It's been quite a while since I've done one of these, but here it goes: As of October 2025, Democrats in the Senate are using the filibuster to block a Republican bill that would temporarily fund the government, triggering a government shutdown. This is meant to pressure Republicans to negotiate on health care and other policy demands. Given that Republicans control both the White House and Congress, Democrats are using the filibuster to provide them a measure of leverage in budget negotiations. Democrats are demanding an extension of enhanced subsidies for health care plans under the ACA, aka "ObamaCare" which...