhaps even further'

By Ryan King

President Trump threatened to send illegal immigrants back to their home country or "even further than that" during a campaign-style start to his address at the United Nations General Assembly.

"Our message is very simple: If you come illegally into the United States, you're going to jail, or you're going back to where you came from, or perhaps even further than that," he said ominously.

"You know what that means," he added. "I want to thank the country of El Salvador for the successful and professional job they've done in receiving and jailing so many criminals that entered our country."

2 days ago

Trump urges countries to 'do something about' immigration

By Diana Nerozzi

Trump has urged other countries to restrict immigration.

"It's destroying your country, and you have to do something about it on the world stage," Trump said, touting America's successful border restrictions under his administration.

2 days ago

Trump deems America 'hottest country' with no others 'even close'

By Diana Nerozzi

President Trump has talked up America's status on the world stage by deeming it the "hottest country anywhere in the world."

"There is no country even close," he told world leaders at the UN.

2 days ago

Trump ad libs intro to UN speech after teleprompter snafu: 'Big trouble'

By Ryan King

President Trump was forced to briefly riff the start of his address to the United Nations General Assembly after a teleprompter snafu.

"I don't mind making this speech without a teleprompter, because the teleprompter is not working," Trump began, looking a little irked.

"I feel very happy to be up here with you. Nevertheless -- and that way you speak more from the heart -- I can only say that whoever is operating this teleprompter is in big trouble."

2 days ago

Trump begins UN remarks

By Samuel Chamberlain

At 10:09 a.m., President Trump has taken the rostrum and begun addressing the UN General Assembly.

2 days ago

Photos: Protesters, one dressed as the devil, arrested near United Nations HQ

By Kaydi Pelletier

Protesters, including one dressed as the devil, were detained with zip ties this morning near the United Nations headquarters shortly before President Trump's scheduled address.

One protester held a poster that said "Fascist" with a picture of Trump.

Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and the presidents of Brazil, Turkey and South Africa are all scheduled to speak on the first day of the UN's gathering of world leaders.

Trump is set to tout his efforts to negotiate and keep peace around the world through the return of American strength, a White House official told The Post.

Trump will also promote the US as the defender of Western civilization while denouncing the failures of globalism during his historic Tuesday address.

2 days ago

Trump scraps planned meeting with Schumer, Jeffries on gov't shutdown

By Ryan King

President Trump has abruptly cancelled his planned meeting with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to address the fight over a partial government shutdown.

"After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The three had been scheduled to meet on Thursday. Trump also faulted the Democrats for demanding more health care spending and other progressive wishlist items.

Trump added that he would be open to a meeting with the Dem leaders if they agree to certain preset principles.

As it stands, the government will enter a partial shutdown at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 30 after the Senate blocked a House-passed stopgap bill.

2 days ago

Trumps arrive at UN building; remarks soon

By Samuel Chamberlain

After about a seven-minute journey, President Trump, first lady Melania and the rest of his traveling party have arrived at United Nations headquarters.

We believe the president is running about 20 minutes behind schedule at this point.

2 days ago

Trump departs Trump Tower for UN General Assembly

By Samuel Chamberlain

President Trump has departed the Manhattan skyscraper that bears his name to make the short drive to UN headquarters in Turtle Bay.

He is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly at 9:50 a.m., but appears to be running slightly behind.

2 days ago

10 anti-Trump protesters arrested near UN chanting 'No fascist USA!'

By Desheania Andrews

About 10 people were arrested around 9 a.m. at the corner of East 46th Street and Third Avenue in NYC, just two blocks from UN headquarters where President Trump is set to speak soon.

They were blocking traffic, chanting, “No Trump! No fascist USA!”

And they were still chanting it while handcuffed.

Desheania Andrews/NY Post

A different, smaller group of pro-Palestinian protesters were gathered near Lexington Ave. a block away.

2 days ago

When and where is Trump giving United Nations speech?

By Kaydi Pelletier

President Trump will give a historic address to world leaders at the United Nations' Manhattan headquarters starting just before 10 a.m.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are also speaking on the first day of the UN's gathering of world leaders.

2 days ago

Trump to tout US as defender of Western civilization and decry failures of globalism in historic speech at UN General Assembly

By Diana Nerozzi and Patrick Reilly

President Trump will promote the US as the defender of Western civilization while denouncing the failures of globalism during his historic Tuesday address to the UN General Assembly.

The commander-in-chief, who will deliver his speech to world leaders just before 10 a.m. at the UN’s Manhattan headquarters, plans to tout his efforts to negotiate and keep peace around the world through the return of American strength, a White House official told The Post.

Trump is also expected to decry the pitfalls of globalism — including mass migrations, efforts to combat climate change and the dangers that globalist ideologies pose to successful nations.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY THREE – FROM MSNBC

TRUMP'S U.N. SPEECH WAS MORTIFYING FOR AMERICA

The president's address to the United Nations put the dire state of our democracy in a terrible new light.

Trump to European leaders: ‘Your countries are going to hell’

By Zeeshan Aleem, MSNBC Opinion Writer/Editor Sept. 24, 2025, 6:00 AM EDT

In President Donald Trump’s first speech to the United Nations General Assembly in 2017, he casually threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea. That wasn’t exactly an outlier. All his addresses to the General Assembly during that first term were crude, and at times shocking, pieces of “America First” oratory. But the speech Trump delivered Tuesday, which was more “Trump First” than “America First,” may have been the most blatantly humiliating one yet, as far as America’s reputation is concerned. Even more so than usual, Trump was bogged down by constant frivolous tangents and a fixation on trumpeting, often deceptively, what he counts as his accomplishments. And given that the backdrop of Trump’s speech is his all-out assault on democracy in his own country, his lecturing world leaders on how to run a great nation was shocking in its audacity.

There’s something about Trump’s degradation of the republic that hits harder before an international audience.

Trump peppered his remarks with constant petty asides about the United Nations’ New York headquarters, where he delivered Tuesday’s speech. He joked that someone was going to be in “big trouble” for an apparently malfunctioning teleprompter. He repeatedly complained about a stalled escalator that had forced him to exert more energy than should have been necessary. “All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle,” he said in one of multiple comments on the issue. He also reminisced about his failed bid to renovate the U.N. building in the early 2000s. “Many years ago, a very successful real estate developer in New York, known as Donald J. Trump — I bid on the renovation and rebuilding of this very United Nations complex,” he said. Trump panned the building’s terrazzo floors and said he would’ve brought marble floors to the building.

More significantly, he worked to undermine the credibility of the U.N. as an institution for peacekeeping and global governance. Everyone knows that the U.N.’s ability to enforce international law and produce binding resolutions is weak. But Trump’s specific attempt to prosecute this argument involved reprising a set of absurd and misleading talking points. For example, Trump falsely claimed to have ended seven “unendable” wars in seven months this term, and he declared, “It’s too bad I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them.”

“Everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize for each one of these achievements,” Trump said with a straight face. “But for me, the real prize will be the sons and daughters who lived to grow up with their mothers and fathers because millions of people are no longer being killed in endless and inglorious wars.” (Trump has reportedly lobbied a Norwegian government official to secure a Nobel Peace Prize, and he has made it a constant talking point for months.)

Trump praised his own record constantly in what at times resembled more of a State of the Union speech than a U.N. speech. He rambled about how the U.S. had become the “hottest country anywhere in the world” — and trashed countries that don’t share his worldview. He trumpeted his extreme right-wing crackdown on immigration as a model for the world and warned that other countries that didn’t do the same were facing extinction: “I’m really good at this stuff; your countries are going to hell.”

He blamed a growing effort by countries to recognize Palestine as a state as a “reward” for Hamas but offered no criticism of Israel for unilaterally reneging on a ceasefire and bombing Hamas leaders who were considering another U.S. proposal for one in Qatar. He trashed Europe for using Russian gas for energy — something Europe is working to end — but elided his own role in giving Moscow diplomatic cover in its war on Ukraine. Trump called green energy a “scam” and even had a putdown for windmills: “pathetic.”

Perhaps most shameful was Trump’s Orwellian boast that he was a champion for personal liberties. “Together, let us defend free speech and free expression,” Trump said, as his administration pursues the extraordinary censorship of media figures who say things the administration doesn’t like.

There’s something about Trump’s degradation of the republic that hits harder before an international audience; sometimes it feels as if the full impact of what Trump is putting us through is most evident when we’re forced to think about it from the eyes of outsiders. Washington Post reporter Ishaan Tharoor wrote on X that a senior foreign diplomat posted at the U.N. texted him about Trump’s remarks: “This man is stark, raving mad. Do Americans not see how embarrassing this is?”

Yes, many Americans do see the embarrassment — and feel it. But not nearly enough do. And everything about Trump's career suggests he's entirely immune to the feeling.

Zeeshan Aleem

ATTACHMENT THIRTY FOUR – FROM FOX

TRUMP ACCUSES LONDON OF WANTING 'SHARIA LAW' IN UN SPEECH, MAYOR HITS BACK

London Mayor Sadiq Khan responds to President Donald Trump's critique at UN

By Greg Norman Published September 25, 2025 1:52pm EDT

President Donald Trump accused London this week of wanting to "go to sharia law," drawing a fiery response from the city's mayor.

Trump made the remark during his speech Tuesday to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, during which he declared, "Europe is in serious trouble." 

"They've been invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody's ever seen before. Illegal aliens are pouring into Europe... and nobody's doing anything to change it, to get them out. It's not sustainable. And because they choose to be politically correct, they're doing just absolutely nothing about it," Trump told world leaders. 

TRUMP SCOLDS EUROPEAN NATIONS OVER IMMIGRATION POLICIES DURING MAJOR UN ADDRESS

"And I have to say, I look at London where you have a terrible mayor. A terrible, terrible mayor. And it's been so changed, so changed. Now they want to go to sharia law, but you're in a different country," Trump added, referencing the Islamic legal system that derives its principles from the Quran and the Hadith, a collection of teachings from Prophet Muhammad. 

"You can't do that," Trump said. "Both the immigration and their suicidal energy ideas will be the death of Western Europe if something is not done immediately, they cannot — this cannot be sustained." 

When asked about the comments, London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the BBC, "I think President Trump has shown he is racist, he is sexist, he is misogynistic, and he is Islamophobic." 

"People are wondering what it is about this Muslim mayor who leads a liberal, multicultural, progressive and successful city, that means I appear to be living rent-free inside Donald Trump's head," Khan continued. 

"I think one of the advantages of having a special relationship with the USA is obviously when it comes to trade, when it comes to ministry alliances, when it comes to other areas we work close together, but it should also mean you got the confidence to call them out when they are wrong. I think President Trump is wrong in many, many ways," he also said. 

WORLD LEADERS LAUGH, SQUIRM AS TRUMP BLASTS UN ON CLIMATE, UKRAINE, GAZA AT GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Europe has dealt with a major influx of people coming from Africa and the Middle East in recent years, with critics raising concerns about everything from resources to cultural assimilation.  

"The U.N. is supposed to stop invasions, not create them and not finance them," Trump also said during his speech Tuesday. 

Trump compared the situation to the United States’ own border crisis under the Biden administration, which led to millions of people entering the country illegally.   

ATTACHMENT THIRTY FIVE – FROM CNN

TRUMP CANCELS MEETING WITH DEMOCRATIC LEADERS, DEEPENING RISK OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AS FUNDING DEADLINE LOOMS

By Kit Maher, Ellis Kim, Sarah Ferris, Ted Barrett, Manu Raju

President Donald Trump scrapped a White House meeting with top congressional Democrats later this week, as the threat of a government shutdown looms over Washington.

“After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Tuesday morning.

The president also rattled off a list of demands he claimed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries want in exchange for their party’s votes to keep the government funded and avert a shutdown on October 1. The pair had confirmed just shortly before that they were scheduled to meet with the president this week in the Oval Office.

While a single meeting between Trump and the Democrats was unlikely to result in a swift deal to avert a shutdown altogether, it had been the most tangible indication yet that party leaders would come to the table to negotiate on funding. Now, with each party publicly trading barbs and refusing to cave, the prospect of a shutdown seems more serious than ever.

Lawmakers left Washington on Friday for a week in their home districts without a path forward, after the Senate rejected both a House-passed seven-week government funding measure and a Democratic alternative.

Republicans have argued their bill to fund the government through November 20 is a “clean” continuing resolution, or CR, with only $30 million in extra security money for members of Congress, $58 million for security for the executive and judicial branch and a funding “fix” for DC to adjust a mistake in an earlier bill.

The Democratic bill, meanwhile, included expensive health care changes, such as extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. Republicans have argued it’s inappropriate to add such provisions to a stopgap funding bill and that they should be negotiated as part of a year-end funding bill.

Meeting pulled after call with top Republicans

Trump’s move to cancel the Thursday meeting came after a conversation with GOP leaders Monday night, where they cautioned against dealmaking with Democrats, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

Trump spoke by phone with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune about the upcoming funding deadline, shortly after reports surfaced that the president was planning to meet with Schumer and Jeffries.

On the call, the GOP leaders told the president that Schumer was seeking a shutdown brawl with him, and they panned Democrats’ demand to make enhanced Obamacare subsidies permanent as essentially giving free health care to illegal migrants, that person said.

“Thune has been abundantly clear about what he thinks on this issue, and the president is aware of his position,” one source familiar with the discussions told CNN.

Johnson made a similar case against the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium subsidies inside the Capitol last week before lawmakers left town, telling reporters: “We’re not going to pay for health care for illegal aliens, that’s against the law, we’re not doing that.”

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters shortly before Trump’s post that he and Senate Majority Leader John Thune would attend any meeting that took place with Democratic leaders, but he questioned whether a meeting was necessary.

“Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries have made just wild partisan demands that they’re trying to attach to a very simple, short term, very clean CR. We just want to keep the government open so our appropriators can continue to do their work,” he told reporters, accusing his Democratic colleagues of “trying to make a mockery of it.”

Democrats accuse Trump of ‘running away’

Ahead of the cancellation, Schumer and Jeffries sought to center their funding demands around health care, much as they have in recent weeks.

They were planning in the meeting, they said, to “emphasize the importance of addressing rising costs, including the Republican healthcare crisis” and argued it was “past time to meet and work to avoid a Republican-caused shutdown.”

But after it became clear they would not have their anticipated audience with the president, the party leaders struck a much sharper tone.

Jeffries invoked a phrase on X that has been known to irk the president: “Trump Always Chickens Out,” while Schumer – who would have to deliver Republicans seven votes to pass the GOP stopgap measure in the Senate – accused Trump of throwing a tantrum and “running away from the negotiating table before he even gets there.”

Jeffries also told his House members they should return to Washington Monday, even though GOP leaders canceled votes on the eve of the funding deadline.

“Democrats will be in town and prepared to get the job done,” he wrote.

Johnson appeared unlikely to bring members back to Washington early, maintaining that the current plan was to keep lawmakers in their home districts.

“We got our work done in the House. We got it done early with regard to the funding,” he told reporters Tuesday. “People had a lot to do back in their districts, and so we’re on the ready at any time but the plan would be to come back when it’s necessary, but the current plan is to not have session days on September 29 and 30.”

Trump left the door open Tuesday to meeting in the future, provided Democrats “become realistic about the things our Country stands for.” Those talks would be necessary, Jeffries said, if Republicans wanted Democratic votes.

“We have to have a conversation with Donald Trump, or Republican leaders in the Congress, in order to try to find common ground in ways that can prevent a government shutdown if Republicans expect Democratic votes,” Jeffries said during a press conference in Brooklyn.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY SIX – FROM REUTERS

AS US GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN NEARS, TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MUM ON CONTINGENCY PLANS

By Bo Erickson September 23, 2025 5:31 AM EDT

Summary

· OMB hasn't shared updated shutdown contingency plans with Congress or public

· Senate failed to pass stopgap funding bill, Republicans blame Democrats for opposition

· Shutdowns impact discretionary spending, not mandatory programs like Social Security

WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - With the U.S. government eight days from its 15th partial shutdown, opens new tab since 1981, Washington is in familiar territory with an important difference: President Donald Trump's administration has not widely shared its plans for what functions will cease and what will continue if Congress fails to act.

The Office of Management and Budget this year asked federal agencies to update their contingency plans for how they will operate if funding runs out when the fiscal year ends on September 30. In past shutdowns functions like air-traffic control and law enforcement have continued, while financial regulators have furloughed the vast majority of their staffs.

Those plans were often shared weeks in advance heading into past shutdowns.

The White House and OMB did not respond when asked if these plans will be publicly released or if shutdown plans differ from previous years.

“Shutdowns create tremendous amount of uncertainty for federal workers and local economies,” said Rachel Snyderman, managing director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, adding these shutdown plans provide insight into who shows up to work with or without pay, and who is furloughed.

“There is no substitute for how the government would operate in a shutdown without the visibility that these plans provide,” said Snyderman, who served at OMB as a career staffer across several administrations.

The Republican-led House of Representatives passed a stopgap funding bill last week to extend funding through November 21, but it failed in the Senate where Republicans hold 53 of the 100 seats. Republicans blame Democrats for holding up the funding due to their opposition to the president whereas Democrats argue healthcare issues need to be addressed in this funding bill.

Both chambers are out all this week with the Senate not due to return to Washington until September 29.

DEMAND FOR PLANS

These plans also inform Congress how the executive branch will follow the Antideficiency Act, an 1884 law that prevents the federal government from spending money without funding passed into law.

“With the threat of a possible government shutdown looming, the Trump Administration’s Office of Management and Budget must immediately release these updated contingency plans,” Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee that oversees shutdown operations, said in a statement.

“Without them, Congress and the public are completely in the dark about how the Administration would comply with the law while continuing to carry out critical national security functions,” he added.

Government shutdowns impact federal agencies funded through discretionary spending and mostly do not impact government functions with mandatory spending -- such as Social Security payments, Medicare health programs and interest payments on the nation's debt -- which collectively account for about three-quarters of the roughly $7 trillion federal budget.

Usually, a week away from a lapse of appropriations OMB starts notifying agencies on the prospects of a shutdown, legislative possibilities, and other pertinent updates.

The Trump administration has reworked the federal government by changing priorities, and oversaw departure of an estimated 300,000 federal employees this year through firings, layoffs, and buyouts, according to the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit that tracks federal workforce trends.

The OMB has also challenged federal funding powers, which the Constitution grants to Congress with the power of the purse. On Capitol Hill, funding negotiations between Republican and Democratic appropriators were shaken after the OMB leader Russ Vought in July argued publicly this funding process should be “less bipartisan.”

Agencies have some leeway to determine which categories of employees to furlough or not, like an exception allowed within the law for roles to continue if “necessary to protect life and property.”

“The parameters of what’s in bounds is pretty well settled, but I would not be surprised if there was an attempt to try to test those bounds as that would be consistent with what we’ve seen from this administration related to appropriations,” said Joe Carlile, a former high-level Democratic budget official.

Three Senate committee aides said they have been informed by some agencies in their jurisdiction that these contingency plans were submitted to OMB for approval and the logistics were similar to plans under previous administrations, while other agencies have not provided any updates.

The last government shutdown was during Trump's first term, spanning 34 days from the end of December 2018 into January 2019, and certain decisions by the Trump administration to spend money for the National Park Service and on food assistance programs at the Agriculture Department were found to have violated the law, according to the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan watchdog funded by Congress.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY SEVEN – FROM CNBC

TRUMP CANCELS MEETING WITH TOP DEMOCRATS AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN LOOMS

Kevin Breuninger and Erin Doherty Published Tue, Sep 23 2025 10:01 AM EDT Updated 2 Hours Ago

Key Points

· President Donald Trump cancelled a meeting this week with the two top Democrats in Congress, days before the federal government is set to shut down if a funding deal can’t be reached.

· Trump scrapped the sit-down with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries a day after the meeting was set.

· The New York lawmakers want any stopgap funding deal to include an extension of Obamacare’s enhanced tax credits, which are due to expire at the end of 2025.

· President Donald Trump on Tuesday cancelled a planned meeting with the two top Democrats in Congress to address issues holding up a funding deal that could avoid a federal government shutdown.

Trump scrapped the sit-down set for Thursday just a day after people familiar with the situation said that his meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries would happen.

Trump’s move increases the likelihood of a shutdown.

The two New York lawmakers are insisting that any stopgap deal to avoid a Sept. 30 shutdown include protections for health-care programs, including by extending Affordable Care Act enhanced tax credits.

Those credits, which are usable for health insurance plans purchased on Obamacare marketplaces, are due to expire at the end of the year.

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump wrote, After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive.”

Jeffries quickly tweeted in response: “Trump Always Chickens Out.”

“Donald Trump just cancelled a high stakes meeting in the Oval Office with myself and Leader Schumer,” Jeffries wrote.

“The extremists want to shut down the government because they are unwilling to address the Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating America,” the Democratic leader wrote.

Schumer, in a statement, said, “Trump is running away from the negotiating table before he even gets there.”

“While Americans face rising costs and a Republican healthcare crisis, Trump would rather throw a tantrum than do his job,” Schumer said.

“Democrats are ready to work to avoid a shutdown — Trump and Republicans are holding America hostage. Donald Trump will own the shutdown.”

In a letter requesting the talks on Saturday, Schumer and Jeffries wrote, “We do not understand why you prefer to shut down the government rather than protect the health care and quality of life of the American people,” they wrote.

Trump, in his post on Tuesday, slammed Democrats’ demands, accusing them of seeking to fund an array of “Radical Left Views and Policies” related to health care, immigration, and crime.

“The Democrats in Congress seem to have totally lost their way,” Trump wrote.

“I look forward to meeting with them if they get serious about the future of our Nation,” he wrote. “We must keep the Government open, and legislate like true Patriots rather than hold American Citizens hostage, knowing that they want our now thriving Country closed.”

“I’ll be happy to meet with them if they agree to the Principles in this Letter,” the president wrote. “To the Leaders of the Democrat Party, the ball is in your court.”

ATTACHMENT THIRTY EIGHT – FROM FOX

TRUMP CANCELS MEETING WITH SCHUMER, JEFFRIES OVER 'RIDICULOUS DEMANDS' AS FUNDING DEADLINE LOOMS

Democratic leaders blame Republicans for 'stonewalling' as time ticks to fund the government

By Alex Miller, Elizabeth Elkind  Published September 23, 2025 10:12am EDT

President Donald Trump canceled a meeting with top congressional Democrats on Tuesday over "unserious and ridiculous demands" as the deadline to fund the government fast approaches.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., were set to meet with Trump on Thursday to discuss a path forward to avert a partial government shutdown before the Sept. 30 deadline.

Lawmakers are still away from Washington, D.C., this week to observe the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, and the Senate is expected to return on Sept. 29. Meanwhile, the House is expected to be out until the deadline passes.

THUNE SLAMS DEMOCRATS' 'COLD-BLOODED PARTISAN' TACTICS AS FUNDING DEADLINE NEARS

But Trump nixed the meeting in a lengthy post on his social media platform Truth Social, where he blasted the duo for pushing "radical Left policies that nobody voted for." 

"I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive," Trump said. 

The now canceled meeting with Trump came on the heels of a letter from Schumer and Jeffries sent over that weekend where the top congressional Democrats laid the possibility of a shutdown on his and Republicans’ feet.

They argued that the Trump-backed short-term extension was "dirty," which would mean it had partisan policy riders or spending attached to it, and panned it for continuing "the Republican assault on healthcare," ignoring expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies, and possibly leading to the closure of hospitals and other healthcare facilities across the country.

"With the September 30th deadline fast approaching, Republicans will bear responsibility for another painful government shutdown because of the refusal of GOP congressional leadership to even talk with Democrats," they wrote at the time.

But Trump argued that their bill would allow for the nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts in his "big, beautiful bill" to be repealed, and also blasted the Democratic continuing resolution (CR) for ending his megabill's $50 billion rural hospital fund. 

TRUMP-APPROVED PLAN TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SCUTTLED BY SENATE

"We must keep the Government open, and legislate like true Patriots rather than hold American Citizens hostage, knowing that they want our now thriving Country closed," he said. 

"I’ll be happy to meet with them if they agree to the Principles in this Letter," Trump continued. "They must do their job! Otherwise, it will just be another long and brutal slog through their radicalized quicksand. To the Leaders of the Democrat Party, the ball is in your court. I look forward to meeting with you when you become realistic about the things that our Country stands for. DO THE RIGHT THING!"

Jeffries balked at Trump's comments during a press conference held in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday.

"The statement that Donald Trump issued today was unhinged, and it related to issues that have nothing to do with the spending bill that is before the Congress, and the need to try to avoid a government shutdown," he said.

The House Democratic leader is summoning his caucus back to Washington on Monday for an evening meeting on the potential government shutdown.

It appears to be a political move to show Democrats in the capital at a time when House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., instead opted to send lawmakers home to their districts in a bid to force the Senate to pass his chamber's spending bill.

Schumer similarly bashed Trump's move, and warned that "Donald Trump will own the shutdown." 

"Trump is running away from the negotiating table before he even gets there," Schumer said. "While Americans face rising costs and a Republican healthcare crisis, Trump would rather throw a tantrum than do his job."

Schumer and Jeffries last month demanded a meeting with Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to strike a deal, given that Thune will need Democratic support in the Senate.

However, that meeting has so far not come to fruition — though Thune has pushed back on Schumer’s characterization and argued that if the Democratic leader wants to talk, it’s on him to make it happen.

"After weeks of Republican stonewalling in Congress, President Trump has agreed to meet this week in the Oval Office," they said in a joint statement. "In the meeting, we will emphasize the importance of addressing rising costs, including the Republican healthcare crisis. It’s past time to meet and work to avoid a Republican-caused shutdown."

The last time Schumer went to negotiate with Trump at the White House ahead of a looming deadline in 2018, the government shut down for 35 days, which marked the longest partial closure in history. At the time, Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., were at odds with Trump on a deal to fund construction of a wall on the southern border.

Prior to the meeting being announced, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt argued that if the government shuttered, it "would be the fault of the Democrats."

"We want a clean funding extension to keep the government open, that’s all we’re advocating for," she said.

SENATE REPUBLICANS BLOCK DEMOCRATS' 'FILTHY' COUNTEROFFER AS SHUTDOWN DEADLINE LOOMS

However, the House Republicans’ bill is relatively "clean," save for tens of millions in spending for increasing security measures for lawmakers in the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Congressional Democrats’ counter-proposal, which also failed last week, included more funding for member security, but also sought to repeal the healthcare portion of Trump’s "big, beautiful bill," claw back billions of canceled funding for NPR and PBS, and permanently extend the expiring ACA credits.

Thune noted last week that CRs "aren't places to load big health policy changes in."  

"I think that we are open to the conversation about what we do with the ObamaCare premium tax credit," Thune said. "Is that something in which members, Republican senators, and I think, for that matter, Republican House members, have an interest, as well."

"But this isn't the place to do that," he continued. "This is the place to fund the government, to allow our appropriations process to continue that issue."

ATTACHMENT THIRTY NINE – FROM NEW YORK POST

TRUMP SCRAPS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN TALKS WITH JEFFRIES, SCHUMER OVER ‘UNSERIOUS AND RIDICULOUS DEMANDS’

By Ryan King Sep. 23, 2025, 12:25 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON — President Trump abruptly canceled a planned meeting with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) meant to work out the impasse over government funding ahead of a partial shutdown next week.

Moments before delivering a scorching address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump declared that he won’t meet with the top Dems until “they get serious about the future of our nation.”

“After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The three had been scheduled to meet on Thursday after repeated requests from the two Democrats.

Both Schumer and Jeffries quickly fired back, with the former predicting that Trump “will own the shutdown” and the latter chiding that the president “always chickens out.”

ATTACHMENT FORTY – FROM FOX

TOP HOUSE DEM FIRES BACK AT TRUMP'S 'UNHINGED' SHUTDOWN REMARKS AMID COLLAPSE OF GOV FUNDING TALKS

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., responds after Trump cancels planned meeting with Dems

By Elizabeth Elkind and Alex Miller Published September 23, 2025 4:29pm EDT

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., criticized recent remarks by President Donald Trump as "unhinged" during a press conference on Tuesday, as the federal government lurches toward a potential shutdown at the end of this month.

Jeffries held a media availability in his Brooklyn, New York, district after Trump canceled a planned meeting with congressional Democratic leaders on the issue of government funding.

Trump accused Democrats of making "unserious and ridiculous demands" in their push for a compromise deal to avert a shutdown.

"The statement that Donald Trump issued today was unhinged, and it related to issues that have nothing to do with the spending bill that is before the Congress, and the need to try to avoid a government shutdown," Jeffries said in response.

He said at an earlier point, "Leader Schumer and I are ready to meet with anyone, anytime, at any place, to discuss the issues that matter to the American people and avoid a painful, Republican-caused government shutdown."

"Democrats do not support the partisan Republican spending bill because it continues to gut the healthcare of the American people," he added.

Schumer held his own press conference later in the afternoon, where he charged, "Today seems to be tantrum day for Donald Trump." 

"Mr. President, do your job," he said. "Stop ranting, stop these long diatribes that mean nothing to anyone. Get people in a room and let's hammer out a deal."

The House passed a short-term extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025's government funding levels intended to keep federal agencies running through Nov. 21, in order to give Senate and House appropriators more time to reach a deal on FY 2026.

If not passed by the Senate by the end of Sept. 30, Congress risks plunging the government into a partial shutdown.

Democrats, infuriated by being sidelined in discussions on the bill, have been pushing for the inclusion of enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that are set to expire at the end of 2025 without congressional action.

During his press conference, Jeffries also appeared to reference Republicans' "big, beautiful bill," conservative legislation that imposed new restrictions and work requirements on Medicaid coverage for certain able-bodied Americans.

"Our top priority is to make sure that we cancel the cuts, lower the costs and save healthcare for the American people. That's eight words – not difficult for Donald Trump to process. Cancel the cuts, lower the cost, save healthcare. Eight words," Jeffries said.

"And we've been very clear that if Republicans want to go it alone, then go it alone and continue to do damage to the American people. But as House Democrats, partnered in lockstep with [Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer] and Senate Democrats, we are not going to participate in the Republican effort to continue to gut the healthcare of the American people. That's immoral, and we want no part of it."

Jeffries and Schumer were set to meet with Trump on Thursday to discuss a path forward to avert a partial government shutdown.

But Trump nixed the meeting in a lengthy post on his social media platform Truth Social, where he blasted the duo for pushing "radical Left policies that nobody voted for." 

"I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive," Trump said. 

"They must do their job! Otherwise, it will just be another long and brutal slog through their radicalized quicksand. To the Leaders of the Democrat Party, the ball is in your court. I look forward to meeting with you when you become realistic about the things that our Country stands for. DO THE RIGHT THING!" the president continued.

The Senate already voted against moving forward with the House GOP stopgap bill on Friday.

With 60 votes needed to proceed on the measure, at least some Democratic support will be needed to avert a shutdown.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response to Jeffries' comments.

ATTACHMENT FORTY ONE – FROM REUTERS

By Richard Cowan and Nolan D. McCaskill

September 23, 2025 5:27 PM EDT Updated 22 mins ago

Summary

· Trump cancels meeting with Democrats amid funding dispute

· House passed stopgap bill, failed in Senate with 53 Republican seats

· Federal shutdown could affect services, furlough workers

· Republicans, Democrats posture to pin blame on rivals

WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday scrapped a meeting with top congressional Democratic leaders to discuss government funding, raising the risk of a partial government shutdown beginning next week.

Democrats and the Republican president postured to try to pin blame on each other for a potential shutdown, which would interfere with a range of federal services and likely furlough hundreds of thousands of federal workers.

"I have decided that no meeting with their congressional leaders could possibly be productive," Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social media site.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries earlier on Tuesday said Trump had agreed to meet this week at the White House, before government funding expires on September 30. Lawmakers are at odds over so-called discretionary funding, which accounts for about one-quarter of the roughly $7 trillion federal budget.

"Democrats are ready to work to avoid a shutdown," Schumer said in a statement responding to Trump's message. "Trump and Republicans are holding America hostage."

At issue is how to win enough votes in the deeply divided Congress to pass a stopgap funding bill to keep the government operating into the new fiscal year starting October 1.

Schumer said it is also urgent for Congress to extend an enhanced tax credit for federally backed health insurance premiums, which is due to expire on December 31. Healthcare policy nonprofit KFF estimates out-of-pocket premium payments rising over 75% for the Affordable Care Act plan year beginning on October 1.

"It's the difference between a family trying to make the mortgage payment and having healthcare," Schumer told reporters at a press conference in New York's Brooklyn borough.

Republican leaders say they have not slammed the door on extending the tax credit, but have argued that a stopgap funding bill was not the place to accomplish that.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he does not intend to call House members back to Washington before October 1 - by which point the government will have shut down absent Senate action.

Johnson says his chamber completed its work when it passed its stopgap funding bill on Friday, a move that also presents the Senate - where bills require bipartisan support to pass - no chance to modify the House bill.

Jeffries told House Democrats to return to Washington from a week-long break on Monday.

UNUSUAL POSITION FOR DEMOCRATS

In a long posting on Truth Social, Trump attacked Democrats, but said he would meet with the parties' Leaders "if they get serious about the future of our Nation."

Without specifically laying out his conditions, Trump said, "All Congressional Democrats want to do is enact Radical Left Policies that nobody voted for — High Taxes, Open Borders, No Consequences for Violent Criminals, Men in Women’s Sports, Taxpayer funded 'TRANSGENDER' surgery, and much more."

Democrats have largely embraced efforts to secure the U.S. border with Mexico, but have criticized Trump's unilateral tactics of targeting immigrants for deportation without due process. They also have criticized Trump's use of some states' National Guard troops in Democratic-controlled cities, ostensibly to reduce crime rates.

Voting against bills to keep the government operating puts Democrats in an unusual position, as Schumer over the years has chastised Republicans for voting against the sort of funding extensions known as continuing resolutions that the House passed last week.

The federal government has partially shut down 14 times since 1981, but it is unclear what operations would continue and what would close on October 1 if government funding runs out since the Office of Management and Budget has not made public agencies' contingency plans.

Mandatory spending, such as on the Social Security and Medicare benefits would continue, as would interest payments on the federal government's $37.5 trillion in debt.

Reporting by Richard Cowan and Nolan D. McCaskill; additional reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein, Bhargav Acharya, Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu; editing by Scott Malone, Nick Zieminski and Stephen Coates

ATTACHMENT FORTY TWO – FROM ABC

SCHUMER BLAMES TRUMP FOR POSSIBLE SHUTDOWN AFTER HE BACKS OUT OF MEETING WITH DEMOCRATS

Trump called the Democrats' proposals "unserious and ridiculous."

By Allison Pecorin September 23, 2025, 6:41 PM

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that President Donald Trump would bear the blame for a government shutdown after he backed out of a meeting with Democratic leaders that had been set for later this week.

"Donald Trump is causing the shutdown. This is a Trump shutdown and he is barreling right toward it right now, and he knows he is going to be blamed for the shut down," Schumer said in a news conference hours after Trump pulled out of the meeting.

Schumer's comments came after Trump posted on his social media platform that he no longer intended to meet with Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to discuss a path forward on government funding before the Sept. 30 deadline. Democratic leaders have for weeks said Republicans must negotiate with them in order to secure the necessary Democratic support to pass a package.

MORE: Senate fails to advance bills to fund government as shutdown looms

In his post, Trump said, "After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive."

Schumer mocked Trump's reputation as a negotiator.

"This is not what the American people want or deserve. Donald Trump can't even negotiate a budget bill with Democrats. This great negotiator. The kind of meeting we wanted to have that he just pulled out, it's the kind of thing every president has to do," Schumer said.

Both the House and Senate left Washington last week after the Senate failed to advance a GOP-approved short-term funding bill that passed the House, as well as a Democratic funding bill that included billions in health care agenda items.

Republicans say that a short-term bill is necessary to allow work on full-year appropriations to continue. But Democrats, who faced blowback in March for providing the votes necessary to keep the government open, say now is the time to fight for health care priorities.

"We Democrats are ready to work together to keep the government open for the good of the country and the good of the American people, but Donald Trump is simply ducking his responsibility as president," Schumer said. "He says Democrats have a radical agenda. Really? Really? Tell the American people what is radical about protecting America's health care."

ATTACHMENT FORTY THREE – FROM ROLL CALL

TRUMP-DEMOCRATS MEETING DRAMA FUELS RISK OF SHUTDOWN

Fight over health insurance subsidies is the latest battle in standoff as funding deadline nears

By David Lerman Posted September 24, 2025 at 6:00 am

President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to cancel a planned meeting with top Democratic leaders is only the latest twist in a funding standoff that threatens to trigger a partial government shutdown next week.

As Republicans push for a “clean,” seven-week funding extension to avoid a shutdown, Democrats are determined to use their leverage on that bill by demanding a fix for expiring health insurance subsidies that could swell the ranks of the uninsured.

And with neither side willing to blink so far, the tit-for-tat verbal jousting playing out on social media may be inching the country closer to a shutdown that neither party claims to want.

Less than 24 hours after agreeing to sit down with Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the president reversed course, saying there was nothing to discuss until Democrats abandon their demands for massive spending and other “radical” policies.

“After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform.

“There are consequences to losing Elections but, based on their letter to me, the Democrats haven’t figured that out yet,” he said in rejecting the request for a meeting Democrats made over the weekend.

Democratic response

Jeffries and Schumer wasted no time in firing back Tuesday, issuing a fusillade of tweets and statements before holding separate news conferences in New York denouncing the decision.

“Donald Trump has now chickened out and cancelled the meeting,” Jeffries wrote in a letter to his Democratic caucus. “Clearly, GOP extremists want to shut down the government because they are unwilling to address the Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating America.”

Jeffries also announced plans to hold a caucus conference call on Friday “to discuss the path forward,” along with a second caucus meeting in Washington on Sept. 29, even though the House is no longer scheduled to be in session that week.

House Republicans have frowned on opening talks with Democrats after the chamber passed a seven-week funding extension last week in a party-line vote. In hopes of increasing pressure on the Senate to clear that measure, House leaders canceled the two days they were scheduled to be in session next week before the Sept. 30 deadline, when current funding is set to expire.

Before news of the meeting’s cancellation broke, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters that he would attend the White House session if it occurs. “But I’m not certain that the meeting is necessary,” he said.

Shutdown countdown

Scratching the meeting increases the likelihood that a partial shutdown will be triggered when the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. The Senate rejected the House-passed continuing resolution last week as well as a Democratic alternative that sought to extend expiring health insurance subsidies.

“Donald Trump can’t even negotiate a budget bill with Democrats, this great negotiator,” Schumer said sarcastically at a Brooklyn news conference late Tuesday. “He’s not up to this job, plain and simple.”

Even before the flare-up over health subsidies, however, Democrats had grown irritated by Trump administration moves to claw back previously approved funding that they said threatened to undermine the congressional power of the purse. Over Democratic objections, Congress passed a White House rescissions request to claw back $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting funding in July.

White House budget director Russ Vought then upped the ante by notifying Congress last month of plans to claw back another $4.9 billion in foreign aid in the closing days of this fiscal year without any congressional approval through a “pocket rescission” that has already triggered court challenges. 

“None of us should want to hand the pen over to Russ Vought and give him or Trump or anyone else at the White House any more power over federal spending,” Senate Appropriations ranking Democrat Patty Murray of Washington said on the floor last week, urging the Senate to reject the GOP’s short-term funding patch.

In announcing his sudden reversal, Trump railed against Democrats for pushing “over $1 trillion in new spending” for health care, opening the country’s borders to undocumented migrants and “essentially create Transgender operations for everybody.”

“To the Leaders of the Democrat Party, the ball is in your court,” Trump wrote. “I look forward to meeting with you when you become realistic about the things that our Country stands for. DO THE RIGHT THING!”

But Democrats showed no sign of yielding ground. “All Trump does is break promises and make working Americans’ lives worse,” said Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin, in a statement. “Trump owns this shutdown.”

Health insurance

At the heart of the dispute is how to address the expiration of health insurance subsidies, a politically fraught issue for vulnerable Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms. Roughly 2.2 million individuals with marketplace coverage could face higher monthly premiums absent an extension, and the Congressional Budget Office predicts 4.2 million would lose their health insurance over the next 10 years because of rising costs.

While GOP leaders have expressed a willingness to consider an extension, they say it must come with tighter income limits and guardrails against fraud. And they have repeatedly rejected the idea of negotiating a compromise as part of the short-term stopgap spending bill. Johnson has said the health subsidies question is “a December policy issue, not a September funding issue.”

But Democrats and insurers say an extension is necessary before the exchanges’ open enrollment period begins on Nov. 1. Health insurers typically send final rate notices for 2026 premiums out by the end of September. This year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had required plans for final rates to be submitted by Sept. 19 because of ongoing litigation.

GOP moderates in both chambers have been seeking a middle ground in hopes of ending the impasse. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, introduced legislation that would extend the expiring health tax credits until Jan. 1, 2028, instead of the permanent extension sought by Democrats. 

But her bill would not change the current income thresholds that Republican leaders argue benefit too many upper-income households. Prior to changes Democrats made in 2021, eligibility for the premium tax credits was capped at 400 percent of the poverty level.

And in the House, Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., led 12 Republican co-sponsors on legislation that would extend the expanded subsidies for one year. Nine Democrats have signed on as co-sponsors.

At a Brooklyn news conference Tuesday, Jeffries told reporters that Democrats were open to negotiate whenever GOP leaders wanted. “Leader Schumer and I are ready to meet with anyone, anytime, at any place to discuss the issues that matter to the American people and avoid a painful Republican-caused government shutdown,” he said.

And Trump, who is known to change his mind, left himself room to reverse course again. “I look forward to meeting with them if they get serious about the future of our Nation,” the president wrote.

John T. Bennett and Ariel Cohen contributed to this report.

ATTACHMENT FORTY FOUR – FROM FOX NEWS

GOP SENATOR BLASTS SCHUMER, DEMS AS 'FORCING' SHUTDOWN WHILE DEMANDING PRICE TAG REPORT

Joni Ernst says Democrats 'whined' about DOGE cuts but now ready to force government shutdown

By Alex Miller Published September 24, 2025 11:12am EDT

FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants to know the exact cost of a partial government shutdown as GOP and Democratic leaders are at an impasse to keep the government open.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, called on the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to provide a detailed report on the sprawling impact that a partial government shutdown could have, including payments throughout the federal government and the possible broader economic impact.

The House GOP passed its short-term funding extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR), last week, but the bill was later blocked by Senate Democrats. For now, Republicans and Democrats in the upper chamber are at odds on a plan to keep the government open.

And the deadline to fund the government by Sept. 30 is fast approaching.

TOP HOUSE DEM FIRES BACK AT TRUMP'S 'UNHINGED' SHUTDOWN REMARKS AMID COLLAPSE OF GOV FUNDING TALKS

Ernst, who chairs the Senate DOGE Caucus named after tech-billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, laid the fault of a potential shutdown on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in her letter to CBO Director Phillip Swagel.

"The same politicians who whined and complained about the Department of Government Efficiency laying off unnecessary bureaucrats just a few months ago are now forcing a government-wide shutdown themselves to expose who is and isn’t an essential employee," she wrote.

Ernst requested a sweeping economic operational impact analysis from the agency, including how a shutdown could affect back pay costs for furloughed non-essential employees, military pay, congressional pay and the broader economic impact that the government closing could have on the private sector.

TRUMP CANCELS MEETING WITH SCHUMER, JEFFRIES OVER 'RIDICULOUS DEMANDS' AS FUNDING DEADLINE LOOMS

Specifically, she wanted to know how businesses could be impacted by a temporary stoppage of government services, like loans, permits and certifications, and how companies and businesses could recoup losses after a shutdown ended.

She also wanted information on lost efficiencies in the government and the costs that could accrue from unfulfilled procurements or allowing contracts to lapse, and whether the burden of keeping national parks open would fall onto the states or if they’d be shuttered, too.

The CBO did provide an analysis of the cost of the last time the government shuttered in 2019, when Schumer and President Donald Trump were at odds on providing funding to construct a wall at the southern border. That 35-day shutdown was the longest in U.S. history, and no funding for a border wall was granted.

The report, published in January 2019, found that the shutdown saw roughly $18 billion in federal spending delayed, which led to a dip in that year’s first quarter gross domestic product of $8 billion. The report noted roughly $3 billion of that would not be recovered.

THUNE SLAMS DEMOCRATS' 'COLD-BLOODED PARTISAN' TACTICS AS FUNDING DEADLINE NEARS

It also found that federal workers who received delayed payments and private businesses were the hardest hit.

"Some of those private-sector entities will never recoup that lost income," the report stated.

It remains unclear whether Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Schumer can strike a deal. After Trump canceled a planned meeting Tuesday with Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., both Democrats blamed the president for the looming shutdown.

However, Democrats’ asking price for a short-term funding extension is too high for Republicans.

They want permanent extensions to Affordable Care Act subsidies, a full repeal of the "big, beautiful bill's" health care title, which includes the $50 billion rural hospital fund, and a clawback of the canceled funding for NPR and PBS.

"Once again, Donald Trump has shown the American people he is not up to the job," Schumer said. "It's a very simple job: sit down and negotiate with the Democratic leaders and come to an agreement, but he just ain't up to it. He runs away before the negotiations even begin." 

ATTACHMENT FORTY FIVE – FROM NATIONAL REVIEW

FETTERMAN TRIES TO TALK DEMOCRATS OFF THE LEDGE

By John Fund September 24, 2025 12:27 PM

Last Friday, Democratic senators blocked a continuing budget resolution that would avoid a government shutdown on October 1.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democrats have demanded taxpayer-funded health insurance for illegal aliens, a half a billion in restored funding for NPR and PBS, and a $1.5 trillion spending increase. But some Democratic members are privately grumbling that such demands make it likely that they will be blamed for any shutdown. At least one is saying so publicly.

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman thinks a government shutdown would be a mistake, and plans to vote for a House-passed continuing resolution.

PEANUT GALLERY 

RobT

Trailblazer

So Democrats think it's a good idea to give Trump the power to fire a buch of federal workers (their constituents) during a shutdown? Don't they remember that he's been trying to do that since coming into office. Trump: please Democrats don't throw me into that briar patch.

Reply

1 hour ago

dadbot5000

Legend

1. Fetterman has been a great surprise.

2. Just what an already inflation addled economy needs: another $1.5 trillion injected into it.

3. Hell no to health insurance for illegals and life support for NPR and PBS.

Reply

1 hour ago

Jer_

Hall of Famer

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democrats have demanded taxpayer-funded health insurance for illegal aliens [...]

This is how insular groupthink can ruin a party when the press is so desperate to carry their water.

I really can't think of a strategy more likely to lose this shutdown fight in the court of public opinion and yet it's plan A for Dems.

Reply

2 hours ago

DrJillB

Legend

I never liked or disliked Mehmet Oz, but I wanted a Republican to win this seat.

Words that I thought I'd never type:

Really glad the Democrat Fetterman won this seat.

Fetterman sets an example of what the Dems need to return to if they want to be viable in national elections.

Reply

2 hours ago

1 reply

Snark_Knight

Hall of Famer

Hindsight is 20/20 of course, but I’m also glad Fetterman won that seat. Oz would probably have been a reliable vote, but the Democrats need a voice calling for sanity. We also need a sane Democratic Party.

Reply

2 hours ago

Demolished_Man

Hall of Famer

“If Democrats truly believe we’re on a rocket sled to autocracy, why would we hand a shuttered government over to Trump and (the) wood chipper at the OMB?” Fetterman said.

Fetterman continues to be the one of the only sane members of congress. Never been so happy to have been so wrong about someone.

Don't listen to what people say, watch what they do. None of the Democrats' actions are consistent with their stated belief that we are 1 minute from the Night of the Long Knives.

Reply

3 hours ago

2 replies

George_Costanza

Hall of Famer

Contrast him with AOC, Omar, and Tlaib. Sane vs insane.

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now

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Tipsy

Hall of Famer

Shut it down, Democrats. We need the help with the upcoming Midterms

Reply

3 hours ago

Bob_Frank

Hall of Famer

Trump Derangement Syndrome is increasingly driving Democrats into an angry, isolated corner. And that may be just the place that President Trump would like them to stand.

And everyone else who's been paying attention over the last few decades. The more isolated and marginalized they make themselves, the better.

Reply

3 hours ago

snaphook

Hall of Famer

Democrat plan for success:

1. Ambush some ICE agents and shoot them up.

2. Assassinate Charlie Kirk.

3. Shoot up another ICE facility and kill some poor immigrants.

4. Shut down the government and count on Trump doing what they want in order to keep a bunch of 90% D voters, who he's been trying to fire anyway, at their jobs.

Win!

Reply

3 hours ago

AIRCRU

Hall of Famer

The democrats are just responding to their dive in approval ratings. They’re trying to placate the leftist base of their party.

edited: changed motivate to placate.

Reply

4 hours ago  •  Edited

Its_Your_Fault_Im_Blaming_You

Hall of Famer

Is TDS back then? For awhile it appeared the Democrat reaction to Trump 2 was going to just be depression.

Reply

4 hours ago

2 replies

AIRCRU

Hall of Famer

They found out that depression resulted in lower poll results, and the leftist wing of the party wanted resistance!

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3 hours ago

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Joseph_B

Hall of Famer

"He noted that a shutdown would give President Trump the right to decide which government services are essential"

Say, maybe a shutdown would be a good idea if Schumer wants it so badly

Reply

4 hours ago

2 replies

kellarmenkin

Hall of Famer

Essential just means you don’t afford an interruption in the work. Essential employees in a shutdown have to go to work but don’t get paid.

Both essential and non essential employees get back pay for the shutdown whether sent home or at work.

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3 hours ago

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Sam_L

Legend

I used to be a Democrat (though I’m certain that these last 17 years of rehab since Obama’s election have cured me permanently), back when Democratic politicians like Fetterman were not unicorns.

Unfortunately for the country, common sense is the one trait Democratic politicians are no longer allowed to possess. Here’s looking atcha, Schumer.

Reply

4 hours ago

Central_Coaster

Hall of Famer

When I heard that Dems wanted to increase spending by $1.5T, I though there was no way that could be true. It is TRUE.

Reply

4 hours ago

1 reply

Bill_in_Seminole

Hall of Famer

I doubt they really "want" to increase spending by $1.5T, but they know Republicans just might agree to a much lesser, more reasonable number. So they propose a number no one really wants.

Reply

4 hours ago

1 reply

Central_Coaster

Hall of Famer

their wish list is in the story on a link

Reply

51 minutes ago

Central_Coaster

Hall of Famer

he will be primaried in 2028, replaced with a leftist loon and it will be an opening for the GOP to win PA in 2028

Reply

4 hours ago

2 replies

snaphook

Hall of Famer

If they primary him maybe we can get him to flip to R and run against them. I can live with John Fetterman in my party regardless of how much we disagree on.

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3 hours ago

1 reply

Central_Coaster

Hall of Famer

Well, he is not a R, he is a sane D

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51 minutes ago

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robert_f_cicero

Hall of Famer

It's troubling that the sanest democrat is a man with brain damage.

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4 hours ago

Amphipolis

Hall of Famer

Fetterman sees this clearly. A Trump shutdown will not be like any prior shutdown.

Back wages? How about only up to the national average salary. He will set this up to expose nonessential uselessness. He will show where the money goes. They will beg for government to start again, they will accept any terms.

Reply

4 hours ago

1 reply

rvaja

VIP

Exactly. And they won't be shutting down national parks and all the things that inconvenience the public the most while keeping the bureaucracy humming along.

Reply

3 hours ago

possumawesome

Hall of Famer

Will be interesting to see the heat that he gets for it.

Reply

5 hours ago

Timkenp9

Hall of Famer

I don't agree with a thing John Fetterman says, but I respect him. I respect his opinions, and his reason for supporting them. He is a normal Democrat and that's an endangered species in that party in today's age. He has common sense something you don't see in Democrats today. He thinks for himself, and that's something you don't see in Democrats today. There needs to be more Democrats like him. He's like the old Democrat party decades ago. If the Democrats primary him out of office a Republican will probably win that seat. So Democrats go ahead.

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5 hours ago

3 replies

tailspintom

VIP

I agree with this except for the term "normal Democrat". I believe that you infer that he is what used to be a normal democrat in the days of such Senators as Danial Patrick Moynihan.

Perhaps I am parsing it too critically. Thanks for the astute post.

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3 hours ago  •  Edited

1 reply

Joe1982

Trailblazer

Or like a Joe Lieberman.

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now

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jrd3

Legend

“Trump Derangement Syndrome is increasingly driving Democrats into an angry, isolated corner. And that may be just the place that President Trump would like them to stand.”

I don’t think the chattering class gives enough credit to Trump for his political skill. He knows how to bait the trap, and the Democrats fall for it every time. Object to sending in the National Guard to blue cities? “You’re on the side of the criminals.” Object to increased ICE funding? “You’re pro-illegal immigrant.”

This latest iteration is the master stroke. Shut down the government? “Thanks. I’ll decide what to spend money on now.”

He isn’t an autocrat. Like him or hate him, he is a talented politician.

Reply

5 hours ago

2 replies

JOHNMDUSZA

Conversation Starter

Good points, especially about the National Guard restoring public safety in DC.

Yes, he often has the right political instincts, and yet he can't help making unforced errors too. I guess you take the good with the bad.

Reply

4 hours ago

2 replies

DrJillB

Legend

Welcome to Trumpville!

-This is a great synopsis of Trump:

"Yes, he often has the right political instincts, and yet he can't help making unforced errors too. I guess you take the good with the bad."

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2 hours ago

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PHerb

Hall of Famer

Schumer is pleading for someone to primary him.

Reply

5 hours ago

2 replies

Central_Coaster

Hall of Famer

he is scared of being primaried

Reply

4 hours ago

2 replies

Joseph_B

Hall of Famer

AOL covets that seat. (probably meaning AOC – DJI)

ATTACHMENT FORTY SIX – FROM MILITARY TIMES

HERE’S HOW LOOMING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN COULD AFFECT TROOPS, FAMILIES

By Karen Jowers  Sep 24, 2025, 01:38 PM

A possible partial government shutdown next week could delay military paychecks and affect other programs and services for troops and families.

Some defense agencies are dusting off previous guidance for operations during such a shutdown in preparation as they wait for further guidance.

Meanwhile, House lawmakers are pushing for specific legislation to guarantee military pay during government shutdowns.

If the House and Senate don’t approve a short term extension of funding levels by Sept. 30, it could force a partial shutdown of most government activities on Oct. 1, until lawmakers can reach a new funding agreement.

Lawmakers are at a stalemate, and are out of town this week. Senators are scheduled to return Sept. 29. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump canceled a meeting scheduled for this week with House and Senate Democrat leaders.

A shutdown “will only hurt the most vulnerable in our country, our seniors, our veterans, our military families and increasing security for members of Congress, which is something this White House and the administration supports,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, during a Sept. 22 briefing with reporters.

At publication time, no new guidance for operations during a shutdown had been issued by the Office of Management and Budget or by defense officials, and information was not available from OMB or DOD about when that guidance might happen.

But based on previous guidance, we’ve compiled some general information about what might and what might not continue to operate.

There’s no guarantee that current guidance will mirror past recommendations. Stay tuned for more information.

Military personnel

Active-duty troops, including reserve component personnel on federal active duty would be required to continue to report for duty in the event of a shutdown, but their paychecks would stop until a new funding deal is reached, based on previous guidance. Military retirees and annuitants would continue to receive their pay, which is funded from a different source.

Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., has introduced legislation to ensure that troops, including the Coast Guard, would continue receiving pay and benefits in the event of a government shutdown. That authority would continue until regular appropriations are passed into law, or until Jan. 1, 2027. To date, 56 lawmakers have signed on to support the proposed Pay Our Troops Act of 2026. The bipartisan push also would guarantee pay and allowances for civilian personnel at the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security who directly support service members and contractors providing mission-essential support to service members.

A shutdown could also delay some specialty pays and stipends.

Certain DOD programs and activities may be excepted from being shut down, based on national security requirements to be determined. One example in the last guidance was activities in direct support of military operations and activities, including those forces assigned to combatant commands.

The shutdown could also limit permanent change of station moves for military personnel. Previously, moves were primarily limited to troops moving to an excepted activity — activities granted an exemption from the shutdown.

Civilian defense workers

Unlike troops, not all civilian defense staffers would be required to keep working in the event of a shutdown. DOD Civilian personnel who aren’t necessary to carry out or support excepted activities are furloughed; only the minimum number of civilian employees necessary to carry out those activities would be excepted from furlough.

Previously, some DOD civilians were required to work without pay; others continued to work and get paid because they weren’t paid by annual appropriations. Government employees are guaranteed back pay after the shutdown ends, but the situation still causes uncertainty and financial hardship in some cases.

This also affects thousands of military spouses who work as civilians for many government agencies.

Military medical

Previously, inpatient care in DOD medical treatment facilities was excepted from shutdown. Critical medical and dental outpatient care was excepted in medical and dental facilities. Elective surgery and other elective procedures were not excepted, and could be postponed or cancelled during a shutdown.

Private sector health care under Tricare would not be affected by a shutdown, and specialty medical care for wounded warriors would continue. But office hours could be curtailed because of staffing issues.

Child care and MWR

In the past, Defense Department officials have said child care would be decided base-by-base, depending on installation staffing and demands. Families may not know if their DOD child care facility will remain open until a shutdown happens.

Department guidance during previous shutdown threats has also specified that morale, welfare and recreation activities that receive any taxpayer funding will operate during a shutdown if they are deemed necessary to support essential operations. That includes mess halls, physical training and “child care activities required for readiness.”

Non-essential activities could be shuttered.

Activities and organizations funded entirely by non-appropriated funds, such as many MWR activities and the military exchanges, generally will not be affected. The exchanges are largely funded by sales revenue, not taxpayer dollars, and part of their profits go to help fund some MWR activities.

DOD schools

Previously, schools around the world operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity have been allowed to continue educating children during a shutdown. However, sporting events and extracurricular activities, including sports practices, weren’t excepted and could only continue if they were fully funded by non-appropriated funds.

Commissaries

Military grocery stores should not be affected unless the shutdown lasts several months. Defense Working Capital Fund activities — which includes the Defense Commissary Agency — were previously allowed to continue to operate until cash reserves were exhausted. For commissaries, that would be about 60 days, unless cash reserves run out before then.

Defense officials have also previously provided exceptions for the 58 overseas commissaries, including Puerto Rico and Guam, to stay open, and sites “determined to be in remote U.S. locations where no other sources of food are reasonably available for military personnel.” According to the American Logistics Association, those identified as remote are Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, California; Coast Guard Base Kodiak, Alaska; Fort Greely, Alaska; and Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah. Those commissaries with exceptions must continue to operate even after working capital fund cash reserves are exhausted.

Veterans Affairs operations

Unlike the Defense Department, most Veterans Affairs offices are funded a year in advance. Benefits processing, medical centers and other support services will continue operating amid a partial shutdown.

Hours and appointment availability could be changed because of the budget impasse, but VA hospitals will remain open and operational.

Some department information hotlines could be shuttered during a shutdown, and some VA central office staff would be furloughed until new funding is approved. But compared to other departments, the impact on overall VA operations would be minimal.

We’ve covered just a few of the general impacts here. If a shutdown happens, stay tuned to your installation officials about specific effects.

ATTACHMENT FORTY SEVEN – FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

SHUTDOWN CRISIS TESTS TRUMP’S GO-IT-ALONE APPROACH TO DEMOCRATS

The president has spent his first months in office freezing out Democrats, who have in turn opposed him routinely. Now they need each other to keep the government open.

With a Republican trifecta, President Trump has adopted a go-it-alone approach at the dawn of his second term, freezing out Democrats.

By Catie Edmondson Sept. 24, 2025 Updated 3:26 p.m. ET

President Trump’s decision this week to abruptly cancel a meeting with top Democrats aimed at averting a government shutdown within days highlighted the toxic relationship helping drive Congress and the White House toward a crisis.

With a Republican governing trifecta, Mr. Trump has adopted a go-it-alone approach at the dawn of his second term, freezing out Democrats and never once inviting their leaders to the White House for negotiations or anything else.

With Democrats opposing him at every turn, the president has been able to rely exclusively on Republicans to push through his big priorities, including enacting a major tax cut and domestic policy bill, clawing back billions in congressionally approved spending and winning confirmation of his nominees.

That will not be the case when it comes to funding the government, which Congress must do by Tuesday to avoid a shutdown.

Because Republicans have only a narrow majority in the Senate, passing a government spending bill that can win the necessary 60 votes depends on attracting at least a small amount of Democratic support. That will require bipartisan negotiation, an art that has been fading steadily on Capitol Hill and has so far been lost altogether during Mr. Trump’s second term.

Even talks around whether and when to meet have prompted a round of recriminations and finger-pointing. Mr. Trump said earlier this month that Republicans should not “even bother” negotiating with Democrats, and suggested his party could fund the government solely with Republican votes.

The characterization infuriated Democrats, who have demanded that any measure to extend spending also carry more than $1 trillion to continue Obamacare subsidies and reverse cuts to Medicaid and other health programs that Republicans made over the summer.

“The way this country works, you’ve got to sit down with people you may not agree with and come to an agreement, come to a negotiation,” Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, said on Tuesday after Mr. Trump canceled their meeting. “Donald Trump is not a king. He’s the president, and he has his responsibility to work to avoid the Trump shutdown, and time is of the essence.”

Mr. Trump canceled the meeting after a call with Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the majority leader, who urged the president not to meet with Democratic leaders. Mr. Johnson had told reporters before the meeting was canceled that he was “not certain” it was “necessary.”

ATTACHMENT “A” – FROM USA TODAY

CHARLIE KIRK MEMORIAL 

An estimated 200,000 people attended a memorial service honoring conservative activist Charlie Kirk yesterday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

The service was organized by Turning Point USA, the youth organization Kirk cofounded, which is now led by his widow, Erika Kirk. The event included speeches by Christian leaders, conservative activists, and public officials, including Secs. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Marco Rubio, and Pete Hegseth. Vice President JD Vance credited Kirk with helping to elect the Trump administration. President Donald Trump headlined the event, praising Kirk’s impact and legacy. Erika Kirk—in her first major speech as Turning Point USA’s CEO—publicly forgave Kirk’s shooter, citing her Christian faith.

The service was designated as a Special Event Assessment Rating Level 1 event, the highest designation used for events like the Super Bowl and major marathons. The determination is made by the Department of Homeland Security, allowing extensive federal interagency support.

'Eternal debt of gratitude': Trump, conservative leaders celebrate Charlie Kirk

N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Kathryn Palmer, Karissa Waddick, Ronald J. Hansen, Zac Anderson, Thao Nguyen and James Powel

GLENDALE, AZ — Tens of thousands of mourners, including President Donald Trump and members of his administration, honored the life of prominent conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a memorial service in Glendale on Sunday.

Elected officials, faith leaders, Kirk's colleagues, and his loved ones addressed the crowd at State Farm Stadium, with supporters holding up signs and carrying American flags. Speakers emphasized Kirk’s religious faith and his contributions to the "Make America Great Again" movement as a leading voice for young conservative activists.

Choking up at times and dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief, Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, delivered an emotional eulogy for her slain husband and received a standing ovation when she declared of his killer: "I forgive him."

"I forgive him because it was what Christ did and it is what Charlie would do," said Erika Kirk. "The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the Gospel is love."

Kirk, 31, a close ally of the Trump administration and Turning Point USA co-founder, was assassinated earlier this month while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. His death sparked an outpouring of grief and anger from the highest levels of government, including Vance, who accompanied his coffin as Air Force Two transported his body home to Arizona, where Kirk lived with his wife and two children.

Trump calls out political rivals in wide-ranging eulogy

Trump vacillated between eulogizing Kirk, celebrating his political achievements, and taking shots at his rivals, including former President Joe Biden. While discussing a ceremony to award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, Trump touted his recent efforts to combat crime in the nation's capital.

“We stopped the crime in Washington. It took 12 days,” Trump said, adding that he plans to make similar moves in Memphis and Chicago and calling Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker "incompetent."

Like other speakers on Sunday, Trump condemned those who "cheered" Kirk’s killing, including a late-night TV host who Trump said implied that Kirk "deserved" what happened to him. Trump did not identify the host, but his comments came days after ABC suspended "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" over the comedian's comments about Kirk.

Trump also lashed out at the "radical left." He said Kirk was killed for expressing beliefs deeply held by many of those in the stadium and across the country, calling the killing “an assault on our most sacred liberties and God given rights.”

"That gun was pointed at him, but the bullet was aimed at all of us," Trump said.

Trump also repeatedly referenced the 2024 election, highlighting Kirk's role and calling out Biden by name for opposing his MAGA slogan. Trump concluded his speech by bringing Kirk’s widow, Erika, back to the stage.

"The lesson of Charlie’s life is that you should never underestimate what one person can do with a good heart, a righteous cause, a cheerful spirit, and the will to fight, fight, fight," Trump said.

— N'dea Yancey-Bragg

Trump calls for the death penalty

Trump once again called for Kirk’s accused assassin, who has been charged with murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting, to be put to death.

"God willing, he will receive the full and ultimate punishment for his horrific crime," Trump said. 

He added that in response to Kirk's killing, the Department of Justice is also investigating "networks of radical left maniacs" who organize and perpetuate political violence.

Trump: Kirk will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Trump said Kirk will receive the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The ceremony will take place in the White House, Trump confirmed.

Trump says he learned of Kirk's shooting in the Oval Office

Trump said he was in the Oval Office when he learned Kirk had been shot, describing the moment as a "surreal experience."

"They told me in front of a group of very powerful people, I said, 'You have to leave now, right now,'" Trump said.

Trump called Kirk "without a doubt among the most influential figures in the most important election in the history of our country." He said Kirk was one of the first people to speak to him about JD Vance, and the activist played a crucial role in helping him secure votes from men under 30.

"We owe Charlie a profound and eternal debt of gratitude," Trump said.

The president elicited some laughs from the crowd as he recalled Kirk making late-night phone calls asking Trump to speak at various events.

"I almost always went because you never wanted to let Charlie down. He worked so hard you didn’t want to let him down," Trump said.

Trump says Kirk wanted him to 'save Chicago'

With tens of thousands of people packed into State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Trump eulogized the conservative activist, noting that Kirk "could always draw a big crowd."

Trump compared the crowd to "an old-time revival."

He also described Kirk as a good athlete, an Eagle Scout, and a fan of Rush Limbaugh who grew up in Illinois. Trump said one of the last things he and Kirk spoke about was the city of Chicago.

"And one of the last things he said to me is 'Please, sir, save Chicago,'" Trump said. "We’re going to do that. We’re going to save Chicago from horrible crime."

— Zac Anderson and N'dea Yancey-Bragg

Trump: 'Today America’s a nation in grief'

During the memorial, Trump declared that "America’s a nation in grief, a nation in shock and a nation in mourning."

Trump said Kirk was killed by "a radicalized, cold-blooded monster" because "he spoke for freedom and justice."

— Zac Anderson

Trump teases autism announcement

Later in Kirk’s memorial, Trump said his administration would be making a big health announcement on Sept. 22, declaring: "I think we found an answer to autism."

Trump said it will be one of the most important news conferences of his time as president. The administration will reveal how autism "happens, so we won’t let it happen anymore, and how to get at least somewhat better when you have it," Trump said.

— Zac Anderson

Erika Kirk: 'Even in death, I could see the man that I love'

Kirk recalled arriving at a Utah hospital on the day of her husband’s death to do the "unthinkable" and “look directly at my husband’s murdered body.” She was shaken and felt "a level of heartache that I didn’t even know existed."

"There was something else too," she added. "Even in death, I could see the man that I love.”

Kirk detected the “faintest smile” on her husband’s lips.

"It revealed to me a great mercy from God in this tragedy," knowing he didn’t suffer, she said, wearing a white jacket and a diamond cross.

— Zac Anderson

Erika Kirk: Marriage 'the best thing that ever happened to me'

Erika Kirk said her husband wrote love notes to her every Saturday, calling it "our little secret" to keeping their marriage strong. He ended the notes by saying: "How can I better serve you as a husband."

“My marriage with Charlie was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I know it was the best thing that every happened to him as well,” Kirk said. “He wanted everyone to experience that joy.”

Kirk said her husband was passionate about helping young men who feel lost and have no direction.

“My husband, truly, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” Kirk said.

— Zac Anderson

Vance calls Kirk a 'great American leader'

Vance described Kirk as a "kindhearted man," recalling a moment when he stopped to say a prayer for a White House staffer who was struggling to balance work with fatherhood. But Vance also acknowledged Kirk’s outsized political influence, calling him a "great American leader" who reshaped the balance of the nation’s politics and touched millions of young people.

The vice president also criticized those who have celebrated Kirk’s death, saying he has often wished he could ask Kirk how to handle the influx of “hate.”

"For Charlie, we will rebuild this United States of America to greatness," Vance said. "For Charlie, we will never shrink, we will never cower and we will never falter, even when starting down the barrel of a gun."

— N'dea Yancey-Bragg

Vance on Kirk: We wouldn’t be here without him

Vice President JD Vance, who has been outspoken about Kirk’s killing, was greeted by chants of "USA" as he began to speak about his “dear friend.” He heralded Kirk as a “hero to the United States of America” and a “martyr for the Christian faith.”

"Our whole administration is here, not just because we loved Charlie as a friend - even though we did - but because we know we wouldn’t be here without him," Vance said.

Trump Jr. jabs at Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris

Donald Trump Jr. did an impersonation of his father and jabbed at Democrats Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris in his speech at Kirk’s memorial.

Trump Jr. said he’s known more for his combative online presence than for being sentimental, before doing an impersonation of father telling him to tone it down. "You’re getting a little aggressive on social media, Don. Relax," he said, channeling his father.

Trump Jr. said he was "devastated" by the death of Kirk, who he described as "like a little brother to me." Kirk would want to be known for his religious faith, he added.

"To say Charlie knew more about the Bible than me is an understatement, folks," he said. "It’s like saying Donald Trump knows more about being president than Hillary Clinton or Kamala Harris. No kidding."

Trump Jr. delved more into politics than many of the others who spoke at the service. He criticized the media and talked about eradicating "criminal cartels."

— Zac Anderson

RFK Jr. says Kirk once asked if he was afraid of the risks of public life

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began his remarks by talking about what he called Kirk’s two greatest passions, his Christian faith and his love of free speech. He praised Kirk for his belief that "conservation was the only way to heal our country" and called his friendship "the best evidence that God loves us all."

Kennedy recalled Kirk once asking him if he was afraid of the safety risks that come with being a public figure. Kennedy said he replied that there are fates worse than death.

"Charlie died with his boots on, and he died to make sure that we didn’t have to undergo those fates that are worse than death," Kennedy said.

— N'dea Yancey-Bragg

Trump and Musk shake hands at Kirk memorial

Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk were spotted speaking during Kirk's memorial in Arizona on Sunday.

Musk departed the Trump administration earlier in the year following an explosive split. The appearance at the memorial appeared to show that the rift between the two had, at least temporarily, smoothed. 

— James Powel

Pete Hegseth says Kirk was engaged in a 'spiritual war'

Kirk was known as a political activist and often spoke about cultural issues, but he was ultimately a spiritual warrior, said Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

"Over time, he realized, like so many of us have, that this is not a political war, it’s not even a cultural war, it’s a spiritual war," Hegseth said. "Faith and family first."

Kirk waged war "not with a weapon but with a tent, a microphone, his mind, and the truth," Hegseth added. "He went into the darkest of places… he went into college campuses where they said we couldn’t go and he was the light."

— Zac Anderson

Marco Rubio remembers Kirk for his 'uncanny' wisdom

Secretary of State Marco Rubio recalled being skeptical when he first learned of Kirk’s plan to promote conservative values on college campuses. Ultimately, Rubio said Kirk proved him wrong.

Rubio said Kirk led his movement with "incredible knowledge," recalling recent interactions with Kirk, including one in which he quoted former Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius.

"He just didn’t have knowledge, he had wisdom, an uncanny amount of wisdom for a man as young as he was," Rubio said. "Wisdom that sometimes takes a lifetime to accumulate, he had it in just 31 years."

Rubio praised Kirk for actively seeking to engage those who disagreed with him on various platforms. He said the nation needs "the ability to discuss our differences, openly, honestly, peacefully, respectfully" in the way Kirk did.

— N'dea Yancey-Bragg

Tulsi Gabbard calls Kirk a defender of free speech

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard cast Kirk as a staunch defender of free speech, which she described as "the foundation of our democratic republic."

"We must protect it at all costs because without it we’ll be lost," Gabbard added. "Charlie knew this. He lived it."

The Trump administration has sparked a debate about free speech with actions such as Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr pressuring ABC over comments by talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, whose show recently was suspended indefinitely, and suing the New York Times and other media outlets.

— Zac Anderson

Tucker Carlson remembers Kirk as 'truly fearless'

Conservative commentator and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson shared a Biblical anecdote and spoke about Kirk’s Christian faith, calling him "a wonderful man and a decent man."

"But the main thing about Charlie and his message, he was bringing the Gospel to the country," Carlson said. "He was doing the thing that the people in charge hate most, which is calling for them to repent."

Carlson recalled sharing many stages with Kirk on which they called for the election of Trump. He praised Kirk for being "truly fearless to his last moment."

"He was unafraid, he was not defensive, and there was no hate in his heart," Carlson said.

— N'dea Yancey-Bragg

Susie Wiles says Kirk 'made the winning difference' for Trump in 2024

Kirk’s group, Turning Point USA, partnered with the Trump campaign during the 2024 election, providing the "winning difference" that helped the president carry every swing state and the popular vote, said Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles.

Trump’s victory was "powered by young people… that was Charlie’s army and he made sure they understood the stakes," said Wiles, who served as Trump’s campaign manager.

— Zac Anderson

Stephen Miller says assassination 'immortalized Charlie Kirk'

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller pledged to continue fighting for the causes Kirk devoted his life to, casting the effort as a battle between good and evil.

"You thought you could kill Charlie Kirk? You have made him immortal. You have immortalized Charlie Kirk and now millions will carry on his legacy," said Miller, who handles policy and serves as a Homeland Security adviser to Trump.

Previously, Miller discussed plans to "go after" liberal nongovernmental organizations that they said support "doxxing" campaigns against conservatives, help orchestrate riots, publicize the addresses of political opponents, and promote messages intended to create violence on Sept. 15, during the episode of "The Charlie Kirk Show" podcast hosted by Vance. 

Miller has called political violence on the left a "vast domestic terrorist movement," vowing the Trump administration would use "every resource we have at the Department of Justice, Homeland Security and throughout this government" to "identify, disrupt, dismantle and destroy" the networks.

"It will happen, and we will do it in Charlie’s name," Miller said.

— Arizona Republic

Sergio Gor says Kirk helped stock Trump administration with ‘loyal patriots’

After Trump won the 2024 presidential election, Kirk was deeply involved in helping him staff the administration, said Sergio Gor, the president’s nominee to be ambassador to India and a key White House figure.

Gor said Kirk was "all Trump."

"Charlie knew the importance of hiring loyal patriots for this administration," he said, adding that "Countless individuals are currently in key roles across our government because of Charlie Kirk."

— Zac Anderson

Kirk’s mentor shares eyewitness account of assassination

Author Frank Turek, who served as a mentor to Kirk, described the harrowing moment the activist was shot just feet away from him. 

"When that shot rang out, I took a step toward him, but his security team was on him immediately," said Turek.

Turek said he got into an SUV with Kirk’s security team after the shooting, where they attempted to save his life. Despite their attempts to render medical aid, Turek recalled seeing the activist "looking past me right into eternity."

"If it’s any consolation, I learned later that Charlie felt no pain. He died instantly, but we had to try and bring him back," Turek said.

— N'dea Yancey-Bragg

Trump arrives at Kirk’s memorial

The broadcast of Kirk’s memorial showed Trump watching the speakers and later waving to the crowd shortly before 1 p.m. local time. Air Force One had landed at Luke Air Force Base at 11:42 a.m., as Trump is scheduled to speak at Kirk’s memorial.

Many Trump administration officials are attending Kirk’s service in Glendale, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

— Zac Anderson

Jack Posobiec says Kirk’s death will save 'western civilization'

An animated Jack Posobiec said Kirk’s death will be viewed as “the turning point” that “led to the saving of western civilization.”

Posobiec, a conservative political commentator and the senior editor for Human Events, said Kirk’s death revealed “ugliness” and declared “we will overcome their evil.”

“We will never, ever let the left, the media or the Democrats forget the name of Charlie Kirk,” Posobiec said.

— Zac Anderson

Congresswoman compares Kirk to George Washington, MLK Jr.

Rep. Ana Paulina Luna, D-Fla., said she would not have run for Congress if it weren’t for Kirk, telling the audience she decided to join Turning Point USA instead of attending medical school. 

She later compared Kirk to major historical figures in American history, including former Presidents George Washington and John F. Kennedy Jr., and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.  

Those leaders, Luna argued, "changed the outcome of eras just as Charlie changed the trajectory of our modern fight against cultural decay and ideological tyranny."  

— Karissa Waddick

Ben Carson thanks Kirk for his 'sacrifice'

Dr. Ben Carson, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, criticized a politician, whom he did not name, for reportedly calling Kirk "ignorant" because he did not have a college degree.

Carson recalled seeing Charlie Kirk "run circles" around people who had higher levels of education than he did. "I wonder if that political figure realizes that most of learning in life comes outside the classroom," Carson said.

Carson ended his remarks by reading a passage from the Bible and thanking Kirk "for his sacrifice, because much fruit is going to be realized."

— N'dea Yancey-Bragg

Benny Johnson calls Kirk 'a martyr in the true Christian tradition'

Conservative political commentator Benny Johnson was among a series of speakers who said Kirk was a martyr whose influence will live on.

"You cut down a martyr, his power grows," Johnson said.

Johnson said he was "a degenerate loser" who was addicted to alcohol when he met Kirk. "I had nothing going for me," he said, adding: "After 10 years working with Charlie Kirk… I have become a Christ-centered man."

— Zac Anderson

Charlie Kirk podcast producer says continuing show 'excruciating'

Andrew Kolvet, the executive producer of Kirk’s podcast, "The Charlie Kirk Show," said it was “excruciating” to continue recording the show in the week after Kirk’s death and said his staff "heroically" carried on.  

Kolvet remembered Kirk as a hard worker, telling the audience that the conservative activist read every single email he received from fans and often debated with his audience.  

"He never forgot about you," Kolvet said. 

— Karissa Waddick

College president says Kirk will get an honorary degree

Dr. Larry Arnn, president of Hillsdale College, a conservative Christian school in Michigan, told a brief story about how he once "interrogated" Kirk about his intellectual interests. He recalled asking Kirk some questions that he couldn't answer. "If you want to grow, you have to suffer," Arnn said he told him, advising Kirk to study the Bible, the classics, and the founding of America.

Now Kirk has suffered enough and has gone to the Lord, Arnn said. "He deserves his reward."

Arnn announced that Hillsdale College will be awarding an honorary degree to Charlie and Erika Kirk. He said Kirk can’t be replaced.

“Charlie lives on. The assassin will die,” Arnn said.

Kirk’s movement 'only beginning'

McCoy told the crowd in Glendale that the slain activist’s movement will only grow after his death.

“Charlie was not silenced,” McCoy said. “His movement is only beginning. The voices of millions globally have been awakened.”

McCoy said conservatives must continue to challenge “accepted culture.”

“We won’t cower in fear, we will never surrender,” McCoy said. “We are resolved to live free from lies.”

– Zac Anderson

Pastor Rob McCoy, the co-chair of Turning Point Faith, who described himself as the personal pastor of Charlie Kirk, gave the opening remarks at the memorial.

McCoy said Krik’s memorial was Turning Point’s largest event ever and said the organization was "alive and well." The crowd rose for a standing ovation at that remark.

Elon Musk attends Charlie Kirk memorial service

Billionaire Elon Musk said he is among the tens of thousands gathered in the State Farm Stadium, “all for Charlie Kirk.” Musk shared a brief video of the crowded stadium in a post on X, which he bought in 2022. 

“Every seat in this giant arena that isn’t roped off for security is packed to the ceiling,” Musk said. “Honored to be here.”

Musk has posted repeatedly on social media about Kirk’s killing, including calling for jail time for those appearing to celebrate his death.

"Charlie was murdered by the Dark for showing people the Light,” Musk said.

Attendees felt pulled to attend Kirk memorial 

Many attendees at Kirk’s memorial service traveled for hundreds of miles to honor the conservative activist.  

Matthew Meely, a bus driver from Tucson, Arizona, drove nearly two hours with friends for the memorial and had been in line since before 5 a.m.  Meely said he struggled with stage fright and saw the outspoken Kirk as a model of standing up and advocating for conservative beliefs. 

He said that as soon as he heard Kirk was assassinated, he "almost felt the pull to actually go out and start" advocating, he said. 

Others, including Hal Brown, crossed state lines for the event. Brown, who was wearing a white and gold "47" hat, said he traveled from Tennessee to celebrate the way Kirk spread Christianity.  

“He's done more to bring people to Christ than most pastors have," Brown said of Kirk’s influence.  

Where can I watch Charlie Kirk’s memorial service?

USA TODAY will be livestreaming Charlie Kirk’s memorial service on Sunday.

Apart from USA TODAY, the memorial service will be carried live on networks including CBS News, CNN, Fox News, ABC News and NewsNation. For details on each broadcast and where to watch, click here.

– Fernando Cervantes Jr.

Vance pays tribute to Kirk in video ahead of expected memorial speech

Vance posted to social media a few hours ahead of the memorial service, where he is expected to give an address to a packed stadium of mourners.

“Last week, we brought my dear friend Charlie Kirk home one last time,” the vice president wrote in the post on X on Sunday, reshared by Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA. “Today, we return to Arizona to remember Charlie and honor his sacrifice.”

Vance, who was a close friend of Kirk, hosted an episode of the commentator’s podcast show in memorial on Sept. 15, underlining his influence and close relationship with the White House. Vance has called him a “visionary” and a “luminary” who created a “whole social network for an entire generation of young people.”

The post accompanied an emotional video showing the transportation of Kirk’s casket back to Phoenix a day after he was fatally shot in Utah. Over somber music, the clip shows the late conservative activist’s widow, Erika Kirk, alongside friends and family, and images of the vice president helping carry the casket to Air Force Two.

“May he eternally rest in peace, and may God watch over Erika and their beautiful children,” Vance wrote in the post. 

What to know about security for the Charlie Kirk memorial

Expect the tribute service for Kirk at State Farm Stadium to have presidential-level security and perhaps concert or football-level attendance.

The Secret Service is overseeing security for the event, and officials said those who do attend should expect the rules to be similar to those for Arizona Cardinals games. A no-bag policy will be in effect. Entry will be denied to guests carrying bags.

All attendees will go through a magnetometer with their keys, phones, and other items. Anyone flagged for additional screening can expect to have security examine them. Pat downs may be necessary.

– Ronald J. Hansen

Trump says memorial will be 'tough day'

Wearing his quintessential red tie, Trump told reporters that Kirk's memorial service on Sunday would be "a very tough day" as he boarded his plane en route to Glendale, Arizona.

“We’re here to celebrate the life of a great man," Trump said of the service. He is expected to speak at the memorial later in the day. When asked what he plans to say to Kirk's family, Trump said. "I'm just gonna give em my love."

Tissues, Charlie Kirk memorabilia on stadium seats

The seats inside State Farm Stadium were covered with signs for attendees. Some had a photo of Kirk with the words “NEVER SURRENDER REMEMBER CHARLIE KIRK” and the Turning Point logo. Other signs featured an illustration of Kirk and the scripture, “Here I am Lord, send me.”

Seats also had red rubber bracelets that read “WE ARE CHARLIE KIRK," a phrase that has become popular in the days since the conservative activist's murder. Tissues were distributed in the stadium, as emotions are expected to run high during the service.

– Stephanie Murray, The Arizona Republic

Thousands lined up early for the Charlie Kirk memorial

Thousands of people lined up outside of State Farm Stadium for Kirk's memorial service before the sun rose Sunday morning. Many were clad in Make America Great Again hats and shirts printed with photos of Kirk.

As they waited, workers hung banners of the slain conservative commentator along the walls of the stadium. Chants of “U-S-A” erupted outside.

“We just want to get in and be part of it,” said Lori Aquilone, who took an Uber at 4 a.m. from north Phoenix.  She said she arrived between 4:30 and 5 a.m.

Kirk service will likely set an attendance record

Glendale Police spokesperson Moroni Mendez told USA TODAY roughly 200,000 people are expected to attend Kirk's memorial, making it one of the largest political memorials ever held in the state.

State Farm Stadium, home to the Arizona Cardinals football franchise, can host more than 73,000 people, according to its website. Turning Point USA is planning to seat people who don't get into the football stadium in the nearby Desert Diamond Arena.

An estimated 15,000 visitors mourned former Sen. John McCain when he lay in state at the Arizona State Capitol in 2018. The 1998 funeral of former U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, R-Arizona, drew about 3,000 people, according to accounts from The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Who is Erika Kirk? Charlie Kirk's wife to speak at memorial service

Erika Lane Kirk, 36, grew up in metro Phoenix and regularly appeared by her husband's side as he helmed Turning Point USA. The pair had been married since 2021 and lived in Arizona with their two young children at the time of his death.

The former Erika Frantzve earned her undergraduate degree in political science and international relations at Arizona State University, according to the bio page on her website. She received her Juris Master's from Liberty University School of Law in 2019 and says on her website that she is pursuing a doctorate in biblical studies.

She is the CEO and founder of a nonprofit, Everyday Heroes Like You, a faith-based clothing brand, and a ministry project called BIBLEin365 that her bio says "seeks to help individuals engage with the scriptures daily."

She's also the host of the "Midweek Rise Up" podcast, which she describes as a "devotional series focused on Biblical leadership and empowering others to lead with integrity and purpose." In her podcast and as a regular feature beside her husband, Erika Kirk has publicly championed the same political and biblical views as her husband, focusing specifically on young women.

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