Nearly two-thirds of Americans want COVID-era federal programs to come to an end, as Democrats demand that any government funding bill include an extension of health care subsidies that were introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/929542118/Polling-on-ACA-Enhanced-Subsidies-Top-Line-docx?secret_password=sN1T3iUcGZSAHeyfI3eD">poll</a>.
Sixty-one percent of Americans said that the federal government should allow COVID-era subsidies to end, according to a poll conducted last week by the Republican-aligned firm OnMessage Public Strategies, Inc., that was shared with The Daily Wire.
Those surveyed were asked whether “the federal government should allow programs that were designed deliberately to address the problems created by the COVID-19 pandemic to sunset, and put those funds to more pressing issues facing Americans.&#8221; Thirty-nine percent of those surveyed strongly agreed with the statement, and 22% somewhat agreed, while only 15% strongly disagreed, and another 15% somewhat disagreed, also wanting to keep the COVID-19 Affordable Care Act subsidies alive.
The poll surveyed 1,000 Americans. Thirty-eight percent of those polled identified as Republicans, and 33% of the participants identified as Democrats. Another 26% of those surveyed identified as independent.
Affordable Care Act subsidies have been a major part of the ongoing government shutdown negotiations on Capitol Hill. Under former President Joe Biden&#8217;s Inflation Reduction Act, those health care subsidies, that were meant to address issues during COVID, were extended through the end of this year. However, Democrats want the subsidies made permanent, arguing that insurance premiums would skyrocket and low-income Americans would be forced to drop their coverage. The Congressional Budget Office <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-pulse/2025/10/02/breaking-down-the-aca-subsidy-fight-00590901">estimated</a> that by 2034, four million people who would have had insurance will be uninsured if the subsidies are not extended.
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The OnMessage poll found drastically different results than a similar poll conducted by the health policy organization KFF last week. A KFF survey published on October 3 found that 78% of Americans want Congress to extend the Obamacare subsidies, including 59% of Republicans. The KFF <a href="https://www.kff.org/public-opinion/despite-budget-concerns-three-quarters-of-public-say-congress-should-extend-the-enhanced-aca-tax-credits-set-to-expire-next-year-including-most-republicans-and-maga-supporters/">poll</a> also found that ending the subsidies could be problematic for Republicans in next year&#8217;s midterm elections.
Republican leaders, who have opposed Obamacare for years, argue that the subsidies debate should be held closer to the end of the year, after the government has been funded. Republicans, led by President Donald Trump, are also seeking additional ways to reduce government spending. An analysis from the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation released last month estimated that a permanent extension of the Obamacare COVID subsidies would increase the federal deficit by $349.8 billion over the next decade, The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5540430-mike-johnson-shutdown-obamacare-subsidies/">reported</a>.
Both House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5538167-congress-aca-tax-credit-increase/">said</a> that discussions over Obamacare subsidies cannot happen while the government remains shut down, urging their Democratic colleagues to focus on agreeing to a temporary funding bill before larger funding debates can be held.
“We have effectively three months to negotiate. In the White House and in the halls of Congress, that’s like an eternity,” Johnson <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5540430-mike-johnson-shutdown-obamacare-subsidies/">said</a> on Monday.
Trump said on Monday that he&#8217;s open to negotiating with Democrats on the health care subsidies, but added that they must reopen the government before those negotiations take place.
&#8220;I am happy to work with the Democrats on their Failed Healthcare Policies, or anything else, but first they must allow our Government to re-open. In fact, they should open our Government tonight!&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115329671584864920">wrote</a> on Truth Social on Monday evening.
The Senate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-countdown-to-government-shutdown?contentProgram=LIVE%20UPDATES%3A%20Another%20Failed%20Vote%3A%20Shutdown%20Continues&amp;contentType=Post&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;location=Home%20Tab&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Home%20Featured%20Carousel">failed</a> to pass a funding bill again on Monday night, with the vast majority of Democrats rejecting the Republicans&#8217; continuing resolution.

Chuck Schumer

Most Americans Don’t Want COVID Programs To Continue As Dems Push For Extension In Shutdown Fight

Congress

COVID-19

Democrats

Donald Trump

Government Shutdown

Health Care

Obamacare

Politics

Poll

Republicans

Washington D.C.

Attorney General Pam Bondi let loose on Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) during a Capitol Hill hearing on Tuesday, directly challenging his credibility when he attempted to suggest that she had not handled a specific situation properly.
Bondi raised the specter of a scandal that broke back in 2010, when an investigation revealed that Blumenthal had often implied that he was a Vietnam veteran when he had, in fact, received a number of deferments before joining the Marine Reserve in 1970, and while he did participate in drills stateside, he never deployed during the war.
Blumenthal began with a question about a recent merger that involved Ballard Partners, a firm where Bondi had previously worked.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: Pam Bondi just DEMOLISHED Senator Blumenthal after he ACCUSED her of impropriety:
&#8220;I CANNOT BELIEVE that you would ACCUSE ME of impropriety when YOU LIED about your MILITARY SERVICE.&#8221;
&#8220;You LIED to be elected a US Senator.&#8221;
&#8220;Don&#8217;t YOU EVER challenge MY integrity. I… <a href="https://t.co/Fx0reJH5J7">pic.twitter.com/Fx0reJH5J7</a>
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) <a href="https://twitter.com/GuntherEagleman/status/1975587653442502949?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;In the merger that took place involving American Express GBT [Global Business Travel], I understand that Brian Ballard, longtime backer and head of the law firm where you worked, was instrumental in lobbying the Justice Department to drop that lawsuit,&#8221; Blumenthal said. &#8220;It was dismissed, so it&#8217;s not subject to a court review. What conversations did you have with Mr. Ballard?&#8221;
&#8220;Sen. Blumenthal, I cannot believe that you would accuse me of impropriety when you lied about your military service. You lied, you admitted you lied to be elected a U.S. Senator,&#8221; Bondi shot back.
&#8220;I am not asking you — I am not accusing you of impropriety — I am —&#8221; Blumenthal attempted to cut back in several times, but Bondi continued to talk over him.
&#8220;Don&#8217;t you ever challenge my integrity. I have abided by every ethics standard. Do not question my ability to be fair and impartial as Attorney General,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;You&#8217;ll answer that question for another of my colleagues,&#8221; Blumenthal concluded.
The two squared off on several questions throughout the hearing, with Blumenthal asking Bondi about a dinner she&#8217;d had with President Donald Trump — and what was discussed during that dinner.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
AG Pam Bondi: &#8220;No one is above the law, that’s a quote from you, Senator Blumenthal.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/WtTWAp30gX">pic.twitter.com/WtTWAp30gX</a>
— AJ Huber (@Huberton) <a href="https://twitter.com/Huberton/status/1975591441779843455?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Senator, I am not going to discuss any conversations I have or have not had with the President of the United States. You&#8217;re an attorney, you have a law degree, and you know that I am not going to do that,&#8221; she said.
Reading from a paper in front of her, she quoted, &#8220;&#8216;I will keep fighting to ensure that law enforcement and the judicial process move forward without political interference. No one is above the law, not even the president.&#8217; That&#8217;s a quote from you, Senator Blumenthal.&#8221;

Attorney General Pam Bondi Testifies In House Hearing

Bondi Unloads On Blumenthal In Tense Hearing: ‘Don’t You Ever Challenge My Integrity’

Media

Pam Bondi

Richard Blumenthal

The FBI has been caught rifling through the phone records of nearly a dozen Republican members of Congress — all swept up in special counsel Jack Smith’s relentless pursuit of President Donald Trump.
Records released by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on Monday show that the FBI analyzed the metadata of phone calls from Sens. Marsha Blackburn (TN), Cynthia Lummis (WY), Ron Johnson (WI), Tommy Tuberville (AL), Dan Sullivan (AK), Josh Hawley (MO) Bill Hagerty (TN), Lindsey Graham (SC), and Rep. Mike Kelly (PA.). The records were part of Smith’s “Arctic Frost” investigation, which led to Trump being charged in Washington, D.C., over accusations that he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election. 
“This document shows the Biden FBI spied on 8 of my Republican Senate colleagues during its Arctic Frost investigation into ‘election conspiracy.’ Arctic Frost later became Jack Smith&#8217;s elector case against Trump,” Grassley posed on X. “BIDEN FBI WEAPONIZATION = WORSE THAN WATERGATE.”
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This document shows the Biden FBI spied on 8 of my Republican Senate colleagues during its Arctic Frost investigation into &#8220;election conspiracy&#8221; Arctic Frost later became Jack Smith&#8217;s elector case against Trump
BIDEN FBI WEAPONIZATION = WORSE THAN WATERGATE <a href="https://t.co/V2JyiVlX48">pic.twitter.com/V2JyiVlX48</a>
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChuckGrassley/status/1975297712712262100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The document Grassley shared showed that the FBI obtained the toll data of the GOP lawmakers&#8217; calls, meaning they gathered basic information, such as the date and time of certain phone calls. The agency did not monitor the content of the communications, the senators said. 
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FBI Director Kash Patel stated on Tuesday that agents had been fired as a result of the revelations and noted that the CR-15 squad, a public corruption unit within the FBI that assisted Smith’s investigation, had been disbanded. 
“Transparency is important and accountability is critical. We promised both, and this is what promises kept looks like. This FBI is delivering,” Patel <a href="https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1975506285656207664">said</a>. “As a result of our latest disclosure about the baseless monitoring of members of Congress by the prior leadership team of the FBI, we have already taken the following actions: We terminated employees, we abolished the weaponized CR-15 squad, and we initiated an ongoing investigation with more accountability measures ahead.”
President Donald Trump slammed Smith in a Tuesday morning post on Truth Social.
&#8220;Deranged Jack Smith got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. A real sleazebag!!!&#8221; he <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115332808536869094">wrote</a>.
Sen. Johnson <a href="https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1975506285656207664">said</a> the revelation did not &#8220;surprise&#8221; him, but added that it should “shock every American.” He said he was briefed by FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino on the FBI’s actions. 
“We were surveilled simply for being Republicans,” he said. “What the Biden Administration has done is an outrageous abuse of power — it is blatant political persecution. Those responsible must be held fully accountable.”
Sen. Hawley <a href="https://x.com/HawleyMO/status/1975305232071487986">called</a> for a full investigation into the FBI&#8217;s handling of the tracking.
“This is an abuse of power beyond Watergate, beyond J. Edgar Hoover, one that directly strikes at the Constitution, the separation of powers, and the First Amendment,” he said. “We need a full investigation of all involved: who knew about it, who ordered it, and who approved it.”

Special Prosecutor Jack Smith addresses reporters after his grand jury has issued more indictments of former President Donald Trump on August 01 in Washington, DC.

‘Beyond Watergate’: Biden’s FBI Snooped On Phone Records From GOP Lawmakers In Trump Investigation

2020 Election

Chuck Grassley

Jack Smith

kash patel

President Donald Trump has “determined” that the United States is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels that he has designated as terrorist organizations, according to a memo to Congress. 
The memo reportedly sent this week said that the American military remained ready to eliminate drug smugglers and that the country was at a “critical point” requiring the use of force. It comes as the Trump administration has conducted multiple strikes on boats the president said were filled with narcoterrorists bound for the United States.
“The President determined these cartels are non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States,” the memo <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-determined-us-armed-conflict-cartels-congress-notice-rcna235294">said</a>, according to NBC News. &#8220;In response, based upon the cumulative effects of these hostile acts against the citizens and interests of the United States and friendly foreign nations, the President determined that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations.&#8221;
Violent gangs like Tren de Aragua and MS-13 have all been <a href="https://www.state.gov/designation-of-international-cartels">designated</a> as foreign terrorist organizations by the State Department. 
The memo <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/02/white-house-war-drug-smugglers-00592369?utm_content=politico/magazine/Politics&amp;utm_source=flipboard">added</a> that the administration remained “postured to carry out military operations as necessary to prevent further deaths or injury to American citizens by eliminating the threat.”
“The United States has now reached a critical point where we must use force in self-defense and defense of others against the ongoing attacks by these designated terrorist organizations,” the memo <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cartels-armed-conflict-cb57804807e55a00ace60ad5f4d4f24d">said</a>. 
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Last month, the Trump administration carried out a series of strikes on drug-running boats, the president said. The first, on September 2, targeted a vessel operated by Tren de Aragua that had departed Venezuela loaded with “a lot of drugs,” according to Trump.
Another strike was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-blows-up-another-boatful-of-narcoterrorists-we-are-hunting-you">conducted</a> on September 15 that killed three male drug traffickers operating a boat carrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea, according to the Department of War. 
The Trump administration has said the strikes are necessary to protect the country from dangerous drugs. 
“As we have said many times, the President acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said on the memo to Congress.

President Trump Visits Fort Bragg To Honor U.S. Forces

Trump To Congress: U.S. In ‘Armed Conflict’ With ‘Terrorist’ Drug Cartels

Drug Cartels

Executive

Tren De Aragua

U.S. Military

In the days before and since Democrats triggered the ongoing government shutdown, a number within their own ranks have also triggered a series of groans and cringes across legacy media outlets and social media platforms alike.
In the span of just a few days, they&#8217;ve delivered a series of over-the-top performances — and The Daily Wire has compiled several of their greatest hits for the sake of posterity.
<h4>The pre-shutdown group photo:</h4>
The caption made the photo seem positive: &#8220;House Democrats are in DC and ready to cancel the cuts, lower the costs, save health care.&#8221;
What they omitted was the fact that Democrats were planning to hold the federal government hostage until their demands were met — and with Republicans controlling the House and Senate even by the slimmest of margins, that wasn&#8217;t going to happen. They drove willingly into the government shutdown, and then blamed Republicans for it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
House Democrats are in DC and ready to cancel the cuts, lower the costs, save health care. <a href="https://t.co/vnNRqGD3NS">pic.twitter.com/vnNRqGD3NS</a>
— House Democrats (@HouseDemocrats) <a href="https://twitter.com/HouseDemocrats/status/1972828851442204762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h4>Trans-identifying congressman&#8217;s &#8220;Where are the Republicans?&#8221; skit:</h4>
Rep. Tim McBride (D-DE), who now identifies as &#8220;Sarah,&#8221; released a video of himself running through the halls of the Capitol and pretending to look for Republicans so that they could all work together to avert the looming shutdown.
But as previously noted by multiple Republicans and by President Donald Trump, the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/do-the-right-thing-trump-axes-meeting-with-radical-dems-calls-for-realistic-terms">demands</a> presented by Democrats were non-starters — and that based on their own prior statements, what McBride and other Democrats meant by &#8220;work together&#8221; was &#8220;Republicans would need to give in to all of their demands.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Democrat Party is an absolute joke.. 😭😭
How does anyone still take that Party seriously, <a href="https://t.co/cLwVU5guHi">pic.twitter.com/cLwVU5guHi</a>
— American AF 🇺🇸 (@iAnonPatriot) <a href="https://twitter.com/iAnonPatriot/status/1973203192839336288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h4>&#8220;Kitty explains government shutdown&#8221;:</h4>
No, that is not a typo. Yes, the Democratic Party posted a video — to its official X account — that featured badly photo-shopped cats arguing over the shutdown with the Capitol building in the background.
&#8220;Republican and Democrat kitties cannot agree on what should be funded,&#8221; a digital-sounding voice provided exposition. &#8220;Democrat kitties want you to have health care. Republican kitties do not. Republican kitties control the Senate, House, and the White House, so they&#8217;re using that to cut your health care and give money to billionaires.&#8221;
&#8220;Democrat kitty tries to negotiate,&#8221; the voice continued. &#8220;But Republican kitty keeps running away. He has a vacation to get to. Uh-oh! Suddenly the money you pay for your health insurance has tripled! Thanks, Republicans.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/S71BNFx7lS">pic.twitter.com/S71BNFx7lS</a>
— Democrats (@TheDemocrats) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDemocrats/status/1973440352938852686?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h4>The &#8220;Blair Witch&#8221; shutdown horror short:</h4>
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) posted a video right as the shutdown began, showing herself in total darkness save for the flashlight beam shining directly in her face — and apparently blinding her. The only sound before she began to speak was the ticking of a timer running down to the last seconds.
&#8220;It&#8217;s past midnight in D.C., which means Donald Trump just shut down the government,&#8221; she declared, despite the fact that Congress — specifically Democrats — had actually triggered the shutdown.
She went on to suggest that food would suddenly become unsafe due to a lack of FDA inspections, and that travel would become a nightmare because of short staffing in the FAA. National Parks, she claimed, would be &#8220;locked up&#8221; or &#8220;trashed&#8221; because park rangers had been furloughed.
&#8220;This is all Donald Trump&#8217;s fault,&#8221; she declared again.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Time’s up — Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress just shut down the federal government. Here’s what that means for you. <a href="https://t.co/SvyenbW8iq">pic.twitter.com/SvyenbW8iq</a>
— Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (@RepSaraJacobs) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepSaraJacobs/status/1973241035980702154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h4>The insurance horror trailer complete with a spit-take:</h4>
Another short film, posted by the Democrats of the House Ways &amp; Means Committee, used dramatic horror-film-esque music and blaring headlines warning of unmitigated disaster in the health care and insurance industries — all of which would come to pass if Republicans did not give in to their demands.
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The entire tone of the ad was undercut from the beginning when one of the men in the video, supposedly reading from a medical bill or an insurance bill, responds with a dramatic spit-take.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
TELL REPUBLICANS: SAVE HEALTH CARE <a href="https://t.co/bCQZcIE8ED">pic.twitter.com/bCQZcIE8ED</a>
— Ways and Means Democrats (@WaysMeansCmte) <a href="https://twitter.com/WaysMeansCmte/status/1972747063956824467?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h4>Chuck Schumer — and to be fair, a lot of others — pretending he doesn&#8217;t know the difference between government-funded and privately-funded projects:</h4>
&#8220;Yes to ballrooms. No to health care for Americans. Got it,&#8221; Schumer snarked, sharing a screenshot of a headline from People Magazine that read, &#8220;White House will continue construction on 90,000-square-foot ballroom during government shutdown.&#8221;
As a number of people quickly pointed out, the $200 million ballroom project was being funded privately — by President Trump and other private donors — and thus would not be affected by any government shutdown.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Yes to ballrooms. No to healthcare for Americans. Got it. <a href="https://t.co/HgBvO1i0Ff">pic.twitter.com/HgBvO1i0Ff</a>
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer/status/1973546381307683179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h4>The guy who could have been vice president pretending he doesn&#8217;t know how the Senate works:</h4>
Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) tried to claim that Republicans had the power to prevent the government shutdown because they controlled the House, Senate, and White House. While that is true, the Senate also requires a 60-vote threshold to pass a stopgap funding measure — and Democrats are the ones preventing that from happening.
&#8220;Republicans control every branch of the federal government and they can’t even pass their own BS to keep the lights on,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Republicans control every branch of the federal government and they can’t even pass their own BS to keep the lights on.
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tim_Walz/status/1973495750341656605?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Senate Republicans have the votes to fund the government. Senate Democrats are using the filibuster to BLOCK that vote from taking place. Keep up,&#8221; GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) shot back.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Senate Republicans have the votes to fund the government.
Senate Democrats are using the filibuster to BLOCK that vote from taking place.
Keep up. <a href="https://t.co/hGJUOmQ49T">https://t.co/hGJUOmQ49T</a>
— Tom Emmer (@GOPMajorityWhip) <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPMajorityWhip/status/1973796444151951689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Democratic National Convention (DNC) 2024 – Day Three

The Most Embarrassing Democrat Reactions To Government Shutdown

Tim Walz

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) drew an audience of dozens to his recent livestream event, which featured a handful of Democrats complaining about — and blaming Republicans for — the government shutdown triggered by Democrat demands.
Jeffries named the event “Stop the Republican Shutdown,” went live prior to the shutdown, and stayed online after it took effect. As people checked in on him throughout the livestream, several noticed that the number of people streaming struggled to approach 200 — well below even the numbers late-night comedian <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jimmy-kimmels-ratings-spike-crashes-back-down-to-his-usual-terrible-numbers">Jimmy Kimmel</a> has generated since returning from suspension over his comments about assassinated conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
“Currently 152 people watching Hakeem Jeffries ’24 hour shutdown livestream’ on YouTube,” GOP communications strategist Matt Whitlock commented, sharing a screenshot that showed the number of live viewers (152) as Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) spoke.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Currently 152 people watching Hakeem Jeffries “24 hour shutdown livestream” on YouTube. <a href="https://t.co/dmlzBUJxAf">pic.twitter.com/dmlzBUJxAf</a>
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattdizwhitlock/status/1973232723700621708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Another screenshot shared by independent reporter Ken Klippenstein showed A.B. Burns-Tucker speaking with Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who was sporting a “no kings” cap in an apparent protest of President Donald Trump. The viewer count sat at 156.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
About 20 minutes into shutdown and Hakeem Jeffries’ livestream is down to 93 viewers <a href="https://t.co/MssThRSsJb">pic.twitter.com/MssThRSsJb</a>
— Ken Klippenstein (NSPM-7 Compliant) (@kenklippenstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/kenklippenstein/status/1973241870718578955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A short time later, the viewer count dropped to fewer than 100.
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A screenshot shared by the Republican Party showed viewership of the stream dropping to just 66 in the 10 a.m. hour.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Congrats to <a href="https://twitter.com/RepJeffries?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepJeffries</a> for a full 66 viewers in the 10 am hour on his 24-hour “shutdown livestream” <a href="https://t.co/oeW34LeRJu">pic.twitter.com/oeW34LeRJu</a>
— GOP (@GOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/GOP/status/1973453634982559787?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Even <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/10/01/democrats-shutdown-livestream-00591178">Politico</a> jabbed at the debacle, with reporter Adam Wren noting that he’d watched much of the stream “so you didn&#8217;t have to,” and then laying out a series of missteps made by Democrats trying to win the messaging war over the shutdown.
“In launching the livestream, which featured the feel of a throwback telethon with none of the charisma or surprise, Jeffries and his allies seemed to tacitly acknowledge that they needed to be fighting, and sounding and looking as if they were. (‘Y’all, I ain’t scared,’ Jeffries said at one point. ‘I’m from Brooklyn.&#8217;) But few Dems seemed willing to fight on camera,” he wrote.
Wren noted that while Jeffries himself appeared — as did Swalwell and a few others — most of the party’s more prominent voices had not. In addition to the glaring absence of progressives like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), there was a very noticeable chunk of the broadcast filled with rerun content rather than live conversation. According to Wren, despite an internal email <a href="https://x.com/reesejgorman/status/1973076184134009181">begging Democrats</a> to rally and fill the empty time slots, no one was available between 2:30 and 5:30 a.m.
A spokesperson for Jeffries claimed in a statement that the total viewership for the event was significantly higher, stating that there had been approximately 60,000 viewers across several streams and that “clips from the livestream are continuing to also generate hundreds of thousands of views and we still have more coming.”

House Minority Leader Jeffries Holds Capitol Hill Press Conference

Hakeem Jeffries Shutdown Livestream Draws Smaller Audience Than Jimmy Kimmel

Eric Swalwell

Hakeem Jeffries

One of the primary reasons my campaign for Congress was successful was that I embraced President Trump’s Peace through Strength agenda and promised to hold Iran’s terror proxy, the Houthis, accountable. I meant it; it was not a throwaway line. It is a moral and strategic imperative, which is why one of my first legislative acts was <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1250">introducing H.R. 1250</a>. This bill requires the designation of Ansarallah, the Houthi movement, as a foreign terrorist organization and mandates sanctions on its leaders and affiliates.
The Houthis are not some faraway nuisance. Their campaign of terror, their alliance with Iran, and their direct threat to global shipping and stability make them a clear and present danger. To hesitate would only embolden them.
During my deployment to Saudi Arabia as a U.S. Army Reserve Intelligence Officer, I had a front-row seat to the Houthi threat. Under constant risk of Houthi strikes in Saudi Arabia, I worked to develop measures to prevent insider threats like the Pensacola base shooting.
Let me be clear: the Houthis are not a political faction looking for a seat at the table. They are violent extremists who seized territory in Yemen, trapping millions in misery. They threaten Red Sea shipping lanes, target civilian infrastructure, and fire rockets across borders into sovereign nations, and they operate with Iran’s full financial and military backing.
The Houthis are one part of a wider Iranian proxy network. These groups menace regional rivals and target Americans. Iran-backed militias killed three U.S. Army reservists in Jordan earlier this year. They struck at America’s energy interests in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, including HKN, a company tied to the family of Ross Perot.
The Houthis, Hezbollah, and the Iraqi militias are all part of the same web of terror. Ignoring one is ignoring all. President Trump gets that, and that’s why he was able to free Princeton student Elizabeth Tsurkov, whose siblings I hosted in my office, from Iraqi Hezbollah captivity last month – after two years of Biden-Harris inaction.
Within a month of taking office, Biden-Harris revoked President Trump’s terror designation of the Houthis and badgered our Saudi and Emirati allies to cease fighting the terrorists. By 2024, Biden, Harris, or the Autopen had buyer’s remorse and moved to partially redesignate the group.
That is why decisively codifying President Trump’s redesignation of the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization matters. It is not symbolic. It gives us sharper tools: sanctions, financial restrictions, visa bans, and the ability to choke off their networks. H.R. 1250 requires the President to act within 30 days and also forces determinations on senior figures, including Abdul Malik al-Houthi and Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim. Targeting leadership matters. Cutting money matters. Disrupting weapons pipelines matters.
<div id="attachment_979475" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-979475" class="size-large wp-image-979475" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2228070084-864x576.jpg" alt="Huthi supporters and university students shout anti-Israeli slogans, calling for an end to the war in Gaza, during a demonstration in Sanaa on August 6, 2025. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2228070084-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2228070084-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2228070084-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2228070084.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images</div>
Some might ask, why act now? Why make this an early priority? Every moment of hesitation allows the Houthis to consolidate power, disrupt trade, and strike at allies. More than 90% of container shipping through the Suez Canal <a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-yemen-houthis-attack-ships-f67d941c260528ac40315ecab4c34ca3">was halted by the Houthis</a>, which accounts for approximately 40% of the world’s container shipping and a route for over one billion barrels of oil per day. 
This disruption is a key driver of global inflation, cutting the buying power of American families.
Sanctions are one part of a larger strategy to end Yemen’s war. We must also work to block weapons flows from Iran, keep humanitarian channels open, and tighten oversight in Congress to make sure enforcement does not drift or get watered down.
Critics will say this risks escalation and hinders peace talks. However, pressure is not the enemy of peace; weakness is. That’s why the Houthis felt so emboldened, and why they were the only group to relentlessly attack Israel — regardless of Hezbollah’s and Iran’s pauses. Labeling the Houthis as terrorists does not declare war. It puts the law on our side. Negotiations only work when leverage is real. The Houthis will never come to the table if they believe America lacks resolve.
Failing to respond only invites more attacks.
<h3><a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=fall40&amp;utm_content=fallsale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial">Get 40% off new DailyWire+ annual memberships with code FALL40 at checkout!</a></h3>
Just this week, the Houthis declared that they will start to target additional U.S. oil firms, such as Chevron and ExxonMobil. This is unacceptable, and it’s time for my colleagues in Congress to act.
Holding the Houthis accountable was one of my first promises, and H.R. 1250 is how that promise begins to take shape. Passing this legislation sends a message: the United States will not cede the Red Sea, will not normalize terrorism, and will not stand by while Iran’s proxies destabilize the region.
The Houthis think they can outlast our resolve. They are wrong. America has faced down far greater threats with determination and clarity. We will do so again. By standing firm, by acting decisively, and by keeping our word, we can ensure that no terrorist movement, whether in Yemen, Iraq, or anywhere else, believes it can threaten American lives and hinder prosperity without consequence.
* * *
Congressman Abe J. Hamadeh represents Arizona’s 8th Congressional District. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Demonstration Held After US Announcement Stopping Strikes On Houthis in Yemen

Why Congress Must Back Trump And Make The Houthi Terrorist Designation Official

Arizona

Houthis

Iran

Middle East

Opinion

Saudi Arabia

Terrorism

U.S. House of Representatives

Along with Tulsi Gabbard, who now serves as Director of National Intelligence, three Republican members of Congress were surveilled by the now-defunct TSA “Quiet Skies” program, independent journalist Matt Taibbi <a href="https://www.racket.news/p/not-only-tulsi-three-members-of-congress">reported</a> on Tuesday.
According to documents handed over to the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, two of the three Republican representatives were placed on a surveillance list before they were elected, but remained there after joining Congress. According to the Senate committee’s notes, “a cursory review would have revealed them to be a member of Congress, or a decorated U.S. veteran or service member,” Taibbi reported.
The names of the members of Congress and the states they represent were redacted in the government documents.
The TSA’s “Quiet Skies” program, which began in 2010, came under intense scrutiny last year after whistleblowers revealed that Gabbard — then a former Democratic congresswoman who was highly critical of the Democratic Party — was followed by Air Marshals and bomb-sniffing dogs under the TSA program. “Quiet Skies” was ended by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in June. Noem <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/06/05/secretary-noem-ends-politicized-tsa-watchlist-program-has-failed-prevent-single">said</a>, “It is clear that the Quiet Skies program was used as a political rolodex of the Biden Administration — weaponized against its political foes and exploited to benefit their well-heeled friends.”
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The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee also revealed that TSA approved a watchlist, or “enhanced screening,” for people “suspected of traveling to the National Capital Region” in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The watchlist was deemed appropriate for people “believed to pose an elevated risk” but for whom “there is a current lack of specific information relating to unlawful entry into the U.S. Capitol.”
Gabbard was surveilled on at least eight flights during the summer of 2024, according to documents handed over to the committee. The former Democratic lawmaker was listed as a “possible affiliate” of a member of the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB). According to The New York Times, Gabbard landed on the list after she attended an event “at the Vatican that was organized by a European businessman who appeared on an F.B.I. watch list.”
A text exchange between Marshals assigned to follow Gabbard from July 22, 2024, also pointed to the TSDB as the reason that Gabbard was placed on the list.
“So Gabbard is an affiliate with a TSDB, and since she’s no longer in Congress that’s probably why she hit for the rule,” one Marshal wrote.
“Yeah I talked with [redacted] about it and that’s the conclusion we came to as well,” a second Marshal replied.
“Cool cool.”
One former Marshal, however, told Taibbi that the decision to place Gabbard on the list wasn’t necessarily made by an automated database.
“Obviously, there is a way for human beings to influence the decision tree above our level,” the former Marshal said.
Taibbi testified before the Senate committee on Tuesday and ripped the federal government’s “Quiet Skies” surveillance program.
“Before Quiet Skies was discontinued by this administration, it was a symbol of the steep decline of federal enforcement since 9/11. The government spent $200 million a year following up to 50 people a day for a program that in its history never once led to an arrest, or thwarted a single criminal act,” Taibbi told the committee. “Despite its demonstrated inutility and grave civil liberties concerns it was re-funded year after year because this is what our government does now: it gathers information on its own citizens as an end in itself.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
The full opening statement of <a href="https://twitter.com/mtaibbi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mtaibbi</a> <a href="https://t.co/NJ2fRqNeWX">https://t.co/NJ2fRqNeWX</a> <a href="https://t.co/TaGBhBfYY1">pic.twitter.com/TaGBhBfYY1</a>
— Emily Chapple (@blonde4thewin) <a href="https://twitter.com/blonde4thewin/status/1973065367527260667?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

TSA, Tulsi Gabbard

Three GOP Congress Members Were Placed Under TSA Surveillance Program That Targeted Tulsi Gabbard

Federal Government

Surveillance

Tulsi Gabbard

The Trump administration instructed government agencies and departments to proceed with an “orderly shutdown” as the Senate failed to pass a short-term government spending bill on Tuesday night. 
Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought sent a memo to the heads of all executive departments and agencies on Tuesday, telling them to implement shutdown plans and blaming the shutdown on Senate Democrats. The Senate fell five votes short of passing a Republican-backed bill that would have maintained government spending for the next seven weeks.
“Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of [the funding bill] in the Senate due to Democrats’ insane policy demands, which include $1 trillion in new spending,” Vought wrote. “President Trump supports passage of H.R. 5371, but it is now clear that Democrats will prevent passage of this clean [continuing resolution] prior to 11:59pm tonight and force a government shutdown. As such, affected agencies should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown.”
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/tVu5Yqrtel">pic.twitter.com/tVu5Yqrtel</a>
— Office of Management and Budget (@WHOMB) <a href="https://twitter.com/WHOMB/status/1973167864111841311?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
HR 5371, which would have maintained government funding at the level of the previous fiscal year, passed out of the House last month. 
“It is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict,” Vought wrote. “Regardless, employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities. We will issue another memorandum indicating that government functions should resume once the President has signed a bill providing for appropriations.”
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Vought stated that the OMB would provide further guidance to department heads as needed. 
Ahead of the shutdown, Vought <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-plans-federal-job-cuts-as-dems-threaten-shutdown-over-1-5-trillion-leftist-wish-list">issued</a> a memo instructing agencies and departments to prepare for significant reductions in force if a shutdown were to occur. The memo also stated that once funding is secured for the next fiscal year, agencies should move to “retain the minimal number of employees necessary to carry out statutory functions.”
The Senate is slated to reconvene on Wednesday morning to resume voting on government funding.

Vance Says US Headed For Shutdown After Talks With Democrats

Trump Admin Directs ‘Orderly Shutdown’ As Government Funding Expires

federal funding

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Russ Vought

Senate

shutdown-liveblog-redblue_720

SHUTDOWN UPDATES: Dems Don’t Budge In Latest Vote, As White House Warns Paychecks Are On Chopping Block

JD Vance

Mike Johnson

With just hours to go before the looming government shutdown is expected to kick in, a poll by The New York Times suggests that most voters would actually prefer to see Democrats in Congress get to work and find a way to avoid it.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted a screenshot of a single poll question asking 1,075 voters which of the following statements “came closest” to an accurate representation of their opinion on the matter.
“New York Times Poll: 65% of Americans say, ‘the Democrats should not shut down the government, even if their demands are not met,’” Leavitt’s caption read.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
New York Times Poll:
65% of Americans say, “the Democrats should not shut down the government, even if their demands are not met.” <a href="https://t.co/x3CFjzqgm6">pic.twitter.com/x3CFjzqgm6</a>
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1973024518424743946?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The first choice read, “The Democrats should shut down the government if their demands are not met” — and just over one-fourth (27%) of respondents selected that answer. The second, which was chosen by 65% of respondents, read, “The Democrats should not shut down the government, even if their demands are not met.” Just under one-tenth (7%) of respondents did not choose one of the two options.
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Trump’s team shared the same data in graphic form:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 POLL: 65% of Americans say Democrats SHOULD NOT shut down the government <a href="https://t.co/9schOzvYfV">pic.twitter.com/9schOzvYfV</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1973027165739643068?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
House Democrats are all-in on the imminent shutdown, and even shared a group photo celebrating their refusal to come to the table. “House Democrats are in DC and ready to cancel the cuts, lower the costs, save health care,” the caption claimed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
House Democrats are in DC and ready to cancel the cuts, lower the costs, save health care. <a href="https://t.co/vnNRqGD3NS">pic.twitter.com/vnNRqGD3NS</a>
— House Democrats (@HouseDemocrats) <a href="https://twitter.com/HouseDemocrats/status/1972828851442204762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who proved to be the weak link in the last shutdown standoff, has made it clear that he does not intend to budge this time. Indeed, after he argued that it was more important to make sure that the government was funded and people were paid — a position that the NYT poll suggests voters share — Schumer took a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-already-happening-abcs-the-view-is-in-absolute-panic-mode-over-schumer-caving-on-cr">wave of backlash</a> from within his own party for giving Republicans a win. That experience, coupled with an increasingly likely primary from someone further to the left — possibly from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) — has apparently galvanized Schumer to stand his ground in the current fight.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said as much on Tuesday, arguing that Schumer didn’t care if he was blamed for the shutdown because the optics were better for him if he was.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/LeaderJohnThune?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LeaderJohnThune</a>: &#8220;Politically speaking, Chuck Schumer needs a Schumer Shutdown&#8230; This is a made-up problem by the Democrats, who desperately need to satisfy a political base that is hostile to Donald Trump&#8230; This doesn&#8217;t have anything to do with health care.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/BwNdzwqJtn">pic.twitter.com/BwNdzwqJtn</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1973012686796623956?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“I&#8217;m going to tell you, just in the Senate at least, politically speaking, Chuck Schumer needs a Schumer Shutdown,” Thune said. “And I think that&#8217;s what we&#8217;re probably careening toward. But it&#8217;s up to the Democrats. This bill — this 24 pages is sitting at the desk in the Senate right now. It could be picked up and passed, the government stays open, and we complete our appropriations work.”
“They have the same leverage on November the 21st that they have right now,” Thune said of the Democrats, adding, “&#8230; This is a made-up problem by the Democrats, who desperately need to satisfy a political base that is hostile to Donald Trump. That&#8217;s what this is about &#8230; This doesn&#8217;t have anything to do with health care.”

US-POLITICS-TRUMP-CONGRESS

As Dems Prepare To Force A Government Shutdown, Poll Suggests The People Aren’t Falling In Line

As Dems Prepare To Force A Government Shutdown, Poll Suggests The People Aren't Falling In Line

Karoline Leavitt

New York Times

The New York Times

Before President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House on Monday to discuss Trump’s plan to end the Israel-Hamas war, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) made plain what many in the conservative movement already believe: Israel must be allowed to finish the job against terrorist forces that seek its annihilation.
Responding on X to an Axios report that President Trump planned to “squeeze” Netanyahu into a Gaza peace deal, Graham cut straight to the point: “When it comes to terrorist threats, Israel must be allowed to defend itself and finish the job. While I strongly support trying to end major military operations in Gaza and moving toward a new Middle East, it is imperative that this is accomplished in the right way. I do not support ending major military operations if it means that Hamas is not eliminated forever and does not ensure that there will never be another October 7. From my point of view, Israel is not the problem; It is Iran and its proxies that are the problem.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
When it comes to terrorist threats, Israel must be allowed to defend itself and finish the job. 
While I strongly support trying to end major military operations in Gaza and moving toward a new Middle East, it is imperative that this is accomplished in the right way. 
I do not… <a href="https://t.co/DU60e6ayTA">https://t.co/DU60e6ayTA</a>
&mdash; Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1972673127126565260?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
That X post is more than political chest‑thumping — it’s a manifesto of existential clarity. Graham doesn’t fear negotiation, but a hollow cessation that leaves the terror infrastructure intact. To Graham, tactical pauses that preserve Hamas (or fail to neutralize Iran’s regional networks) amount to strategic failure.
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This stance is consistent with a pattern Graham has long championed. In Congressional hearings, he has blasted U.S. officials for withholding weapons from Israel at a moment of peril, framing the issue in stark historical terms — civilian losses in wartime are tragic, but sometimes unavoidable when destroying a mortal enemy. In April 2024, Graham <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-is-obscene-lindsey-graham-unloads-on-secdef-after-u-s-withholds-aid-to-israel?utm_source=chatgpt.com">excoriated</a> Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over delayed munitions shipments to Israel, arguing that restraining Israel’s ability to remove threats would send the wrong signal to Tehran and its proxies. And after the October 7 massacre, he defended Israel’s right to wage total war on Hamas out of necessity to prevent another slaughter.
Trump, for his part, told reporters he was “very confident” his plan would end the Israel‑Hamas war, but Graham’s X post is the reminder conservatives will keep pressing: peace cannot be bought at the price of security.
For Graham and like-minded allies, the equation is simple: eliminate the terror threat, then build peace. Anything less risks another October 7.

Lindsey Graham

‘Finish the Job’: Graham Warns Against Any Gaza Peace Deal That Leaves Hamas Standing

Hamas

Israel

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