Conquer Club

Senate rejects pay plan for some federal workers
Democrats voted down the proposal from Sen. Ron Johnson after putting out their own plan.

By Katherine Tully-McManus and Jordain Carney

10/23/2025, 1:33pm ET

The Senate on Thursday rejected a plan to pay active-duty members of the military and select government workers for the duration of the federal funding lapse.

It’s the latest gambit from Republican senators to coax Democrats to the table amid the partisan shutdown standoff — and put Democrats on record against paying active-duty members of the military.

Lawmakers voted 54-45 against advancing legislation from Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), which would keep paychecks flowing to the troops and some federal employees who are not furloughed during the shutdown. Three Democrats broke rank to support the effort: Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.

Federal employees are guaranteed back pay once the government reopens, but Johnson’s bill would aim to ease the burden for those who are working without pay in the meantime.

Fed audit, emergency Medicaid undercut Dems on illegal immigrant health coverage (...)

"Fact: Undocumented immigrants are not even eligible to purchase the ACA coverage we’re trying to protect. Republicans voted to hike costs and take health care away from American citizens. Including their own constituents. Read that again. Over and over," Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., posted to X on Tuesday.

Although those in the country illegally may not be able to purchase coverage through the Affordable Care Act, California, for example, was subject to a 2024 federal audit from the Office of the Inspector General for "improperly" requesting that the federal government cover $52.7 million in capitation costs for those with "unsatisfactory immigration status."

The OIG then recommended that the state refund the federal government.

AI Overview
The exact number of times Chuck Schumer voted for a "clean CR" before 2025 is not publicly available, but it is likely that he voted for them many times during his tenure as a Senator, as he has voted for other continuing resolutions and Democrats have historically voted for clean CRs when in the majority. However, sources on the current 2025 government shutdown claim that when Democrats were in the majority, they voted for a clean CR 13 times, and that the same type of CR has been offered but is now being rejected.

Pack Rat wrote:You gotta laugh at the revisionists. It worked in 1933! Why not here in 2025?

The dumbing down of Amerikkka! All hail Trump!

jusplay4fun wrote:The Dems capitulated; they LOST their shut down bid. They refused to learn from History. Government Shut downs do NOT WORK.

What did they want? For America to bail out a flawed and failing system of Obamacare, devised by Obama and Pelosi and others. The Dems only know how to spend money and NOT how to fix a flawed system. Their ploy did not work. As proven by other government run health systems (UK, Canada, amd more) this is NOT the answer. I do not have the answer, but I am waiting for those smarter than me to figure out that problem: How to provide health care for those who need LOTS and can barely pay for ANY of it.

WASHINGTON—The Republican-led House approved a spending package to reopen the government late Wednesday, sending the measure ending the record-long 43-day shutdown to President Trump’s desk for his signature.

The legislation passed the House on a 222 to 209 vote, largely along party lines.

jusplay4fun wrote:

jusplay4fun wrote:The Dems capitulated; they LOST their shut down bid. They refused to learn from History. Government Shut downs do NOT WORK.

What did they want? For America to bail out a flawed and failing system of Obamacare, devised by Obama and Pelosi and others. The Dems only know how to spend money and NOT how to fix a flawed system. Their ploy did not work. As proven by other government run health systems (UK, Canada, amd more) this is NOT the answer. I do not have the answer, but I am waiting for those smarter than me to figure out that problem: How to provide health care for those who need LOTS and can barely pay for ANY of it.

Interesting: NO response by our Liberal Democrats here on CC.

Dukasaur wrote:

jusplay4fun wrote:

jusplay4fun wrote:The Dems capitulated; they LOST their shut down bid. They refused to learn from History. Government Shut downs do NOT WORK.

What did they want? For America to bail out a flawed and failing system of Obamacare, devised by Obama and Pelosi and others. The Dems only know how to spend money and NOT how to fix a flawed system. Their ploy did not work. As proven by other government run health systems (UK, Canada, amd more) this is NOT the answer. I do not have the answer, but I am waiting for those smarter than me to figure out that problem: How to provide health care for those who need LOTS and can barely pay for ANY of it.

Interesting: NO response by our Liberal Democrats here on CC.

There's really nothing to say. It's obvious that in a standoff between a bunch of vicious thugs who don't care about human suffering and a civilized gang who are trying to avoid collateral damages, the latter will lose. It was a foregone conclusion that this is how it would end. Nonetheless, they were morally obligated to try. Move on.

DirtyDishSoap wrote:I knew of the shutdown but not the reasoning. I skimmed a section and I saw Obama care. I've never been a fan of it, and i don't mind seeing that thing struck from the books. When it was first implemented, it was done in a rush, in a hush, and generally felt like a big banker move. IE: "Have health insurance or recieve a penalty." Which obviously made the poor, poorer, and didn't help anyone in the long run to begin with. Now it's more or less Medicare(sp?) and I still can't see why it's important function, if at all. I'm already taxed on one, why is the other necessary?

Key Takeaways
Medicaid is run by the government to help low-income people, while Obamacare plans are sold by private companies.
Medicaid is for people with low income, but Obamacare plans can be bought by anyone not on Medicare.

Medicaid is a government program providing health insurance to low-income individuals, while Obamacare refers to the Affordable Care Act, which includes provisions like Medicaid expansion and subsidies to make private health insurance more accessible.

How Do Private Health Plans Differ From Medicaid?
Medicaid, the government health insurance program for low-income United States residents, is a social welfare program like SNAP food stamps or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.

As of early 2023, nearly 94 million Americans were receiving Medicaid and CHIP benefits—an increase of more than 37 million people, or 64%, since 2013.4 But by early 2024, total enrollment had dropped by about 10 million people, due to the "unwinding" of the pandemic-era Medicaid continuous coverage rule.5

But Medicaid is still the largest health coverage program in the U.S., and there were still about 85 million people enrolled in Medicaid as of late 2023.7
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. November 2023 Medicaid & CHIP Enrollment Data Highlights. (...)

Obamacare plans, obtained via the health insurance exchange in each state, covered more than 21 million people as of early 2024 and are private health insurance plans.8

They're offered by health insurance companies such as Anthem, Kaiser Permanente, Molina, Cigna, and Centene.

The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
If your children need health coverage, they may be eligible for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
In certain states, CHIP provides low-cost health coverage to children and pregnant women in families that earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid. Each state offers CHIP coverage and works closely with its state Medicaid program.

As of April 2024, approximately 67.3 million U.S. adults are enrolled in Medicare coverage, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services[1] . (...)

Nearly 90% of Medicare beneficiaries are at least 65 years old[1] .