Day 33

After 13 failed attempts to end the government shutdown, President Trump pushed Senate Republicans to initiate the “nuclear option”: overturning the filibuster.

The filibuster stalls a bill in the Senate through unlimited debate. It takes 60 votes to break a filibuster… but only 51 votes are required to remove the 60-vote threshold. Trump says Republicans should remove the filibuster, then reopen the government. Senate Republicans quickly refused, saying the filibuster pushes lawmakers to find “common ground.”

Other efforts to reopen the government seem similarly fruitless.

Democrats are holding out for an extension to Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. ACA insurance premiums are ~26% higher for 2026, and currently subsidized enrollees could see their payments increase by 114% if the subsidies are not extended. Republicans say they’ll negotiate healthcare subsidies only after the government is reopened.

Verse to consider whether you’re working through an impasse at work, settling playground squabbles, or just trying to get your cat into his carrier… “Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry for help.” 
Psalm 34:14–15 (CSB) (read full passage)