Competing healthcare messages at heart of shutdown fight

Competing healthcare messages at heart of shutdown fight.

Trump post urging Bondi to prosecute enemies was meant to be private message, insiders say.

The government shutdown will stretch into at least a third week. Congressional Democrats and Republicans continue to be at loggerheads over a federal funding bill, which lapsed on October 1. Democrats have so far stood firm on their demands to renew Obamacare premium subsidies and to restore nearly $1 trillion in funds cut from Medicaid by Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”. Democratic leadership has been buoyed by polls that show that the American public, and particularly the Democratic base, want them to stand their ground.

Republicans in Congress and the White House have claimed that the Democrats want $1 trillion in Medicaid to fund undocumented migrants. However, undocumented migrants are not eligible for regular Medicaid coverage.

The one exception is “Emergency Medicaid” which can be applied not just to migrants but to any uninsured person who receives emergency care in a hospital. The law requires hospitals to treat anyone who shows up in the emergency room, regardless of ability to pay. Without this supplement, hospitals would be left footing the bill for treating uninsured patients. Emergency Medicaid accounts for less than 1% of total Medicaid expenditures in the US.

The vast majority of people who will be adversely affected by the Medicaid cuts are American citizens, particularly those in poor rural areas. This is why Republicans delayed implementation of these cuts until after the 2026 midterms.

Notably, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who represents a poor rural district in Georgia, has broken ranks with fellow Republicans and expressed willingness to reach a healthcare deal with Democrats.

White House moves to lay off 4000 government employees as shutdown drags on.

Trump post urging Bondi to prosecute enemies was meant to be private message, insiders say

On September 20, President Trump posted a lengthy TruthSocial post calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute several of his political foes. He specifically named “Comey”, “Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff”, and “Leticia,” referring to former FBI Director James Comey, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), and New York Attorney General Letitia James. There was speculation at the time that the public post was meant to be a private direct message (DM) to Bondi. White House officials who spoke anonymously to the Wall Street Journal have confirmed that is the case.

Immediately after that post went public, Trump’s former personal attorney Lindsey Halligan (who was also mentioned in the post), was appointed Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Days later, Halligan indicted James Comey, and just this week she indicted Letitia James.

Legal experts who have weighed in (including within the Department of Justice itself) have said that the cases against Comey and James are weak. Trump’s mistake in publishing what was supposed to be a private message has only weakened them further. Comey’s attorneys have entered a not guilty plea and said they will push for the case’s dismissal on the grounds of a politically-motivated prosecution. James will equally have an opportunity to make this argument, which most judges would find compelling.

Another Trump critic, his former national security advisor John Bolton, may also be charged soon.