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Bernie Explains the Senate Fight That's Doubling Healthcare Premiums While The Rich Get Tax Breaks - FIVE MINUTE NEWS [View all]
The government shutdown, now five weeks in, stems from Senate rules requiring 60 votes to pass a budget. The majority party, Republicans, holds 53 votes, while Democrats have 47. Traditionally, the majority negotiates with the minority to secure the necessary votes.
However, the current Republican stance is "our way or the highway," refusing to negotiate. This deadlock is compounded by House Speaker Mike Johnson giving House Republicans a six-week paid vacation amid the crisis.
The core issues at stake are massive cuts to healthcare:
The Republican resolution would cause over 20 million Americans to see their Affordable Care Act premiums double (or triple/quadruple in some areas).
15 million Americans would be thrown off their current health coverage due to Medicaid cuts, potentially causing 50,000 preventable deaths annually among working-class people.
The cuts—designed to fund a trillion-dollar tax break for the top 1%—would also devastate rural hospitals and community health centers.
An opposing negotiation proposal—where Democrats would get a vote on an ACA fix in exchange for reopening the government—is criticized as an "empty gesture" because the bill would likely fail in the House or be vetoed by Donald Trump. - 11/05/2025.
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