1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

It is time to quit pretending! Republicans have control of the White House and both chambers of Congress, so claiming this government shutdown is the Democrats’ fault is just asinine. It also blows my mind just how disconnected from reality Republican leadership truly is. While tariffs are destroying entire sectors of the economy, including destroying the lives of farmers in rural America who overwhelmingly voted Republican, those same Republican politicians can’t even be bothered to extend ACA subsidies that keep health care costs down. And all because less than 1% of Medicaid spending ends up helping undocumented immigrants (due to a policy signed into law by Ronald Reagan, another REPUBLICAN!). Once again, how can the party of “pro-life” have such a complete disregard for the lives of its constituents?!?!? Republicans clearly had no problems making the tax cuts for the ultra-rich permanent, but when Democrats ask for an extension of ACA subsidies that benefit literally everyone (red or blue), Republicans get all bent out of shape. And that is despite the fact that we are supposedly raking in the cash with Trump tariffs! Secretary Bessent is on record saying that the US could collect over a trillion dollars in tariffs in the first year of Trump’s current presidency. This could easily fund the ACA subsidies (along with the bailouts that will be necessary to keep the economy from collapsing). It’s either that, or the administration is lying about tariff revenues. You can’t have it both ways… Whichever way you choose to play this, quit blaming Democrats for a shutdown that is clearly not their responsibility and move on! If you don’t want to use your control in the senate to end the filibuster and pass your current plan without Democratic support, that is your choice! But then you have to be willing to negotiate. It really is that simple… So to use a somewhat colorful turn of phrase: $h1t or get off the pot!