Can America Afford to Reopen the Government?

Schrager: Can America afford to reopen the government?

What is the welfare state America wants, and what is the one it can afford? This is not a question Americans are ready to discuss — so much so that their elected officials have shut down the government to avoid it. Since the 1960s, the U.S. welfare state has grown to cover not just the poor but, increasingly, the middle class. When there is a temporary economic hardship, it tends to be used as an excuse for a permanent expansion of social insura…

Can America afford to reopen the government?

What is the welfare state America wants, and what is the one it can afford?

Shutdown Shows GOP Is Still Obsessed With Obamacare Repeal

Extending Obamacare subsidies is central to resolving the government shutdown. The shutdown has revealed that Republicans still want to scrap the program altogether. Democrats are betting Trump doesn’t agree or care.

Bishops urge end to shutdown while calling for Obamacare abortion limits

Washington, D.C., Oct 17, 2025 / 12:10 pm America’s Catholic bishops are urging Congress to end the nearly three-week federal government shutdown by extending taxpayer subsidies that lower health insurance costs under the Affordable Care [...]