LOS ANGELES (OC).–President Donald Trump urged Congressional Democrats to end the filibuster, a historic rule requiring a supermajority [60] votes in the U.S. Senate to pass legislation.. Trump wants the filibuster ended but doesn’t earn his living in the House and Senate, know what it’s like when the opposing party comes to power. “THE CHOICES IS CLEAR—INITIATE THE NUCLEAR OPTION,” Trump posed on Truth Social, wanting the GOP to deviate from centuries old filibuster rule that’s governed both political parties. Trump wants the government shutdown to end but doesn’t want to negotiate in good faith with Democrats who insist in reinstating $1.5 trillion over 10 years in Medicaid funding cut out of Trump’s July 4 Big Beautiful Bill that slashed the Medicaid budget in another attempt blow to Obamacare where the government subsidizes health insurance for 25 million Americans.
Trump and the House and Senate GOP need desperately to work with their Democrats colleagues to reinstate Medicaid funding and end the government shutdown. While blame goes both ways, Democrats drew their line in the sand in Medicaid, telling the GOP to restore Medicaid funding or they’ll shut down the government. Democrats think Medicaid is worth fighting for considering the 70 million poor and disabled citizens use the benefits. Over 25 million are on Obamacare policies where the the government subsidizes care. With the government subsidies premiums stand to rise over 100% in some states, making Obmacae plans unaffordable. Trump doesn’t get that real lives are affected by his Big Beautiful Bill where conservative zealots like OMB Director Russell Vought did his best to end Obamacare by cutting government subsidies.
Ending the filibuster does nothing to fix the broken Medicaid system that threatens 70 million citizens some elderly and disabled. Whatever Trump’s feelings about his Big Beautiful Bill, it’s undeniable that it wrecks the Medicaid system currently affording care to millions of citizens, including 25 million on Obmaacare. For better or worse, Obamacare is all that many Americans can afford, as long as the government continues to fund it. Using the nuclear option doesn’t deal with the basic needs of ordinary Americans dependent on government health care subsidies to survive. Ending the filibuster doesn’t deal with the lost of funding for Medicaid only gives Republicans away to reopen the government, kicking the can down the road. Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) have played hardball with Republicans.
Trump doesn’t like when House and Senate Democrats, under their Article 1 authority, do the peoples’ business without idle threats from the White House. White House MAGA zealots like strategist Stephen Millir like to talk about running competitive MAGA candidate to term out elected officials that don’t adhere strictly to the MAGA agenda. But if the MAGA agenda hurts ordinary Americans, then responsible members of the House and Senate must represent their constituents, not listen to the MAGA agenda. When it comes to supplying enough government cash for the Supplemental Nutritional Assiatance Program [SNAP] how can responsible elected officials do anything but support the program. Whether theres’s waste, fraud and abuse in SNAP, the government can throw out the baby-with –the-bathwater. Elected officials must protect essential food programs for struggling citizens.
Whether it’s paying air traffic controllers, the U.S. military or other essential government employees, citizens should not have to suffer at the hands of a dysfunctional government. If there’s anything the people don’t want, it’s Republicans and Democrats fighting like cats-and-dogs at the expense of the people. Trump doesn’t get that it’s not about who has the most power, it’s about doing the right thing for the people, including funding essential government servies. What’s the people supposed to do: No travel because there’s not enough Transportation Security officials or air traffic controlled to make air travel safe? Congress has a responsibility to fund vital services that make the population safe, not cater to a political agenda. Ending the government shutdown would be the right thing to do as long as the GOP admits it made a mistake in stripping $1.5 trillion out of Medicaid.
Elected officials can’t do the bidding of the White House, no matter how they feel obligated for Trump’s help in getting them elected or reelected. Trump and his MAGA crowd have their own agenda that differs from House and Senate Republicans responsible to constituents that voted them into office. Ending the filibuster is exactly the wrong approach to dealing with the people’s needs for health care and safety whether in the air or in the military. Democrats have tried to make a point to the White House and Senate Republicans that there’s more to governing than advancing political agenda. Both parties under their Article 1 authority have a responsibility to the citizens they represent. Cutting ordinary folks off health care of government subsidized food programs is the wrong approach. Time for Democrats and Republicans to do the right thing.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
