The House voted to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act for another three years, and the proposal now heads to the Senate.
The legislation made it to the floor after four Republicans joined Democrats in signing a discharge petition, and 17 Republicans ultimately ended up voting with the Democrats on the extension.
Those Republicans were Reps. Rob Bresnahan, Mike Carey, Monica De La Cruz, Brian Fitzpatrick, Andrew Garbarino, Jeff Hurd, David Joyce, Tom Kean, Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler, Ryan Mackenzie, Max Miller, Zach Nunn, Maria Elvira-Salazar, David Valadao, Derrick Van Orden, and Rob Wittman, according to Punchbowl News.
The successful discharge petition and subsequent passage is seen as a major victory for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
“The House just decisively passed legislation that restores the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Over the objection of Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson. If you don’t know, now you know,” Jeffries posted to X after the vote.
Lawler (R-NY) said in a statement that his vote suggests a “commitment to a bipartisan solution.&#8221;
“Healthcare affordability is not a political issue; it is a governing responsibility. My signature on the discharge for this bill, and my affirmative vote today, is not an endorsement of a clean 3-year extension, but rather a commitment to a bipartisan solution,” Lawler wrote. “I look forward to working with and voting on a Senate-amended bipartisan compromise in the weeks ahead. My focus is always ensuring Hudson Valley families aren’t caught in the gridlock, and that doesn’t change today.”
On the Senate side, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/07/senate-negotiations-health-care-aca-moreno" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Axios</a> reported that there could be a bipartisan deal in the works that would continue the pandemic-era subsidies for another two years.
The lengthy government shutdown in the fall had to do largely with Democrats seeking an extension of the subsidies as a precondition to keeping the government open. Now, the government is set to shutter again if a budget is not passed, but the House also passed some spending bills on Thursday to avoid another shutdown. There are still other bills needing to be worked out in Congress to completely avoid another shutdown, The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/us/politics/house-spending-package.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Times</a> reported.

Federal Government Shuts Down After Congress Fails To Pass Funding Bill

House Votes To Extend Obamacare Subsidies For Another Three Years

Congress

Government Shutdown

Hakeem Jeffries

Health Care

Politics

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Announces He’s Ending His Reelection Bid

The Somali Daycare Scam Is Just The Tip Of The Iceberg. The Truth Will Shock You.

childcare

Fraud

Health Insurance

Matt Walsh

Medicaid

Minnesota

Somalis

Tim Walz

It was a busy 2025 for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who took the reins from Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell in November 2024.
The Daily Wire’s Washington Bureau Chief Tim Rice spoke with the Republican leader for Thursday&#8217;s episode of “Morning Wire” and reflected on what the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term has looked like in the upper congressional chamber. Thune also looked ahead to the big debate on Capitol Hill around health insurance, as some Affordable Care Act subsidies are set to expire on Wednesday.
As the Obamacare issue looms, Thune gave some insight into what he would be looking for in a health care plan.
“What we do believe makes sense is a model that a creates for an expansion of health savings accounts and putting the money back in the pockets of people in this country, incentivizing them to buy the insurance that makes sense for them, rather than buying the insurance the government tells &#8217;em they have to buy,” Thune said.
“And so they get a better rate, lower premium and better access to coverage. And I think those are things, those are elements of healthcare policy that we think makes sense, and none of which were included in what the Democrats voted on last week or what the Democrats in the House are trying to get done over there now,” he continued.
The health care debate focuses on whether the Obamacare subsidies should continue to keep premiums down. The lengthy federal government shutdown in the fall centered around the Obamacare debate, and it could strike Washington once <a href="https://www.livenowfox.com/news/government-could-shut-down-again-january-what-we-know">again</a> if lawmakers do not pass a bill to continue funding the government after January 30. Many conservatives argue that the program was unsustainable to begin with.
Thune said that 2025 was a &#8220;very productive&#8221; year thanks to President Donald Trump&#8217;s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,&#8221; which was passed by Congress and signed into law in July.
“In fact, the president&#8217;s agenda, for the most part, was all accomplished in that &#8216;One Big, Beautiful Bill.&#8217; Whether it&#8217;s national security or the border, energy, tax policy, school choice have been a priority for the movement for a long time, newborn accounts, childcare,” Thune said, also noting the farm bill and “the biggest spending reduction literally in history.”
However, he noted that being able to get the bill passed and to the president’s desk in July “was a Herculean task.”
“If you&#8217;d spread that out, you know, these things over a long period of time, like we would normally do, then it would look like a lot of stuff,&#8221; Thune continued. He also highlighted different Trump administration nominees making their way through the chamber, as well as cutting red tape, especially on energy.
“So it&#8217;s been busy, just in terms of volume of votes and time, and then in session and all that too. But I think also, I would argue very productive. But doing it all in one big, a lot of that one big package, then it gets the peanut gallery going, like, &#8216;Why aren&#8217;t you guys doing anything this week?&#8217;” the Republican said.
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The majority leader also addressed national security concerns, as well as threats abroad, like the recent antisemitic terrorist attack in Bondi Beach, Australia.
“His investment in securing the border, working with us, his investment in America&#8217;s national security and projecting a policy of peace through strength around the world are all things that contribute to keeping people in this country safe,” the Republican said regarding Trump’s agenda on public safety.
“But when you see things like what happened in Australia, or even things that some of these horrible incidents here in the United States, they&#8217;re really tragic,” he said.
“I think that the best thing we can do is try to put in place the things that our law enforcement needs, that our military needs to deter bad behavior. And then, of course, obviously, when it happens make sure that people are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. And I think the president&#8217;s focus on law enforcement and on security is in a clear-eyed way, focused on that,” the majority leader later continued.

Senators Hold Their Policy Luncheons At The Capitol

Thune Previews Major Hurdle To Start 2026 After Momentous First Year As Majority Leader

John Thune

Senate

Rural health care is getting a big boost thanks to the Trump administration.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced on Monday that all 50 states will receive funding through the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion investment established through President Trump&#8217;s Working Families Tax Cuts legislation.
This $50 billion initiative is meant to strengthen and modernize health care in rural communities across the country. The funds will be allocated over five years, with $10 billion available each year from 2026 through 2030. For the first year, the money for each state ranges from $147 million to $281 million.
“Today marks an extraordinary milestone for rural health in America,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “Thanks to Congress establishing this investment and President Trump for his leadership, states are stepping forward with bold, creative plans to expand rural access, strengthen their workforces, modernize care, and support the communities that keep our nation running.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Thanks to the Rural Health Transformation Fund, created by congressional Republicans and signed into law by President Trump, we are investing $50 BILLION in rural healthcare across America! <a href="https://t.co/4pA6EsLc0f">pic.twitter.com/4pA6EsLc0f</a>
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/HouseGOP/status/2005698509245198634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that because of the investment, rural Americans will have affordable health care close to home, free from bureaucratic obstacles.
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“More than 60 million Americans living in rural areas have the right to equal access to quality care,” Kennedy said. “This historic investment puts local hospitals, clinics, and health workers in control of their communities’ health care.&#8221;
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services stated in a press release Monday that states are improving healthcare access in rural areas by planning efforts that will:
<ul>
<li>Bring More Care Within Reach</li>
<li>Strengthen and Sustain the Rural Clinical Workforce</li>
<li>Modernize Rural Health Infrastructure and Technology</li>
<li>Driving Structural Efficiency &amp; Empowering the Community Providers</li>
<li>Advance Innovative Care Models and Payment Reform</li>
</ul>
Oz told reporters Monday the $50 billion investment isn&#8217;t intended to pay off the bills: “The purpose of this $50 billion investment is to allow us to rightsize the system and to deal with the fundamental hindrances of improvement in rural health care.”
As part of the program, states are required to submit regular updates to the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services. Oz said he wants states to get creative with the funds to change the way health care has been administered in rural America.
&#8220;By doing this the right way and by allowing more practitioners to move to these areas and training nurses and doctors in these rural areas, we think they will stay put and provide high-quality care,&#8221; Oz said.

Illustration by Daily Wire staff

Trump Admin Invests $50 Billion Into Rural Health Care

Dr. Oz

Executive

Health and Human Services

Mehmet Oz

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

U.S.

United States lawmakers and other sex workers are holed up in Washington D.C. discussing what to do about Obamacare.
The problem is that the massive subsidies of taxpayer dollars that have been funding the bill are about to expire, and should they run out, the only way to continue doing the important work that Obamacare does would be to rake all our money into one big pile then set it on fire and dance around the blaze, chanting, “Oh, look, healthcare is affordable now! Just keep raking.”
Democrats are searching to find ways to keep Obamacare alive while simultaneously bringing down the cost of healthcare. They’re working on such cost-cutting innovations as building doctor’s offices on the top floors of skyscrapers, then having the exit door from the waiting room lead directly out of the building to a fifty story drop to the pavement below, thus limiting the patient’s healthcare needs to a mop and a headstone.
Another version of this inevitable Obamacare addendum is called Medical Assistance in Dying or MAID, in which doctors who previously fulfilled their sacred Hippocratic oath to “Do No Harm,” by performing abortions and castrating little boys for no reason, will now simply murder their patients to keep them from running up their healthcare bills.
The Democrats will attempt to sell the public on the MAID idea with an upbeat holiday-themed ad campaign called “Everybody Ought to Have a MAID.” The ads will include a catchy jingle with the lyrics: 
<blockquote>Why decay, day by day, when, hooray, you can just pass away? 
We killed your babies, then as a bonus, we tried to cut off your son’s cojones.
Now rather than bear the healthcare onus, all you have to do is phone us and you won’t be billed, you’ll just be killed.</blockquote>
And okay, it’s not Sondheim, but it works better than Obamacare.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974735 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-1024x171.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-1024x171.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-768x128.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-1536x256.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now.jpg 1800w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Now some lawmakers feel the problems with Obamacare are built into the system. The way Obamacare works is this: Imagine a strapping, healthy 25-year-old man. Now imagine a 90-year-old man slowly being devoured by a slimy, oozing, bubbling green old man fungus spreading inch by inch over his skin and painfully dissolving his flesh into a malodorous puddle of boiling blood-soaked goo. Now stop giggling. You people are sick. You disgust me.
Anyway, under Obamacare, the healthy 25-year-old and the bubbling, stinky fungus man pay exactly the same amount for health insurance. Now, of course, the 25-year-old will soon begin to think: Hey, I&#8217;m not sick. Why should I pay rates meant to cover dissolving fungus face over there? Ah, but Obamacare had a fix for that called the mandate. Under the mandate, if people refused to pay for healthcare they didn&#8217;t need, the government would simply steal their money at gunpoint and pay for it anyway. Unfortunately, the mandate was canceled, but luckily, the Democrats replaced the mandate with subsidies through which they steal everybody’s money at gunpoint but instead of calling it a mandate, they call it subsidies.
Now you might say: well, we can’t just go on stealing people&#8217;s money to pay for 90-year-old bubbling fungus people forever because we&#8217;d run out of money! But then you would be a Republican and you’d be forced to do nothing, because you’d be a contemptible poltroon, too cowardly to explain to people that we should leave the whole business to the free market.
If you’re a Democrat, you have a better plan, which is to keep subsidizing bubbling fungi until the national debt is so high we have to sell the entire country to China. Then the Chinese can deal with our healthcare by saying, “Oh, look, there’s a malodorous fungus person, let’s harvest his organs, then invade Taiwan.”
At that point, Republicans can finally take action by going on Fox News and shouting, “This is all the Democrats’ fault and would never have happened if someone had had the courage to stop them! Now we must go to war against China, which we would definitely do, if we could still afford a Navy.”
Democrats, on the other hand, will simply rake all our money into a big pile and set it on fire, then dance around the blaze, chanting, “Well, at least we still have Obamacare,” except in Chinese.
* * *
This excerpt is taken from the opening satirical monologue of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Andrew Klavan Show</a>.”
Andrew Klavan is the host of “The Andrew Klavan Show” at The Daily Wire. Klavan is the bestselling author of numerous books, including the Cameron Winter Mystery series. The fifth installment, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/After-That-Cameron-Winter-Mysteries/dp/1613166869/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3EGZUC370LG46&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Y_NI0mDOKeowShheDQTVx5NH-fAeimJoCD56_T0Acpl8C0mup7uJf-nGGSRLEItaaekoDnvS2vWLMa4Zd2UBXQ8Y-g-P502jOWz-Y8IX3ZQsdlO7WMLrg1xIhNoKmjCorSWUR4C2l_RbiZ7apJ1MfPzGOrrEf7AdAXX6xwnJRVP_XqUfWuMuVthTWscaU3P4vgmS86-96n-721enHfX12CFQWTajqFbVnrsDkexfUf4.6_gTH6h1Bb9Pn375QdF_VAVZSayDvjQBBKGXE-MTiFo&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=klavan&amp;qid=1754049918&amp;sprefix=%2Caps%2C80&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">After That, The Dark,</a> is NOW AVAILABLE. Follow him on X: <a href="https://x.com/andrewklavan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@andrewklavan</a>.
The views expressed in this satirical piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Democrats Fail To Extend Affordable Care Act Subsidies In Government Funding Deal

The Democratic Plan To Extend Obamacare By Using All Of Your Money

Andrew Klavan

Democrats

Humor

Obamacare

Satire

Suspected assassin Luigi Mangione reportedly pumped his fist in court on Monday, as video footage rolled allegedly showing officers finding a loaded magazine in his backpack.
<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/luigi-mangione-pumps-fist-court-police-body-cam-allegedly-reveals-loaded-magazine-found-inside-wet-underwear">According</a> to Fox News, Mangione pumped his fist while sitting in a Manhattan courtroom as body cam footage being played showed Altoona police officer Christy Wasser searching the suspect&#8217;s backpack and allegedly finding a magazine with bullets wrapped in wet underwear.
&#8220;There was another magazine hidden in his underwear,&#8221; Wasser says on the video. Another person then says, &#8220;it&#8217;s f***ing him,&#8221; Fox reported.
The footage was taken inside a McDonald&#8217;s, where Mangione was found after a days-long, nationwide manhunt. The Ivy League grad was then the only suspect in the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione was charged last year with stalking and murdering Thompson. The CEO, a father of two, was shot from behind while walking toward a New York City hotel to attend a corporate investor conference for UnitedHealthcare last December. 
Prosecution claims Thompson was targeted over the suspect’s grievances with the health insurance industry, citing a “manifesto.” Additionally, recovered shell casings included the inscriptions “delay,” “deny,” and “depose.”
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Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty on all counts, is facing life in prison for a state case against him, and potentially the death penalty if he’s convicted in a federal case. 
Currently, the 27-year-old is in week two of a pretrial evidentiary hearing for the state case. His lawyers are asking that key evidence be suppressed in the trial, arguing that the evidence was found on Mangione without a warrant and before Mangione was read his Miranda rights. The evidence in question is crucial to the case, including the 9mm handgun allegedly matching the murder weapon, and a notebook that prosecutors say contains writings revealing Mangione’s motive for the assassination. 
Mangione&#8217;s team also wants statements tossed that the suspect made to police, which they say were made before Mangione was read his Miranda rights.
The state is arguing that the search of Mangione’s backpack was lawful and not unreasonable since officers needed to search the suspect’s bag over safety concerns, to make sure there were no weapons or dangerous items on Mangione when they found him at the McDonald&#8217;s.
The prosecution also argues that Mangione spoke to them voluntarily and before he was in formal custody, so the Miranda requirement doesn’t apply. They also note that the only statement they plan to use is when officers asked Mangione for his name, and he allegedly gave a false name in response.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/luigi-mangione-groupies-flock-to-courthouse-in-support-of-alleged-assassin">Luigi Mangione Groupies Flock To Courthouse In Support Of Alleged Assassin</a>

Luigi Mangione Attends State Court Hearing In New York

Luigi Mangione Pumps Fist In Court During Critical Moment Of Trial

Courts

Luigi Mangione

Murder

Imagine tuning into a Sunday football game. Amid the flurry of touchdowns and tackles, the commercials are filled with familiar names — State Farm, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, and Farmers — vying for your dollars to cover your cars, homes, and personal liability. You have choices, and the competing advertisements are evidence of a robust marketplace where consumers benefit from price competition and innovation. But imagine if, alongside those ads, you could also shop for your health insurance — across state lines, no different than car or home coverage. Here lies a fundamental problem in American healthcare: you cannot buy most health insurance plans outside your own state. Unlike auto and home insurance, which have broad risk pools and interstate competition, health insurance markets remain balkanized, resulting in fewer choices and higher costs for consumers.
The roots of this uniquely American challenge date back to World War II, when the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration instituted wage and price controls to curb inflation. Employers, competing for talent but unable to boost salaries, <a href="https://www.aqpsearch.com/news/a-brief-history-of-employer-sponsored-healthcare">began offering health insurance as a fringe benefit</a> — a decision that intertwined employment and insurance in a way that persists today. At the time, it may have seemed like progress, but it has left countless Americans dependent on their employers for coverage. When jobs change, so does coverage, leaving those between jobs exposed and often without affordable options. Those ineligible for Medicaid — because their income is just above the cutoff — are especially at risk for being uninsured.
Decades later, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, commonly known as “Obamacare,&#8221; sought to address the coverage and affordability crisis — most acutely faced by people with preexisting conditions who previously found insurance unattainable unless provided through an employer. The ACA succeeded in expanding insurance coverage to millions, particularly through Medicaid expansion and the establishment of insurance marketplaces. However, for those who do not qualify for federal subsidies, premiums and deductibles have <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2025/10/14/how-obamacare-set-in-motion-todays-premium-crisis/">soared</a>. In many instances, families can face monthly premiums in the thousands, coupled with out-of-pocket costs so high that insurance feels more like catastrophic “coverage” than true protection. So while the ACA has done some good, it has not even come close to solving the affordability problem for which it is named.
The reasons for these persistent affordability issues are not mysterious. The underlying dynamics are straightforward, even as the system itself grows ever more complex. First, the ACA left state-level insurance monopolies untouched. Insurers still must navigate and adhere to rules that keep them within state lines, limiting the competitive pressure that could lower costs. Second, the oft-repeated promise from President Obama — “If you like your plan, you can keep your plan” — proved optimistic at best. The law introduced <a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/essential-health-benefits/">10 “essential health benefits”</a> that all compliant plans had to cover, forcing many consumers off less expensive plans that no longer met federal guidelines. As a result, they and many others have found themselves paying more for benefits they did not want or need, in effect <a href="https://www.law.georgetown.edu/georgetown-law-journal/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2018/07/GT-GGLJ180016.pdf">subsidizing coverage for others</a>. The state of California even <a href="https://californiahealthline.org/news/article/covered-california-record-enrollment-aca-obamacare-subsidies-jeopardy/">brags</a> that most of those who are subsidized are provided with “Silver” plans, but doesn’t say how this is on the backs of those who can only afford “Bronze” plans. This is due to how the subsidy thresholds and cross-subsidization mechanisms work, which is grossly unfair.
Third, the entire model of private health insurance negotiation keeps true prices obscured from patients. When a patient asks for the “cash price” for a procedure, providers often cannot answer because what any individual owes depends on secretive agreements negotiated between insurers and healthcare providers. This lack of transparency keeps patients in the dark and undermines genuine market discipline.
So why, after all these years, have costs continued to rise with little improvement in affordability? The answer lies in political paralysis and conflicting priorities. Democrats, many of whom see the ACA as a bridge to “single-payer” or “Medicare for All,” have settled for more federal entanglement in healthcare. They frame healthcare as a universal right; yet, rights in a constitutional sense do not compel one party to render goods or services to another. Insurance, whether for health or property, is fundamentally a contract — a product someone may buy, not an entitlement.
Republicans, for their part, have ardently opposed the ACA for over a decade, but rarely offer comprehensive, workable alternatives. Their efforts have focused on repeal rather than reform, missing opportunities to build consensus around real improvements in price transparency, portability, and increased consumer choice.
What might genuine reform look like? First, Congress should act to preempt state laws that prevent insurers from <a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/reforming-health-insurance-competition-across-state-lines">selling across state lines</a>. This change would foster true competition, broaden risk pools, and, by analogy to auto and home insurance, drive down costs for most consumers. Second, policymakers should require transparent pricing from healthcare providers. Using the negotiated prices that already appear on every patient statement as a baseline, providers could set clear, upfront prices for services, allowing consumers to shop and plan accordingly. Third, the government should remove the “10 essential benefits” coverage requirement, letting consumers tailor plans to individual needs — just as with any other form of insurance — while maintaining the current requirement to cover those with preexisting conditions. High-risk pools, already used effectively in auto insurance for drivers with numerous or serious violations, could support those with extraordinary health risks without distorting the broader market.
In sum, addressing the high cost of American healthcare requires breaking up monopolies, shining a light on real prices, and empowering consumers to choose products that suit their needs, providing health insurance portability, and eventually ending employer-sponsored healthcare. Instead, employers could offer to cover or enhance existing employee policies as a fringe benefit, but the employee’s health insurance would no longer rely on any employer. Only then can Americans enjoy a health insurance marketplace as dynamic — and as affordable — as the ones that already exist for our cars and homes.
* * *
Walter Myers III is a Southern California-based Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
* * *
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It’s Time To Say Goodbye To The Obamacare Failure

Affordable

Federal Government

Opinion

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that an extension to Obamacare subsidies &#8220;may be necessary,” but he would prefer a plan that made direct payments to American citizens instead.
The Affordable Care Act/Obamacare subsidies, set to expire at the end of the year, were the focus of Democrats&#8217; demands during the government shutdown. Some Republicans have pushed to let them expire, while others have argued they should be extended. The Senate is expected to vote on the future of the subsidies sometime in December. 
While en route to Florida on Tuesday night, Trump was asked if he would like to see the Obamacare subsidies extended. 
“I’d rather not. Somebody said I want to extend them for two years. I don’t want to extend them for two years,” Trump <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/2K8V3xqC9Gc">told</a> reporters on board Air Force One. “I’d rather not extend them at all. Some kind of an extension may be necessary to get something else done because the &#8216;Unaffordable Care Act&#8217; has been a disaster.” 
When asked what kind of health care policy he would like to see, Trump said it would involve the federal government giving people money to purchase their own plans. 
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“I like my plan the best. Don’t give any money to the insurance companies; give it to the people directly. Let them buy their own health care plan,” Trump said. “And we’re looking at that. If that can work. We’re looking at that. That’s sort of taking off. That’s what I like. Don&#8217;t give the money to the insurance companies.”
Trump said that skyrocketing health care premiums were “the Democrats’ fault,” but added that they were negotiating with him. 
&#8220;It’s very interesting,” he said. ”I can’t tell you who, but we have a lot of Democrats who want this plan to happen. They would love to see the money go to the people and the people go out and get their own health care.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s comments came after POLITICO <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/24/trump-health-care-subsidies-backlash-00667751" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that he planned to introduce a plan that included a two-year extension of Obamacare subsidies. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/11/25/donald-trump-affordable-care-act-subsidies-tax-credit/87473037007/">said</a> on Tuesday that health care discussions were ongoing. 
&#8220;The president is having ongoing conversations with members of his administration, members of Congress, and private sector experts,&#8221; she said. &#8220;He will make recommendations for healthcare policy improvements in the near future.”
On November 18, Trump said on social media that the only plan he would support or approve would be one that sends “THE MONEY DIRECTLY BACK TO THE PEOPLE, WITH NOTHING GOING TO THE BIG, FAT, RICH INSURANCE COMPANIES, WHO HAVE MADE $TRILLIONS, AND RIPPED OFF AMERICA LONG ENOUGH.”

President Trump Departs Washington To Spend Thanksgiving Weekend In Florida

Trump Says Obamacare Extension ‘May Be Necessary’

Donald Trump

Health

WASHINGTON—Congress may have reopened the government, but it still has to decide what to do with the Obamacare subsidies at the center of the shutdown fight. Senator Bill Cassidy thinks they should go straight to American families — not health insurance companies.
Cassidy, who chairs the Health, Education, Labor &amp; Pensions Committee, told The Daily Wire this week that he was working with Republicans and Democrats alike on a proposal that would give Americans money to pay for care directly, which he says would empower patients and lower costs.
&#8220;There&#8217;s things you have to work through,&#8221; the Louisiana Republican said about his colleagues across the aisle. &#8220;Some think, ‘wait a second,’ that the preconception is, consumer-driven health care — it has to be funded out of the paycheck. I&#8217;m saying, ‘no, it&#8217;s going to be pre-funded with money that would otherwise go to the insurance companies.'&#8221;
Cassidy explained that the enhanced premium subsidies, which were extended during the coronavirus pandemic and are set to expire at the end of this year, would be deposited into Health Savings Accounts controlled by patients.
During the shutdown, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer proposed a plan to extend ACA subsidies for one year. Republicans called the plan &#8220;dead on arrival.&#8221;
On November 8, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) spoke on the Senate <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF6vZPmcvlo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">floor</a> and said he believes Americans “deserve quality, affordable health care.”
“And they haven’t gotten that with Obamacare. Reforms are needed that actually lower costs, that protect the taxpayers,&#8221; Barrasso said. &#8220;The American people deserve a full debate about the unaffordability of Obamacare. Senator Schumer’s offer does nothing to address the cost of health care, does nothing to lower premiums, does nothing to reassure the American people.&#8221;
Barrasso said Schumer’s proposal makes “insurance companies richer and taxpayers poorer.”
In a shutdown-ending deal, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) promised Democrats a vote on a healthcare proposal by the second week of December. However, it is unclear what that may be.
On Monday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) held a press conference and <a href="https://democraticleader.house.gov/media/press-releases/leader-jeffries-affordable-care-act-tax-credits-expire-next-month-and" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> Republicans for their refusal to extend the tax credits and said “tens of millions of Americans are about to experience dramatically increased premiums, copays, and deductibles.”
Jeffries previously said he wouldn’t support a one-year extension and was pushing for a three-year extension for the subsidies. However, given that the Senate wouldn&#8217;t even vote on a one-year extension, there&#8217;s little to no chance this would pass.
Cassidy spoke about the proposal on the Senate <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RwcNIRxjBY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">floor</a> last week and proposed the idea to give credits directly to patients and empower them to manage their own health care decisions.
He said Obamacare has “tried to make health insurance affordable” by “throwing billions at it.”
“The problem with that — that doesn’t make healthcare affordable, it just makes the health insurance premium less expensive for those who are on exchanges,” Cassidy said at the time.
“Let’s fix health care, and let’s give the patient the power,” he continued.
President Donald Trump has also <a href="https://x.com/SenBillCassidy/status/1987176209936232807?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoken</a> in support of giving money directly to the people, most recently in a Nov. 8 Truth Social post.
“We were so totally in sync,&#8221; Cassidy told reporters of the president on Monday. &#8220;He wants to take dollars that would go to an insurance company and send them to the individual.&#8221;
Initially, Cassidy pitched his proposal through flexible spending accounts — but he said he believes Health Savings Accounts would be the better route.
“As it turns out, it&#8217;s more practical, and I can tell you why, to do it through the Health Savings Account, which he proposed, but it&#8217;s still the same thing,&#8221; Cassidy said. &#8220;I think it&#8217;s a melding of a vision, and to say it&#8217;s a melding implies they were different beforehand. This is exactly what he&#8217;s expressing, exactly what I was expressing.&#8221;
The proposal has publicly received support from Sen. Bernie <a href="https://x.com/SenBillCassidy/status/1987244986044158318?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moreno</a> (R-OH) and interest from Sen. Maria <a href="https://x.com/SenBillCassidy/status/1987670490031554716?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cantwell</a> (D-WA).
“I think this has got a lot of appeal to conservatives,&#8221; Cassidy told reporters. &#8220;I love it, but I think it&#8217;s got a lot of appeal to people who are left of center, too.&#8221;
While the bill text has not yet been released, Cassidy is confident that if the Senate were to pass the idea, the president would ask House Speaker Mike Johnson to consider it on the floor, and the president will sign it because “it&#8217;s consistent with the policy that he has put forward.”
The Senate Finance Committee is <a href="https://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/the-rising-cost-of-health-care-considering-meaningful-solutions-for-all-americans">holding a hearing</a> on the enhanced Obamacare subsidies on Wednesday.

Sen Bill Cassidy

‘Give The Patient The Power’: Cassidy Says Subsidies Should Go To Families, Not Insurance Companies

bill Cassidy

Democrats are lashing out at the eight senators from their own party who voted to reopen the government without securing more federal subsidies for the Affordable Care Act &#8212; but a new survey of small business owners reveals that Democrats&#8217; favorite health care policy may not be playing well with the American electorate.
“The cost of health insurance has gone up every year since the ACA,” a Pennsylvania manufacturer told the National Federation of Independent Business. “No small business can keep up with the costs.&#8221;
Health insurance premiums rose <a href="https://www.cms.gov/cciio/resources/forms-reports-and-other-resources/downloads/uninsured-affordability-in-marketplace.pdf">143%</a> in the first six years after the ACA, colloquially known as Obamacare, took effect. Next year, premiums are set to rise <a href="https://www.kff.org/quick-take/aca-insurers-are-raising-premiums-by-an-estimated-26-but-most-enrollees-could-see-sharper-increases-in-what-they-pay/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">26%</a> on average. Democrats say these rising premiums justify Congress approving <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61734">$24.6 billion</a> worth of taxpayer-funded subsidies, while Republicans say the need to spend billions offsetting premium costs proves that the ACA is unaffordable and unsustainable.
&#8220;The increase will surely kill many small businesses in the next couple of years,&#8221; the Pennsylvania manufacturer said. &#8220;Soon I will no longer be able to offer health insurance to my employees. In turn, this will cost me good employees.&#8221;
He&#8217;s not the only one feeling the crunch.
&#8220;It is becoming increasingly difficult to provide medical insurance that the company and employees can afford,&#8221; a manufacturer from Ohio added.
Obamacare prices were at the heart of the longest government shutdown in American history, which the Senate voted to break Monday night after 41 days. Republicans pushed for a continuing resolution to reopen the government, while Democrats refused to agree unless the measure included a one-year extension of ACA subsidies.
From the Senate Floor, Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) argued preserving the ACA was essential.
&#8220;I must vote no [to reopen the government] because health care prices are so severe, so urgent, and so devastating for families back home,&#8221; Schumer said. &#8220;I cannot support this CR that fails to address the health care crisis.&#8221;
The National Federation of Independent Business&#8217; optimism index fell 0.6 points in October, according to the report. The sharpest contributor to October’s dip was a deterioration in earning trends, with 25% of owners reporting lower profits. NFIB’s Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg reported the government shutdown likely played a role, as the Uncertainty Index fell 12 points to its lowest reading this year.
Despite the pullback, optimism among small businesses remains three points above the low from earlier this year and above its 52-year average of 98. Confidence hit its lowest point in April amid market volatility and tariff-related uncertainty, before rebounding midyear as conditions stabilized.
The labor market continues to frustrate small employers. Like last month, small businesses reported a tight labor market with labor quality remaining the most significant problem in October. Small businesses report struggling to compete with large corporations offering higher wages, signing bonuses, and more comprehensive benefits.
The gap is most apparent in skilled trades, where 28% of small businesses reported job openings they can’t fill. Jobs for electricians, plumbers, welders, HVAC technicians, and construction workers are among the hardest to supply. <a href="https://www.nfib.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/NFIB-SBET-Report-Oct.-2025.pdf">Nearly half (49%)</a> of small businesses in the construction industry reported not being able to find construction workers.
This trend was years in the making. Fewer young people have pursued vocational programs and many older, experienced tradespeople have retired. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average age in the manufacturing industry is 44 and the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat18b.htm">average age</a> of a construction worker is 42, signaling an aging workforce.
However, there may be reason for cautious optimism. Recent studies suggest that Gen Z is increasingly turning toward <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mike-rowe-reacts-to-rise-in-skilled-trade-enrollment-calls-gen-z-the-next-toolbelt-generation">trade careers</a>, motivated by higher education costs and concerns that artificial intelligence could disrupt traditional white-collar jobs.
While overall small business optimism has cooled in recent months, the survey reports that business &#8220;won’t be pleasant until the shutdown is ended.” With the reopening of the government, many business owners expect the negative impacts of the shutdown to reverse.

Shutdown Risks Leaving Millions With Costlier Health Insurance

Small Business Owners Are Sick Of Rising Obamacare Costs

Economy

Small Businesses

WASHINGTON—The Senate passed a bipartisan agreement Monday night to reopen the federal government, which, if it passes the House as expected, will bring an end to the longest government shutdown in the nation’s history.
As the shutdown reached day 41, lawmakers passed a final package including a continuing resolution until January 30 and three bipartisan full-year appropriations bills — also known as a &#8220;minibus.&#8221;
A big hurdle was cleared late Sunday night when the Senate voted 60-40 on the House-passed continuing resolution, officially reaching the 60-vote threshold needed to pass.
Lawmakers extended the resolutions expiration date — originally set for November 21 — so the regular appropriations process could continue after the prolonged shutdown.
On Sunday, after 14 failed votes to reopen the government, Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin (IL), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Maggie Hassan (NH), Jacky Rosen (NV), and Tim Kaine (VA) flipped their votes to side with Republicans.
The group that previously sided with Republicans voted with them again: Sens. Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), Angus King (I-ME), and John Fetterman (D-PA).
For nearly 40 days, both parties held firm. Democrats said they wanted to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits — which expire at the end of the year — among other demands. Republicans said they’d discuss health care, but demanded the Democrats vote to open the government first.
While Republicans did not give Democrats an extension of the tax credits, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said on the floor Sunday night that he guaranteed Democrats a vote no later than the second week in December on their health care proposal.
The deal also reinstates reductions in force (RIFs) that occurred during the shutdown.
The “minibus” includes full-year funding for agriculture appropriations, military construction-VA appropriations, and legislative branch appropriations.
On November 7, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) proposed a one-year ACA extension in exchange for immediately ending the shutdown.
The proposal was swiftly rejected as a &#8220;non-starter&#8221; from Republicans.
Thune said on Sunday that he was &#8220;thankful to be able to say that we have senators, both Democrat and Republican, who are eager to get to work to address that crisis in a bipartisan way.&#8221;
&#8220;These senators are not interested in political games – they’re interested in finding real ways to address health care costs for American families. We also have a president who is willing to sit down and get to work on this issue,&#8221; Thune said.
Thune said he is looking forward to seeing &#8220;what solutions might be brought forward.&#8221;
Schumer, in a <a href="https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/1987710257053790574?s=20">post on X</a> Sunday night, vowed to &#8220;keep fighting&#8221; and said Dems &#8220;have been fighting for months to address America&#8217;s healthcare crisis. For the millions who will lose coverage&#8230;&#8221;
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem <a href="https://x.com/RepJeffries/status/1987665600731103513?s=20">Jeffries</a> (D-NY) and <a href="https://x.com/RepMcGovern/status/1987686691411272130?s=20">several</a> <a href="https://x.com/DorisMatsui/status/1987741459316105554">House</a> Democrats took to X to oppose the Senate’s proposal.
Jeffries said he will not support spending legislation advanced by Senate Republicans that “fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.&#8221;
The House is expected to vote on the resolution as early as Wednesday.

Chuck Schumer

Senate Dems Finally Crack, Vote To End 41-Day ‘Schumer Shutdown’

Republicans

Advocates for assisted suicide in Canada, where it&#8217;s been legal for just under a decade, are pushing to expand the practice to children.
Canada’s euthanasia program, known as MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying), started back in 2016 for people whose natural death was “reasonably foreseeable” and wanted to end their lives. It&#8217;s already been expanded — both expanding the pool of adults who are eligible and how it can be administered, leading to an explosion of suicides in recent years. 
Now, groups are calling for minors as young as 12 years old to be included in the government-funded suicide program. One advocacy group, called “Dying With Dignity Canada,&#8221; recommends minors as young as 12 be included in the program, and goes as far as to suggest 16 and 17-year-olds shouldn&#8217;t even need parental consent to be killed by a doctor if they fit broad criteria. 
The group calls for assessing age eligibility based on &#8220;maturity&#8221; rather than &#8220;chronological age.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_993695" style="width: 796px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-993695" class="wp-image-993695 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-30-at-1.55.52-PM-786x576.png" alt="" width="786" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-30-at-1.55.52-PM-786x576.png 786w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-30-at-1.55.52-PM-300x220.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-30-at-1.55.52-PM-768x563.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-30-at-1.55.52-PM.png 1526w" sizes=" (max-width: 786px) 100vw, 786px" />Dying With Dignity Canada</div>
Experts say the advocacy shows there was merit to the &#8220;slippery slope&#8221; argument made against the law from the outset.
“There is a kind of gruesome, relentless logic at work here, and this is why the logical ‘slippery slope’ argument is a valid argument,&#8221; Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, a psychiatrist and director at Ethics and Public Policy Center, told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Once you cross the line of allowing doctors to kill patients, once you cross the line of accepting the basic premise of the euthanasia movement &#8212; which is that some lives are not worth living and therefore these people should be killed by the medical profession, then it&#8217;s very hard to argue that there should be any limitations.&#8221; 
The MAiD program started back in 2016, with only people whose natural death was “reasonably foreseeable” eligible. In 99% of cases, a medical professional administers a substance that causes a person’s death, which is technically euthanasia. In the other cases, a person will be provided a substance to self-administer to cause their own death, which is defined as assisted suicide. 
There&#8217;s only been an expansion of these procedures since the creation of MAiD, with massive growth in 2021, when chronic illness and disability were included as sole reasons for someone to be euthanized. 
With an increasing number of people being euthanized every year, 2023 data shows more than 15,000 people were killed via MAiD. That accounts for 4.7% of all deaths in Canada. Put another way, about <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0j1z14p57po">1 in 20</a> Canadians who die every year are being euthanized. 
Advocates for including so-called &#8220;mature&#8221; minors in the MAiD program argue that children need more autonomy over their health care, and note that minors can already consent or refuse certain medical treatments, so including them, they argue, would be consistent. They say it&#8217;s about compassion. 
The &#8220;slippery slope&#8221; argument, Kheriaty said, is playing out in real time in Canada. &#8220;Your basic premise, your basic argument is people should be able to do this on the basis of one of two things: autonomy and choice on the one hand, or pain and suffering on the other hand. And people can always invoke pain and suffering,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Who&#8217;s to say that they&#8217;re not suffering more than someone who qualified under the law, right?&#8221;
Kheriaty said that just a few years ago, he may have viewed the movement to euthanize minors as fringe. He doesn&#8217;t view it that way anymore.
“A few years ago, I would&#8217;ve said, &#8216;No, I don&#8217;t think the Canadian regime is going to go that far to have so-called &#8216;mature minors,&#8217; adolescents avail themselves of euthanasia,'&#8221; he said. &#8220;But now, I’m sad to say I wouldn&#8217;t put it past them.&#8221;
In addition to the movement to include minors in the MAiD program, there&#8217;s a strong push to include people who suffer solely from mental health issues, like depression. That’s set to take effect in 2027. But Kheriaty says it&#8217;s already happening in Canada. 
 “There have been at least a few cases described and reported widely in the last couple of years in Canada,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I remember one case of, I believe it was a 27-year-old female, a woman in her twenties <a href="https://calgary.citynews.ca/2024/06/04/calgary-maid-appeal-case-advocacy-groups-intervene/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">whose sole diagnosis was autism and ADHD</a>, neither of which are terminal conditions.&#8221;
&#8220;So even if it&#8217;s not officially legalized in Canada yet, that psychiatric conditions can be used as the sole criteria for euthanasia,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There have been reported cases in the literature where clearly that&#8217;s been happening already.”
Kheriaty believes opposition must come from the medical community. 
&#8220;Most people who avail themselves of this have a deep-seated fear that they&#8217;re going to be a burden on others,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;They&#8217;re gonna be a burden on society. They&#8217;re gonna be a burden on the medical community that&#8217;s not gonna want to care for them.&#8221;
&#8220;And we have to respond, rather than abandoning the patient by saying, &#8216;Yes, here&#8217;s the poison pill,&#8217; or, &#8216;I&#8217;ll administer the poison injection to you.&#8217; We have to respond by saying, &#8216;No, it&#8217;s a privilege to care for you.&#8217; It&#8217;s a privilege to walk with you through what might be the final stage of your life — in the cases where someone has been diagnosed with the terminal illness. Or, it&#8217;s a privilege to care for you if you&#8217;ve been diagnosed with a mental illness and maybe it&#8217;s been difficult to treat. Let&#8217;s continue to work to find ways to treat this.&#8221;
A failure to do so would hurt society&#8217;s most vulnerable.
&#8220;Assisted suicide is both dangerous and inhumane, and I would say all the more so true of euthanasia, because it abandons vulnerable patients who need help, treatment efforts at healing, or when healing or cure is not possible, they need support and care.&#8221;

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