Free Republic

At first blush, the deal that paved the way to end the government shutdown this week looked exactly like the kind of feeble outcome many Democrats have come to expect from their leaders in Washington. After waging a 40-day fight to protect Americans’ access to health care — one they framed as existential — their side folded after eight defectors struck a deal that would allow President Trump and Republicans to reopen the government this week without doing anything about health coverage or costs, enraging all corners of the party. But even some of the Democrats most outraged by the...

The collapse of Chuck Schumer’s shutdown gambit, when seven fellow Democrats and one independent broke ranks with him, serves as a humiliating bookend to the longest government closure ever. It also simultaneously highlights one of President Trump’s most sweeping and crucial Washington victories over his most toxic opponents.Ever since his first election in 2016, Trump has been thwarted, tormented, impeached and mocked by Schumer and Democratic former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.And now he has turned the tables on them in devastating fashion, with Schumer likely to be dethroned as Senate minority leader and Pelosi packing her money bags to leave...

snip The agreement includes a “minibus” of three appropriations bills, which will fund some parts of the government through next fall. The rest of the government will be funded through Jan. 30. The deal includes funding of the food assistance program known as SNAP for the rest of the fiscal year through September 2026, meaning families will be fed and food stamps can’t be used as leverage in any funding fight in the coming months. The group of eight also got some wins for federal workers, who have been under siege since Trump’s inauguration, facing aggressive Department of Government Efficiency...

Flyers could face travel Armageddon over the weekend if the government doesn’t reopen by then, Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy cautioned Tuesday. More than 10% of flights could be delayed nationally, Duffy warned – adding that some airlines may even decide to ground their fleets altogether. “You may find airlines that stop flying. Full stop,” Duffy said. And last weekend’s travel delays – which saw thousands of flights cancelled and scores more delayed – would be “tiddlywinks” compared to what could happen this weekend if the government isn’t open again, Duffy said. “It is going to radically slow down,” the secretary...

For the record, Chuck Schumer voted against the motion to proceed on a government-reopening measure that is likely to bring his eight-plus years as Senate democratic leader to an end, probably sooner rather than later. But that doesn’t seem to matter. Democrats angry over the abrupt abandonment of a Senate filibuster that seemed to be working in the party’s favor are blaming Schumer, either because they believe he quietly encouraged the eight Democrats who defected, or because he couldn’t keep them in line. The denunciations of the deal are coming in so fast that it’s hard to keep track of...

The longest government shutdown in modern American history is about to end, after a handful of Democratic senators this weekend decided to provide Republicans enough votes to pass a short-term funding plan that would keep the government running until the end of January 2026. While there’s not much for Democrats to write home about in this deal, it’s also not clear that they could have ever really won the showdown — or any of the concessions they were originally making. Moreover, the deal doesn’t put the issue to bed so much as it kicks the can down the road for...

Barring some unnecessary Republican crash-out — always a high possibility! — this partial federal government “shutdown” was destined to end with Democrat leaders finally leveling with their own angry voters to say, Yeah, we got nothing, and I don’t have any good answers for you right now.And that’s more or less what’s happening now that another five Senate Democrats have broken ranks with the party Sunday to start the reopening process, which is set to include funding for food stamps and “key” government agencies, plus backpay for furloughed federal workers. That’s it. Unless you count the handshake agreement that the...

Paul and the Kentucky Hemp Association say McConnell’s language banning the sale of hemp-derived products that include more than .4 milligrams of THC per container will destroy the entire hemp and CBD industry — in a blow to farmers, businesses and consumers. McConnell says his provision targets “intoxicating THC products” that were made legal in the 2018 Farm Bill that launched the hemp industry, closing what’s often been referred to as its “loophole.” He says that would crack down on synthetic products with intoxicating amounts of THC — the psychoactive component in cannabis plants — while preserving non-intoxicating CBD and...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) called Senate Democrats’ deal with Republicans to reopen the government “pathetic,” accusing them of betraying “working Americans” after failing to secure an extension of enhanced Obamacare premium subsidies. Newsom, a potential candidate for the 2028 presidential election, took to social media Sunday night after eight Democrats voted with Republicans in a procedural vote to allow a continuing resolution (CR) funding the government to advance. “Pathetic,” he wrote from his personal X account. His press office also called the Democrats’ capitulation “pathetic”: “This isn’t a deal,” his office added. “It’s a surrender. Don’t bend the knee!”...

Democrats are seething after news emerged on Sunday that eight members of their Senate caucus had collaborated with Republicans on crafting a compromise to end the longest government shutdown in US history, without winning any healthcare concessions that they had sought. But one name is coming in for more opprobrium than any other: Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader who had led the Democrats’ weeks-long stand against reopening the government without an extension of tax credits that lower premiums for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health plans. If the results of the crucial Sunday vote are any indication, the outcome Democrats...

It's all over in the Senate, at least. The cave on Chuck Schumer's stupid and pointless gesture has come to its predictable conclusion. The vote for final passage, which only required a simple majority, is interesting. The same Senate Democrats who voted to break the filibuster also voted for the deal that will end the Schumer Shutdown:The Senate passed a bill to reopen the federal government Monday evening, taking the next step toward ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history.The chamber agreed to speed up the process to pass a bipartisan agreement struck over the weekend. The measure will now...

After nearly 40 days, the Schumer Shutdown is finally over. Enough Democrats are reportedly crossing over, abandoning their party’s intransigent stance, to allow the government to resume operations. From what has been reported, it doesn’t sound like the Republicans gave up anything significant. Based on the speeches by Chuck Schumer (bordering on the insane) and John Thune, it sounds like what tipped the balance was disruption to air travel. Important Democrats are not on food stamps, but they fly. A lot. So when a shutdown of air travel threatened, pressure on Democratic senators became irresistible. That is my reading of...

Eight members of the Senate Democratic caucus voted Sunday evening to proceed to a House-passed continuing resolution, taking a major step toward ending the 40-day shutdown. The Senate voted 60-40 to advance the House bill, which will serve as the legislative vehicle for a bipartisan deal to fund military construction, veterans’ affairs, the Department of Agriculture and the legislative branch through Sept. 30 and the rest of government through Jan. 30. It sets the stage for the House to return to Washington later this week to vote on the bill in hope of getting to President Trump’s desk for his...

The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday will “effectively prohibit business aviation” at a dozen major U.S. airports, adding to flight restrictions for commercial airlines as air traffic controller shortages snarl travel in the government shutdown, a trade group said. Here are the airports included in the new restrictions, according to the NBAA: Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) Denver International Airport (DEN) General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport (BOS) George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)...

A disastrous shutdown for Democrats got worse Sunday when Senate Democrats folded on government funding while receiving nothing of substance in return. Eight Senate Democrats voted with 42 Republicans Sunday night on a procedural vote to allow a continuing resolution (CR) funding the government to advance. The motion passed 60 to 40, without a single vote to spare, and will enable a future vote on a clean continuing resolution through January 30, 2026, packaged with three relatively non-controversial appropriations bills extending through the fiscal year: agriculture, military construction-Veterans Affairs, and legislative branch. The agreement includes back pay for federal employees...

@RandPaul Tonight the process of opening the govt begins, less chaos is a good thing but hidden deep in the swamp speak of the Republican bill will be a waiver of PAYGO the long-standing law requiring new spending to be offset with cuts. And so it goes, a trillion here a trillion there. $38 trillion in debt and counting. A depressing outcome

In a long vote made longer by Texas Senator John Cornyn's absence from D.C. until late Sunday night, a new funding bill has passed the U.S. Senate and heads for the House of Representatives.The deal, which got support from eight Democrats, is part of a package meant to reopen the government, fund SNAP benefits, begin the appropriations process, and even secure a future vote for extending Affordable Care Act subsidies. The text of the bill can be found here.What's in the Deal?In exchange for their support of a bill to re-open the federal government, the seven Democrats were promised a...

The government shutdown is reportedly on the verge of coming to an end, but California Governor Gavin Newsom isn’t happy with the terms, which he shared on X. In a post that went up on Sunday, Newsom reacted to the government shutdown possibly coming to an end, writing: “Pathetic. This isn’t a deal. It’s a surrender. Don’t bend the knee!” The post has received 423K views, 13K likes, 2.2K re-shares, and 519 comments. At first glance, the government shutdown coming to an end would seem like a good thing, but according to Newson, Democrats should hold out. And based on...

Video interviewing McCaskill about reopening the government for a few months.

The historic 40-day government shutdown could soon be a thing of the past with Democrats finally joining Republican rivals to strike a temporary deal to end the chaos. Lawmakers were locked in tense negotiations during a rare Sunday session in an effort to find a solution to the shutdown, which has left 42 million Americans with no access to their SNAP benefits, forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights and left more than a million federal workers without an income. But now there is light at the end of the tunnel after insiders confirmed to CNN and Axios Republicans had...