Government shutdowns are never easy because they mean you are blocking entitlement programs that people rely upon, as well as forcing key workers to work without a paycheck until the shutdown is over. They are not for the meek, and the longer they go on, the more pressure there is to cave.
That is what Trump is facing right now, as there is a growing contingent of Republicans who are trying to piecemeal legislation to pacify Democrats.
On Saturday, open enrollment begins for healthcare coverage, and without those subsidies, prices are expected to soar.
The problem for many in the GOP is that during COVID, the Biden administration expanded the tax breaks to higher income brackets, but the media somehow forgets to tell everyone about that.
If the GOP is going to negotiate with the Democrats on this, they are going to have to have a unified front to dial those tax cuts back down to lower-income families and individuals.
There has been talk about extending the subsidies for one year, as is, but there is resistance to even doing that now, with Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) stating, "What we really need to do is stop talking about the COVID subsidies, because it's not working, and the entire system that they're based on is a complete and total Titanic that's going down. Why would we throw any more bad money after this sinking ship?"
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) is usually a hardliner when it comes to issues such as this, but he was among the first Republicans to crack when it came to funding the SNAP program, which provides food stamps.
This is a tough situation because you cannot fault children for the failures of their parents, and nobody wants to be responsible for kids going hungry, especially when you know how Democrats and the media will play this against the GOP.
Hawley stated, “Since the Democrats refuse to fund the government, I’m introducing legislation to reinstate food stamps and farm programs immediately.
"Missourians shouldn’t go hungry because of the Left’s incompetence. Our kids deserve to eat.”
As if the shutdown narrative was not bad enough, now a contingent of Republicans in the Senate is pushing back against Trump’s desire to hit Canada with additional tariffs after it aired a Reagan ad to attack Trump on his tariff war.
Vice President JD Vance has spoken to Republicans prior, trying to rally support for Trump, telling them that going against the tariffs would hurt Trump’s leverage, but a handful of Republicans balked at the tariffs.
Not surprisingly, one of the defectors was Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), who has been openly fighting with Trump throughout this entire presidency.
I am starting to get concerned that Trump is losing the support of the caucus, especially when people like Rep. Greene (R-GA) start pushing back. I think Trump needs to have a meeting with the entire caucus. Not to threaten or bully them to fall into line, mind you, but to find a common ground where the entire caucus can support it. And he had better do it soon, before these resistance numbers get bigger.
