Getting played by Republicans is nothing new for Schumer

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Why Republicans not extending Obamacare tax credits helps Democrats in the long run

The government shutdown is set to end this week after eight Democrats joined all but one Republican senator to end the government shutdown.

This comes despite the final agreement not including an extension of enhanced Covid-era tax credits to help people buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act's marketplace. Instead it has a promise to hold a vote on the Obamacare credits in December.

Even more gutting for Democrats, that deal came on the heels of an unequivocal blue wave election in Virginia just a week ago, which made the decision by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) to support the initiative even more surprising.

"We're going to have a debate in full view of everyone, without the background noise of all the shutdown consequences kind of taking people's attention away from it," he told The Independent this week.

So far, it does not look like Republicans are that interested in renewing the tax credits. For one, Republicans failed at every attempt to find an alternative to Obamacare, as the ACA is more widely known.

But if Republicans choose to not take up the subsidies or even significantly pare them down, they risk a biblical Blue wave. And they need to look no further than Virginia's elections last week. 

Read more here:

By Eric Garcia

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Daily briefing

Trump's diss to France, UK and Russia in his Veterans Day speech: 'We're the one that won the wars'

Trump's Veterans Day remarks veered into grievance as he suggested America — not her allies — should be celebrating victories in both world wars, Andrew Feinberg writes.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

I wanted to just reach out and hug you.

Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.). Earhardt and many other Fox hosts had previously mocked Fetterman during his Senate campaign. 

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