Author name: Kyle Stevenson

News

Autopsy Confirms Cause of Death of 19-Year-Old Ohio State Student Found at Stadium

Authorities have confirmed that the 19-year-old Ohio State University student discovered dead inside the school’s football stadium in September died by suicide, as reported by The New York Post.

According to the Franklin County Coroner’s Office, William Meyers of Fairfield, Connecticut, jumped to his death at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on September 26. The coroner’s report, obtained by People magazine, determined the official cause of death as suicide.

First responders located Meyers’ body in the northeast corner of the stadium around 10 a.m. the same morning, the Columbus Dispatch reported. Investigators ruled out foul play early in the investigation, though it remains unclear how Meyers entered the stadium before his death.

Meyers was a third-year accounting student at Ohio State, according to The Lantern, the university’s student newspaper. His online biography described him as an engaged student and community volunteer.

He co-founded a charitable organization with his older brother that collected and donated new and used sports equipment to local youth centers.

In his LinkedIn profile, Meyers emphasized his personal commitment to ethics and growth. “Some of my core values are respect, ethics, improvement, and integrity — all of which I want to bring with me when I enter the workforce,” he wrote.

A graduate of Fairfield Ludlowe High School, Meyers had expressed a love for word games such as Scrabble and enjoyed performing magic in his free time.

His death marks the second fatal fall at the Ohio State football stadium in less than two years. In May 2024, 53-year-old Georgia resident Larissa Brady died after jumping from a concrete wall during the university’s commencement ceremony.

Brady’s fall occurred during her daughter’s graduation, and officials said at the time that she had a documented history of mental health issues.

University officials have not commented further on Meyers’ case beyond confirming the coroner’s findings. Counseling resources were made available to students and faculty following the incident.

The Ohio State community held a private memorial to honor Meyers’ life and academic contributions. Friends and classmates have described him as intelligent, kind, and deeply involved in his coursework and community initiatives.

Authorities did not release additional details about the timeline leading up to Meyers’ death. The stadium was closed to the public at the time of the incident, and campus police have not indicated any security breaches.

News

Leaked Call: USAID Employees Coordinated With Soros Groups Ahead of Trump’s Inauguration

Newly surfaced recordings shared on X by investigative reporter DataRepublican appear to show senior figures within the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) discussing how they moved internal communications off federal systems and into encrypted Signal chats ahead of President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

The material has prompted questions about whether a network of officials and contractors coordinated political activities outside the agency’s official structure.

The recordings, reportedly taken during a USAID virtual meeting, feature multiple staff members describing how internal groups prepared for what they viewed as a hostile incoming administration.

A staff member identified as “Van (she/her)” is heard explaining that, prior to January 20, USAID employees migrated discussions and data from government servers into private Signal chat groups.

“We saw the writing on the wall and the attacks that were already happening during the election cycle,” Van said.

“We had already moved our group away from the USAID main systems into Signal chats to protect our community there.”

Van said that after the inauguration, contractors established a “Stop Work Order” website and began forming private coordination groups in what she described as a rapid response to disinformation.

Within days, hundreds of USAID employees reportedly joined these encrypted communication channels as agency leadership changed and several officials were placed on administrative leave.

“We had all read Project 2025,” Van said, referring to a policy blueprint developed by the Heritage Foundation and other conservative organizations.

“We were somewhat prepared for this administration, and in other ways, not prepared at all.”

Van cited the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), a USAID division typically used in foreign crisis response and governance programs, as playing a key role in organizing internal communications. “OTI has been a major player. They pre-organized because they had organized during the previous Trump administration to respond to threats to our U.S. democracy,” she said.

Another USAID employee, identified as Rosarie Tucci, can be heard discussing collaboration between the agency, Johns Hopkins University, and other international partners to create what she called “coordination structures.”

“I think the 22nd Century will be a great place to build those connections,” Tucci said.

“Johns Hopkins is also working to bridge international and domestic democracy and conflict mitigation spaces… We can bring in actors or colleagues from around the world who have dealt with this directly on very specific issue sets, whether that’s tackling corruption, responding to corruption, or mobilizing around corruption.”

According to DataRepublican’s summary of the footage, the first large-scale protest linked to these internal networks occurred on February 5.

“We had our first large-scale protest, in which several congressional leaders stood up with us, along with agency leadership,” Van said in the recording.

DataRepublican alleged that the event was coordinated by progressive groups including 50501 and Indivisible, both of which have received support from organizations linked to billionaire George Soros.

The Heir: Inside the (Not So) Secret Network of Alex Soros

The reporter also claimed that the Office of Transition Initiatives’ participation in the domestic coordination effort could raise legal questions.

OTI operates under Section 491 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, which authorizes programs to stabilize other nations in crisis.

The law does not list domestic civic engagement among the office’s functions.

“Lest you think it is harmless, they outright admit their goal is to create new ‘socio-political economic governance systems,’” DataRepublican wrote in one post.

“If that’s not a coup, I don’t know what is.”

In response to the revelations, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, former National Security Advisor to President Trump, urged action on X, writing: “IF IT LOOKS LIKE A COUP, IF IT SOUNDS LIKE A COUP, IF IT FEELS LIKE A COUP, IT’S A COUP!!!” Flynn added, “Mr. @POTUS @realDonaldTrump — Get our DOJ to hold all of these government and former government officials accountable. READ THIS THREAD NOW.”

Entertainment

Jon Stewart Goes Berserk After Democrats Cave on Government Shutdown Agreement

“The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart took aim at Senate Democrats on Monday following passage of legislation that ended the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, criticizing the party for agreeing to a deal without securing its key priorities.

The Senate passed an amended continuing resolution that will fund the government through Jan. 30, 2026, while providing full-year appropriations for the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and military construction projects.

The legislation moved forward with bipartisan support after weeks of negotiation.

Stewart opened his Monday episode by telling viewers that the show was sponsored by “I can’t f**king believe it!”

“And what, you ask, is ‘it?’ Well, ‘it’ is the Democrats. You remember the Democrats,” Stewart said.

“They shut down the government last month for a very particular reason.”

He then played a montage of Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), calling for the extension of enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Act that were enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The montage was followed by a clip of Fox News host Dana Perino announcing that Democrats had “caved” on the shutdown.

“Excuse me, ‘cave on the shutdown?’ Huh? Not this forceful, young, authentic Democratic Party that hangs out down by the river and curses in what appears to be a cerulean blue blazer,” Stewart said sarcastically.

“And I say… no f**king way. No, they f**king caved on the shutdown.”

Stewart went on to criticize Senate Democrats for what he described as surrendering too quickly after a string of favorable election results.

“Not even a full week removed from the best election night results they’ve had in years, seven Democratic senators and an ‘independent’ voted with their Republican counterparts to end the shutdown and reopen the government,” he said.

“And did they get their extended healthcare subsidies?”

A clip from ABC News followed, reporting that Republicans had only agreed to hold a future vote on extending the enhanced subsidies.

“I cannot f**king believe it! You had the wind at your back! Election victories all over the country. The new Sydney Sweeney movie, box office bupkis!” Stewart exclaimed, referencing the underperformance of the actress’s recent film.

“Apparently, her new MAGA fanbase didn’t show up in droves to see a biopic about a lesbian professional boxer who overcomes domestic violence to live her truth. Who could have seen that coming? Democrats, you sold out the entire shutdown not to get what you wanted, but for a promise to not get what you wanted later.”

He continued his critique by mocking the Democrats’ negotiating approach.

“Where in ‘The Art of War’—hold on. Okay, here it is. I got it. Sun Tzu said, ‘Never press your advantage. It’s unseemly! Fighting’s hard. How ’bout a snack?’” Stewart said.

“I can’t f**king believe it. And by the way, what good does a promise of a Senate vote even do for you? Democrats, you don’t control the Senate. Do you even know how this shit works? Let’s just say that you managed to win a vote in the Senate, which you haven’t done all year, do you know what happens then?”

Schumer’s handling of the negotiations has drawn sharp criticism from both left-leaning commentators and members of his own party.

Several Democratic lawmakers and progressive figures faulted him for helping advance a Republican-led spending package earlier this year to avert a shutdown, arguing it weakened the party’s leverage and undercut its message on protecting healthcare subsidies.

The deal, while ending a record-length shutdown, has deepened divisions among Democrats who believe the party gave away its negotiating position without securing tangible results.

With the continuing resolution extending funding into early 2026, further debates over healthcare policy and fiscal priorities are expected to resurface in the coming months.

News

Based Florida Sheriff Demolishes Drug Den: ‘We’re Going to Tear Your Little Playhouse Down’

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey announced Monday that a condemned house appearing on the sheriff’s “High Intensity Target” list is being torn down after repeated calls for service involving drugs, shootings, and other criminal activity.

Sheriff Ivey said the property had long been a danger to the neighborhood and had been declared uninhabitable. The demolition follows a legal process to remove what he described as a “nuisance property” linked to drug use and violence.

In a video statement, Sheriff Ivey said, “Hello everyone. I’m Sheriff Wayne Ivey, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, and this house right here. Yeah, it made the sheriff’s high intensity target list. So you know what’s happening. We’re going to take these and we’re going to tear this piece of crap down.”

He added, “We’ve had repeated calls for service here—drugs, flop house, all sorts of craziness, people shooting in there, everything else. You might remember this place, though, because out front is where they put all the graffiti up talking about how much they hated the sheriff’s office and how they didn’t like me.”

“Well, guess what? Now they got a reason not to like me, because we’re going to tear their little playhouse down,” Ivey said before turning to his team.

“David, you ready? Terry, you ready? Let’s go tear that playhouse down.”

Addressing critics who might question the legality of the demolition, Ivey said, “Before any of you soft on crime, little cry babies start talking and saying, oh, you can’t do that, it’s illegal—everything we’re doing is legal. We’ve done it the right way, with the proper paperwork and everything else.”

He added, “Folks, I wouldn’t let anybody live in this. It’s uninhabitable. It is festered with drugs and everything else. This place is not safe for anybody. It’s been condemned, and we are taking it out.”

Ivey said the house is one of several properties identified as community threats due to illegal activity. He said demolishing such sites helps keep neighborhoods safe and deters future criminal activity.

“So everybody, you see what happens when you sell drugs, have a flop house, nuisance house, all of the above,” Ivey said.

“Because once you make the sheriff’s high intensity target list, we’re coming. This team right here—this is our unit—and we’re going to tear your little playhouse down.”

Offering a warning to others, he continued, “So here’s the thing—you don’t want your playhouse torn down? Don’t break the law. Don’t do drugs. Don’t be a nuisance house. Don’t have prostitution. All of those things. Don’t annoy your neighbors, because we’re not going to have it.”

“We’re going to have peace in our neighborhoods,” he said.

“And if you don’t want to be on our social media site, don’t break the law in Brevard County.”

The sheriff’s office confirmed that the property had been condemned by county officials and that the demolition followed proper procedures.

Sheriff Ivey said his department will continue targeting nuisance properties throughout Brevard County, adding that residents deserve safe and peaceful neighborhoods free from drug activity and violent behavior.

News

Influential House Republican Announces Retirement After Nearly a Decade

House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, a key member of the Republican leadership from Texas, announced that he will not seek reelection after his current term ends. The 53-year-old congressman, first elected in 2016, confirmed his decision in a statement reported by Fox News.

“I have a firm conviction, much like our founders did, that public service is a lifetime commitment, but public office is and should be a temporary stint in stewardship, not a career,” Arrington said.

Arrington, who has served nearly a decade in Congress, described his decision as the right time to conclude his public office tenure following what he called a “generational impact opportunity” — the passage of President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” earlier this year.

“It was a very unique, generational impact opportunity, to be almost ten years into this and to have the budget chairmanship, and to lead the charge to successfully pass that and to help this president fulfill his mandate from the people,” Arrington said.

“It just seems like a good and right place to leave it.”

During his time in office, Arrington prioritized elevating the concerns of rural Americans, which he cited as one of his proudest accomplishments.

“I’m from a rural district, and I can tell you, raising the profile among urban and suburban members as to the unique challenges of rural America and the unique contributions of rural America — like food security and energy independence and how much the nation depends on these plow boys and cowboys in rural areas — that’s another thing I’m proud of,” he said.

Arrington also praised President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson for continuing efforts to reduce the national debt, calling both men “committed” to fiscal responsibility.

“The president’s committed to it; he talks about it all the time. He’s actually doing something about it with very difficult decisions, not politically popular decisions. This is all about political will,” Arrington said.

“Trump’s doing it. Mike Johnson is committed to it … And we have a growing number of fiscal hawks who are absolutely dogged on this issue.”

Before leaving office, Arrington said he hopes to advance a budget reconciliation bill that complements President Trump’s legislative agenda.

“I don’t know where the Senate Republicans are. I don’t know where the president is and can’t speak for the White House. But the House is at the ready,” he said.

Arrington added that his next focus will be on family life and faith after years in Washington. “My next goal is quality time with my wife and kids and focusing on my leadership and service, not in the people’s house, but in my own house,” he said.

He concluded by expressing gratitude for his time in Congress. “I’m thankful that God called me and gave me the grace to succeed and to achieve the things that we’ve achieved,” Arrington said.

“Did I make my share of mistakes? You bet. Did I learn along the way? You bet I did. But we left [the country] better than we found it, and it gives me great satisfaction.”

News

Kamala Harris Says Dems ‘Took Black Women for Granted’ in 2024 Election

Former Vice President Kamala Harris said Sunday that the Democratic Party “took Black women for granted” during the 2024 election, arguing that her party ignored issues she believes disproportionately affect Black women in the United States, as reported by Fox News.

Harris made the remarks during an appearance on the podcast Storehouse & Friends, where she discussed her new memoir, 107 Days, which recounts her brief 2024 presidential campaign and its aftermath.

Vice President Kamala Harris greets the crowd in Jenison Field House on the Michigan State campus Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024.

The former vice president was asked whether she experienced tension between her identity as a Black woman and the “race-agnostic” approach she adopted during her campaign.

“I think the Democratic Party has taken Black women for granted,” Harris said.

“There are very specific issues that impact Black women in America that should be some of the highest priorities. I made them priorities when I was vice president, such as Black maternal mortality.”

Harris said the stakes in the 2024 election included attention to “specific health needs” such as postpartum care and maternity support, and she claimed that under the current administration, funding has been cut for scientific research involving women or minorities.

“You look at what’s happening now with this guy in office, and they’re cutting funding for scientific research if it has the word ‘woman’ or ‘Black’ in it,” she said.

She also pointed to ongoing medical concerns she believes have been overlooked. “I think there needs to be more research on fibroids,” Harris said, referencing a condition that she noted disproportionately affects Black women.

Harris said she will not compromise her identity or her message. “I am never going to shy away from who I am, and I’m never going to feel burdened that because of who I am in terms of my race and my gender that I should pretend to not be,” she said.

US vice president Kamala Harris speaks during a round table meeting of a discussion to protect reproductive rights to local leaders at Grand View University on Thursday, March 16, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa.

Fox News Digital reported that the Democratic National Committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Harris’s remarks.

Harris’s memoir, released in late September, describes the 107 days between her campaign launch and her withdrawal from the 2024 race, in which she ultimately lost to President Donald Trump.

The book also includes pointed criticism of several prominent Democrats, including members of the Biden administration, whom she accused of undermining her efforts.

Vice-President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden attend 23rd anniversary commemoration at 9-11 memorial in New York on September 11, 2024

“Their thinking was zero-sum: If she’s shining, he’s dimmed,” Harris wrote of the Biden team.

“None of them grasped that if I did well, he did well. That given the concerns about his age, my visible success as his vice president was vital. It would serve as a testament to his judgment in choosing me and reassurance that if something happened, the country was in good hands.”

Harris has been promoting her book on a national tour since its release, frequently discussing her time in office and the challenges she faced both inside and outside the Democratic Party.

Democrats

Democrat “Furry Homosexual Socialist” Congressional Candidate Wants to Put MAGA Voters in “Hard Labor Camps”

A Democratic congressional candidate in Michigan has come under heavy scrutiny after a series of inflammatory posts on social media surfaced, including remarks celebrating the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and statements calling for violence against political opponents.

Samuel Smeltzer, 36, who is running as a Democrat in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District under the name Elyon Badger, has described himself as a “homosexual socialist” and an advocate for the “furry” subculture.

Smeltzer, who works as an IT contractor, has repeatedly made comments online that have drawn widespread condemnation from both parties.

Smeltzer’s remarks came shortly after Charlie Kirk’s death. Within an hour of news breaking, Smeltzer wrote on the social media platform Bluesky, “Good things can happen.”

Days later, he shared an image of Kirk, a husband and father of two, with the caption, “How can we defeat evil, if evil is mourned when it’s defeated?”

He later issued a campaign statement describing Kirk as “a white supremacist who preached stochastic terrorism,” blaming the shooting on “gun loving Conservative Christians.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) denounced Smeltzer’s statements as “dangerous and disgusting,” adding that such remarks reflect a deeper problem within the Democratic Party’s activist base.

The committee cited polling showing that only 38% of Democrats believe it is always unacceptable to feel joy at the death of a public figure they oppose.

Smeltzer has also made a series of other controversial statements in recent years.

In various online posts, he has written that “America deserved 9/11,” called Jesus “a communist,” labeled Israel “an enemy of the United States,” and urged the imprisonment of all U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Jesus was a communist

— Elyon113 (@elyon113.bsky.social) November 4, 2025 at 4:57 AM

He has also posted messages encouraging the killing of billionaires and calling for political retribution against conservatives.

In one social media post, Smeltzer vowed to “round up EVERY SINGLE red hat wearing MAGA and put them in hard labor camps for the rest of their lives.”

I solemnly swear, when I get to office, we WILL round up EVER SINGLE red hat wearing MAGA and put them in hard labor camps for the rest of their lives. If the Republican party wants to kill free speech, then we WILL have our revenge.

[image or embed]

— Elyon113 (@elyon113.bsky.social) September 22, 2025 at 9:06 AM

Despite such remarks, his campaign website describes his platform as focused on “compassionate leadership for a just future.”

Speaking to the Washington Free Beacon, Smeltzer said his campaign is centered on “health care and tax-the-rich” policies and that he intends to represent the “furry” community in Congress.

“The furry community is the ultimate form of freedom in America, and that’s why conservatives hate it and the queer community so much,” he said.

In an interview with Between the Lines, an LGBT magazine, Smeltzer claimed he was “leaning into the furry side of things” because of what he described as targeting by conservative organizations.

“The reason I’m leaning into the furry side of things is the Heritage Foundation has targeted the furry community,” he said.

“They’re going after the queer spaces and organizations where we are allowed to express creative freedom.”

Smeltzer has also criticized his Democratic primary opponents, including former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, saying, “They can only trudge along and drag this broken cart through the mud; they can’t fix it.”

Brink reportedly did not respond to a request for comment from the Free Beacon.

NRCC spokesman Zach Bannon responded to Smeltzer’s campaign by saying, “Radical far-left lunatics like Samuel Smeltzer expose the liberal brain rot that is now the current state of the Democrat Party.”

The Michigan Democratic Party has not issued a public statement regarding Smeltzer’s comments.

Republican Rep. Tom Barrett, who currently represents Michigan’s 7th Congressional District and is running for reelection, has also not publicly responded.

Smeltzer’s rise has drawn comparisons to other left-wing candidates who have made controversial statements, including Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, who faced backlash earlier this year for past social media posts describing himself as a communist and criticizing police and the military.

Both candidates have received attention for comments that have placed their campaigns under national scrutiny.

Smeltzer’s name is expected to appear on the Democratic primary ballot next year, where he faces a crowded field of candidates ahead of the 2026 congressional elections.

News

Four Killed, Eleven Injured as Speeding Driver Plows Into Tampa Bar

Tampa police are investigating a high-speed crash that left four people dead and eleven others injured early Saturday morning after a car plowed into a group of people outside a business in the Ybor City neighborhood.

Authorities say the suspect, 22-year-old Silas Sampson, is in custody and there is no ongoing threat to the public.

The incident began shortly after 12:30 a.m. on Saturday when officers with the Tampa Police Department observed two vehicles racing near Hanna Avenue and Nebraska Avenue.

According to Police Chief Lee Bercaw, the cars continued westbound on Hillsborough Avenue before one vehicle merged onto Interstate 275 South.

Sampson, driving the second vehicle, headed toward the downtown area and into Ybor City.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers joined the pursuit as the chase continued through city streets.

Investigators said troopers attempted a precision immobilization technique, or PIT maneuver, near Nebraska Avenue and Palm Avenue in an effort to stop Sampson’s car.

The maneuver was unsuccessful, and Sampson continued driving down 7th Avenue, one of Ybor City’s main commercial corridors.

Moments later, police said Sampson lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a local business, striking a crowd of people who had gathered outside.

Witnesses told investigators that the impact sent debris across the street and caused significant damage to the storefront.

Emergency responders pronounced three victims dead at the scene, while a fourth victim later died at a hospital, according to the Tampa Police Department.

Eleven additional individuals sustained injuries ranging from minor to critical. All victims were adults over the age of 20, police said.

“This morning we had a tragic incident where at least four victims senselessly lost their lives and eleven others were injured as a result of a careless, reckless driver,” Chief Bercaw said in a statement.

Investigators said Sampson was taken into custody without further incident.

He faces four counts of vehicular homicide and four counts of aggravated fleeing to elude with serious bodily injury.

Authorities confirmed that Sampson’s car was heavily damaged, and he was treated for minor injuries before being booked into the Hillsborough County Jail.

Court records show that this was not Sampson’s first encounter with law enforcement for dangerous driving.

According to Hillsborough County court filings, he received a citation less than two months ago for speeding 99 miles per hour on Interstate 75, where the posted speed limit is 70 miles per hour.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers are assisting Tampa police in reconstructing the crash to determine the vehicle’s speed and trajectory prior to impact.

Investigators are also reviewing surveillance footage from nearby businesses and traffic cameras along 7th Avenue to better understand the sequence of events leading up to the collision.

The business struck by the vehicle has not been publicly identified by authorities.

Police confirmed it was a local bar where patrons were gathered outside when the crash occurred.

The area was closed for several hours on Saturday morning as officers and forensic teams processed the scene.

Officials said they are continuing to notify the victims’ families and urged anyone who witnessed the incident or recorded video to contact Tampa police.

“This is a heartbreaking tragedy that has deeply affected our city,” Chief Bercaw said.

“Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of everyone impacted by this senseless event.”

The investigation remains ongoing, and additional charges may be filed as evidence is reviewed.

News

Trump Just ‘Backed Democrats Into a CORNER’ with Proposal Against Obamacare

President Donald Trump unveiled a proposal on Friday to redirect hundreds of billions of dollars in Affordable Care Act subsidy payments away from insurance companies and send them directly to American citizens.

The announcement came amid tense negotiations in Washington over government funding, as Democrats attempted to tie a new spending bill to an extension of Obamacare subsidies.

The proposal, revealed in a Truth Social post early Friday morning, signaled a major policy shift that could reshape how healthcare funds are distributed.

“I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars currently being sent to money sucking Insurance Companies in order to save the bad Healthcare provided by ObamaCare, BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE SO THAT THEY CAN PURCHASE THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER, HEALTHCARE, and have money left over,” President Trump wrote.

He added, “In other words, take from the BIG, BAD Insurance Companies, give it to the people, and terminate, per Dollar spent, the worst Healthcare anywhere in the World, ObamaCare. Unrelated, we must still terminate the Filibuster!”

The statement followed days of negotiations in Congress over a continuing resolution to reopen the federal government.

Senate Democrats had pushed for a one-year extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies as part of their proposal, arguing that the temporary tax credits were essential to maintaining affordability in health insurance markets.

Republicans opposed the measure, calling it an unnecessary expansion of spending unrelated to the funding bill.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described the Democrats’ offer as “a reasonable offer that reopens the government, deals with health care affordability and begins a process of negotiating reforms.”

However, Republicans in the Senate quickly rejected the proposal.

Majority Whip John Thune (R-SD) dismissed the idea, saying, “The Obamacare extension is the negotiation.”

The stalemate left the government partially closed heading into the weekend, with each party blaming the other for the impasse.

President Trump’s announcement appeared to shift the momentum in the talks. By proposing to redirect Obamacare funds directly to individuals rather than insurers, Trump positioned the plan as a direct benefit to consumers while challenging Democrats’ defense of insurance company subsidies.

Within hours of the post, several Republican lawmakers expressed support.

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) said he would introduce legislation to put the president’s plan into action. “Totally agree, @POTUS! I’m writing the bill right now,” Scott wrote on X.

“We must stop taxpayer money from going to insurance companies and instead give it directly to Americans in HSA-style accounts and let them buy the health care they want. This will increase competition & drive down costs.”

The proposal comes as both parties continue to debate the future of the Affordable Care Act and federal health care spending.

Democrats have argued that subsidy extensions are necessary to prevent premium increases for millions of Americans, while Republicans have maintained that the current system wastes taxpayer funds by funneling them through private insurance providers.

Aides close to the negotiations said Trump’s announcement caught Senate Democrats off guard.

The administration’s shift from insurance subsidies to direct payments introduced a new dynamic into the ongoing talks, one that could alter both the budget debate and the broader conversation over health care reform.

While the White House has not yet released detailed legislative language, sources familiar with the discussions said the plan could mirror health savings account-style models that allow individuals to manage their own funds for medical expenses.

Lawmakers expect debate on the measure to begin once Congress resumes full sessions next week.

For now, government funding discussions remain at an impasse, but President Trump’s latest proposal has injected new urgency — and controversy — into the fight over the future of federal health care spending.

News

Senator Kennedy Hilariously Rips Chuck Schumer: ‘Stupid Should Hurt More’

Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said Friday that he prayed for patience after hearing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s latest proposal to end the ongoing government shutdown, now in its 37th day.

During an appearance on Fox News’ “The Story” with Martha MacCallum, Kennedy criticized Schumer’s plan as “the dumbest thing possible that won’t work,” rejecting the Democratic leader’s push to extend certain Obamacare subsidies enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schumer, speaking earlier Friday on the Senate floor, said Democrats would agree to reopen the government if Republicans supported a one-year extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits.

The measure, passed temporarily during the pandemic, provided expanded subsidies for individuals purchasing health insurance through the ACA exchanges.

Republicans have resisted making the temporary expansion permanent, arguing that it drives up federal spending and benefits insurance companies more than patients.

“God, please give me patience, because if, if you give me strength, I’m going to need bail money,” Kennedy told MacCallum, drawing laughter from the host.

“What Sen. Schumer is suggesting is that we do the dumbest thing possible that won’t work. Stupid should hurt more.”

Kennedy argued that extending the subsidies would come at a high cost to taxpayers without lowering premiums.

“Sen. Schumer says we should just extend the status quo for a year. What does that mean? That means that we would have to take $35 billion of taxpayer money and give it directly to the health insurance companies without any commitment of lowering premiums,” he said.

“How is that going to reduce health care costs? How’s that going to reduce premiums?”

“The health care companies are going to take $35 billion from the taxpayers and put it into their pockets,” Kennedy continued.

“I mean, duh! I don’t know what Sen. Schumer is thinking. Earth to Chuck, I mean, Earth to Chuck. Am I going to vote for this? The short answer is no. The long answer is hell, no.”

The Louisiana senator said the shutdown is likely to continue because Democrats have repeatedly blocked Republican efforts to reopen the government.

“I think we’re just going to have to get used to the fact that we’ve been in a shutdown, we’re going to be in a shutdown for a while,” Kennedy said.

“I voted 14 times to lift the shutdown. The Democrats and Sen. Rand Paul have voted 14 times to keep the government shutdown. We’re just going to be here for a while.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune echoed Kennedy’s frustration, calling Schumer’s proposal unserious.

“They’re feeling the heat, and they know that their last proposal was unserious and unrealistic, so I guess you can characterize that as progress,” Thune told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“But I just don’t think that it gets anywhere close to what we need to do here, and they know it.”

Schumer, however, said Democrats are prepared to move quickly if Republicans agree to the extension.

“Democrats are ready to clear the way to quickly pass a government funding bill that includes health care affordability,” Schumer said in his floor speech.

“Leader Thune just needs to add a clean one-year extension of the ACA tax credits to the CR so that we can immediately address rising health care costs.”

The Democratic leader has maintained that Republicans are to blame for prolonging the shutdown.

In an interview with Punchbowl News on October 9, Schumer said, “Every day gets better for us,” as the impasse continued.

Senate Democrats have blocked the continuing resolution 14 times so far, with another vote scheduled for Friday.

The standoff marks one of the longest shutdowns in recent history, with both parties showing little sign of compromise.

Republicans have continued to push for spending cuts and policy reforms in exchange for reopening the government, while Democrats insist on keeping the enhanced subsidies and other pandemic-era measures in place for at least another year.


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