Politics
Democratic lawmakers reel after Senate votes to reopen government: ‘Republican-made health care crisis’
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Senate struck a late-Sunday deal to begin the path to reopening the government after eight Democrats joined Republicans to reach 60 votes, sparking backlash from those who opposed the spending bill.
Democratic leaders voiced intense opposition, arguing that the continuing resolution fails to address the nation’s worsening health care challenges. Several prominent lawmakers spoke out immediately following the vote, framing it as a test of priorities and moral leadership.
Rep. Ro Khanna, R-Calif., said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D–N.Y., “is no longer effective and should be replaced.”
“If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?” Khanna asked.
Schumer voted no on the procedural vote.
“America is in the midst of a Republican-made health care crisis — a crisis so severe, so urgent, and so devastating for American families that I cannot support a continuing resolution that fails to address it,” Schumer said.
SENATE DEMOCRATS CAVE, OPEN PATH TO REOPENING GOVERNMENT
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a press conference with members of the Senate Democratic Caucus in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 28. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Schumer said that Democrats have continually pushed for meaningful reforms to the health care system.
“For months and months, Democrats have been fighting to get the Senate to address the health care crisis,” he said. “This bill does nothing to ensure that the crisis is addressed. I am voting no, and I will keep fighting for months and months.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I–Vt., delivered a forceful rebuke, criticizing both Republicans and the eight Democrats who joined them in supporting the resolution.
“Tonight, eight Democrats voted with the Republicans to allow them to go forward on this continuing resolution. And to my mind, this was a very, very bad vote,” Sanders said. “What it does, first of all, is it raises healthcare premiums for over 20 million Americans by doubling, and in some cases tripling or quadrupling. People can’t afford that when we are already paying the highest prices in the world for healthcare.”
SANDERS CALLS OUT 8 SENATE DEMOCRATS FOR ‘VERY, VERY BAD VOTE’ ON GOVERNMENT FUNDING MEASURE
Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at the No Kings Rally in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 18, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Emma Woodhead)
He went on to warn of the broader consequences of the legislation.
“It paves the way for 15 million people to be thrown off of Medicaid. While care act studies show that will mean some 50,000 Americans will die every year unnecessarily. And all of that was done to give a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the 1%.”
Sanders links the vote to broader political trends and said it ignores the message voters have sent in recent elections.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is joined by Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer, and Brian Steil for a press conference on the tenth day of a government shutdown on Oct. 10, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)
“As everybody knows, just on Tuesday, we had an election all over this country, and what the election showed is that the American people wanted us to stand up to Trumpism — to his war against working-class people, to his authoritarianism,” Sanders said. “That is what the American people wanted. But tonight, that is not what happened.”
Despite his disappointment, Sanders vowed to continue pushing for expanded access to health care.
SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN SCHEME EXPLAINED: DEMS DOUBLE DOWN ON OBAMACARE CREDITS AS STANDOFF DRAGS ON
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., also spoke out following the vote, sharing a video message on X alongside a seething assessment of the funding bill’s failure to address healthcare costs.
“Millions of Californians are at risk of losing their insurance or facing dramatically higher health care costs. Tonight’s vote does NOTHING to address this Republican health care crisis,” Schiff said.
In the video, Schiff recounts his “no” vote, calling the moment symbolic of the bleak outlook for health care reform under the current bill.
“So, I just voted no on the Republican funding bill. I am outside the Capitol. It’s dark and raining, and that seems all too appropriate for this moment because that funding bill has nothing in it to help people afford their health insurance. That bill has nothing in it that’s going to bring costs down. That bill has nothing in it that’s going to make sure that people with pre-existing conditions can afford their health insurance,” Schiff said, in part.
He continued: “We owe our constituents better than this. We owe a resolution that makes it possible for them to afford their health care. [The] system [is] already badly broken enough. This just prevented it from getting worse.”
Schiff also joined Schumer in describing the shutdown and the vote on Sunday as a “Republican health care crisis.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., posted a late-night video from his office, expressing deep frustration over the outcome and warning that the vote could embolden President Donald Trump.
His caption read: “I got back to my office after the vote tonight and recorded this. There’s no way to sugarcoat what happened tonight. And my fear is that Trump gets stronger, not weaker, because of this acquiescence. I’m angry — like you. But I choose to keep fighting.”
Murphy also reflected on the vote’s implications for both democracy and health care, saying Democrats must continue to stand firm despite the political cost.
“The American people do not want Democrats to be bullied into submission. They want Democrats to fight for their healthcare. They want Democrats to fight Trump’s illegality,” the senator said, in part.
“I didn’t want this shutdown. I want it to end — but not at any cost. This shutdown hurt, it did — but unfortunately, I don’t think there is a way to save this country, to save our democracy, without there being some difficult, hard moments along the way.
…I’m angry about it. And I’m just gonna get up tomorrow and go to work to try to convince all of my colleagues that this is a unique moment — and the necessity to stand and fight, even when it’s hard, even when it involves pain, is necessary.”
Politics
Trump plans to meet with Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado next week
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he plans to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in Washington next week.
During an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Trump was asked if he intends to meet with Machado after the U.S. struck Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolás Maduro.
“Well, I understand she’s coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her,” Trump said.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado waves a national flag during a protest called by the opposition on the eve of the presidential inauguration, in Caracas on January 9, 2025. (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)
This will be Trump’s first meeting with Machado, who the U.S. president stated “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country” to lead.
According to reports, Trump’s refusal to support Machado was linked to her accepting the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, which Trump believed he deserved.
But Trump later told NBC News that while he believed Machado should not have won the award, her acceptance of the prize had “nothing to do with my decision” about the prospect of her leading Venezuela.
Politics
California sues Trump administration over ‘baseless and cruel’ freezing of child-care funds
California is suing the Trump administration over its “baseless and cruel” decision to freeze $10 billion in federal funding for child care and family assistance allocated to California and four other Democratic-led states, Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced Thursday.
The lawsuit was filed jointly by the five states targeted by the freeze — California, New York, Minnesota, Illinois and Colorado — over the Trump administration’s allegations of widespread fraud within their welfare systems. California alone is facing a loss of about $5 billion in funding, including $1.4 billion for child-care programs.
The lawsuit alleges that the freeze is based on unfounded claims of fraud and infringes on Congress’ spending power as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“This is just the latest example of Trump’s willingness to throw vulnerable children, vulnerable families and seniors under the bus if he thinks it will advance his vendetta against California and Democratic-led states,” Bonta said at a Thursday evening news conference.
The $10-billion funding freeze follows the administration’s decision to freeze $185 million in child-care funds to Minnesota, where federal officials allege that as much as half of the roughly $18 billion paid to 14 state-run programs since 2018 may have been fraudulent. Amid the fallout, Gov. Tim Walz has ordered a third-party audit and announced that he will not seek a third term.
Bonta said that letters sent by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announcing the freeze Tuesday provided no evidence to back up claims of widespread fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars in California. The freeze applies to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, the Social Services Block Grant program and the Child Care and Development Fund.
“This is funding that California parents count on to get the safe and reliable child care they need so that they can go to work and provide for their families,” he said. “It’s funding that helps families on the brink of homelessness keep roofs over their heads.”
Bonta also raised concerns regarding Health and Human Services’ request that California turn over all documents associated with the state’s implementation of the three programs. This requires the state to share personally identifiable information about program participants, a move Bonta called “deeply concerning and also deeply questionable.”
“The administration doesn’t have the authority to override the established, lawful process our states have already gone through to submit plans and receive approval for these funds,” Bonta said. “It doesn’t have the authority to override the U.S. Constitution and trample Congress’ power of the purse.”
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Manhattan and marked the 53rd suit California had filed against the Trump administration since the president’s inauguration last January. It asks the court to block the funding freeze and the administration’s sweeping demands for documents and data.
Politics
Video: Trump Says ‘Only Time Will Tell’ How Long U.S. Controls Venezuela
new video loaded: Trump Says ‘Only Time Will Tell’ How Long U.S. Controls Venezuela
transcript
transcript
Trump Says ‘Only Time Will Tell’ How Long U.S. Controls Venezuela
President Trump did not say exactly how long the the United states would control Venezuela, but said that it could last years.
-
“How Long do you think you’ll be running Venezuela?” “Only time will tell. Like three months. six months, a year, longer?” “I would say much longer than that.” “Much longer, and, and —” “We have to rebuild. You have to rebuild the country, and we will rebuild it in a very profitable way. We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need. I would love to go, yeah. I think at some point, it will be safe.” “What would trigger a decision to send ground troops into Venezuela?” “I wouldn’t want to tell you that because I can’t, I can’t give up information like that to a reporter. As good as you may be, I just can’t talk about that.” “Would you do it if you couldn’t get at the oil? Would you do it —” “If they’re treating us with great respect. As you know, we’re getting along very well with the administration that is there right now.” “Have you spoken to Delcy Rodríguez?” “I don’t want to comment on that, but Marco speaks to her all the time.”
January 8, 2026
-
Detroit, MI5 days ago2 hospitalized after shooting on Lodge Freeway in Detroit
-
Technology3 days agoPower bank feature creep is out of control
-
Dallas, TX4 days agoDefensive coordinator candidates who could improve Cowboys’ brutal secondary in 2026
-
Health5 days agoViral New Year reset routine is helping people adopt healthier habits
-
Nebraska2 days agoOregon State LB transfer Dexter Foster commits to Nebraska
-
Iowa2 days agoPat McAfee praises Audi Crooks, plays hype song for Iowa State star
-
Nebraska2 days agoNebraska-based pizza chain Godfather’s Pizza is set to open a new location in Queen Creek
-
Entertainment2 days agoSpotify digs in on podcasts with new Hollywood studios