The 2025 US Government Shutdown
Olivia Aldellizzi
Staff Writer
The government shutdown has lasted a total of 17 days- and as the rest of the country watches legislators continue to air their latest grievances within the senate, the days only continue to tick higher.
Conflict within the senate began on October 1st regarding concerns over former President Obama’s Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) health care subsidies. The Affordable Care Act subsidies are regarded as “premium tax credits” (WSJ)- their intention is to lower monthly insurance costs for those who “purchase insurance through the health insurance marketplace” (ABC). In former President Bidens 2021 Covid stimulus package, ACA eligibility was extended beyond its original set regulations: therefore, increasing subsidy amounts, and eliminating the prior income cap for eligibility. These enhanced subsidies were extended into 2022 and are mandated to expire by the end of 2025.
As of this year, approximately “24.3 million Americans are enrolled in the ACA, with about 22.4 million of them receiving subsidies” (WSJ); with a consistently increasing rate, by the year 2034 the US government is projected to spend $350 Billion dollars on increasing ACA subsidies- money Republicans believe is better placed towards other causes. According to the Wall Street Journal, President Donald Trump signed a GOP tax law revoking “eligibility from ‘lawfully present’ immigrants, such as refugees, asylum seekers, and visa holders”- this includes undocumented immigrants who apply for ACA on the behalf of documented individuals. In response to President Trumps tax law, Democrats are currently proposing a $1 trillion healthcare fund, which would include “ACA subsidies and Medicaid, over 10 years” (WSJ). This proposal, if approved, would allow Democrats to “reverse all health policy changes enacted by the GOP’s tax law,” ultimately including all “provisions that limited federal funding for healthcare for unauthorized and ‘lawfully present’ immigrants” (WSJ).
This is where the divide begins.
According to a news article published by CNBC, Senate Republicans do not want to continue negotiating ACA extensions “outside of legislation that would reopen the government.” Essentially speaking, their main priority is reopening the government with the GOP extension bill for the 2026 fiscal year, which includes military pay. They believe that with reopening the government, discussions regarding policies and acts that require government funding can resume; however, Democrats will not budge. As of Thursday, October 16, Senate Democrats blocked the GOP bill for the 10th time, refusing to surpass its 60-vote minimum to make it official.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is “determined to continue the same course of action to keep bringing the House-passed continuing resolution (CR), which would reopen the government until Nov. 21”; according to Thune and other Senate Republicans, their plan is the “only pathway to ending the shutdown” (Fox News). Even so, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y as well as the Democratic caucus insist on their ACA/Obamacare subside issue to be addressed first and accused Senate Republicans of not negotiating nor considering the ACA’s proposed new terms. More particularly, he stated “The bottom line is [Republicans] won’t even negotiate with us” (Fox News). Despite this, Thune said on the contrary- ‘“We’re willing to have, as I said, conversations about all the other issues that they want to talk about,’ Thune said. But that can’t happen while they are holding the federal government and all these federal employees and our troops and our air traffic controllers and our TSA agents and our border Patrol official’s hostage. Open up the government”’ (Fox News).
With both parties believing they have the political “upper hand”, the government shutdown pushes towards its third week of existence, still no solution in sight (WSJ). Hopefully government officials will come to a compromise sooner rather than later.
Contact olivia.aldellizzi@student.shu.edu