What A Day - Shutdown Showdown, Part [We've Lost Count]

Episode Date: September 15, 2025

The clock is ticking until the federal government runs out of money and potentially shuts down—again. Now you might be thinking, "Didn't we do this? Like, a few months ago?" And yeah, we did. In March, the Senate approved a short-term spending bill with the support of 10 Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. And if Republicans want to keep the government open, they'll need a lifeline from Democrats. But Democrats want something in return: an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits that are due to expire at the end of the year. Will the two sides reach a deal? We asked Daniella Diaz, who covers Capitol Hill for NOTUS, a nonprofit D.C. journalism organization.And in headlines, Utah's governor reveals new details about the man suspected of killing Charlie Kirk, Trump eyes Memphis for his crime crackdown, and a federal judge says it appears the Trump administration is trying to pull a fast one on the courts with its latest deportations.Show Notes:Check out Daniella's reporting – www.notus.org/daniella-diazCall Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It's Monday, September 15th. I'm Jane Koston, and this is what a day. The show saluting Pudge the cat, the unofficial mascot of Bowling Green's college football team. The three-year-old person's short hair hangs out in the locker room and even visits a sideline on occasion. According to Bowling Green player George Carlson, Pudge's owner, Pudge is pretty into the whole thing, since it usually comes with lots of pets. On today's show, new details emerge about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. And President Donald Trump sets his sights on Memphis, saying it's National Guard's next stop. But let's start with the potential for a government shutdown. Yes, again.

Federal government funding will run out on September 30th, and without legislation to keep the lights on, the government will shut down on October 1st. Now, you might be thinking, didn't we do this? Like, a few months ago? And yeah, we did. back in March, the Senate approved a short-term spending bill with the help of 10 Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. And if Republicans want to keep the government open, their tiny majority in both chambers of Congress ensures that they'll need Democrats to sign

onto a deal. But Democrats aren't so inclined to avoid a shutdown this time. And if they're going to agree to a short-term spending bill, they want something in return. Namely, the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, which are due to expire at the end of this year. Without an extension, the nonpartisan research group KFF estimates that the cost of premiums for folks enrolled in an ACA health care plan, an estimated 25 million people, could rise 75%. Republicans, on the other hand, don't seem inclined to reach across the aisle, even if it means the government goes dark, particularly since Senate Minority Leader Schumer balked on a shutdown last time. Here's Alabama Republican Senator Katie Britt on Fox News

Sunday. Unfortunately, what we've seen from Senator Schumer is that he is incapable of putting what is best for America first. He literally has been no-show Schumer. As we worked through different things last week, he was holed up in his office because he is afraid of his own shadow and afraid of who might actually challenge him coming forward. Sounds like someone doesn't take Chuck Schumer very seriously.

So to talk more about the potential for a shutdown and why this time might be different for Democrats, I spoke to Daniela Diaz. She's a congressional reporter for Notice, a non-profit D.C. journalism organization. Danielle, welcome to what a day. Thanks for having me. So you report that lawmakers are working on a plan that would keep the government funded past the September deadline.

What's the plan? And where does it actually stand? Jane, if you talk to Republicans, they're saying that they want to try to have some sort of stopgap measure, which would essentially fund the government at its current levels at least through November. But if you talk to Democrats, they're saying there's just no way that they're going to get behind. what we call a clean CR, clean continuing resolution at its current levels, unless they can negotiate with Republicans over extending those Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. If you remember, Jane, earlier this year, we saw some Senate Democrats vote with Republicans to pass a continuing resolution that would lead us to where we are

right now. So it's unclear whether they will, quote, unquote, as some House Democrats say, fold again to fund the government at its current levels. it seems like Democrats are willing to put up more of a fight this time around. It seems to me that to your point about what Republicans want and what Democrats want being so different, like that, that obviously puts the chances of an agreement pretty low. But what's going on among Republicans right now? Because are we seeing the same sorts of differences between kind of the Freedom Caucus side and the non-freedom Caucus side that we saw a couple of months ago? If you talk to the majority of Republicans, which I do every day here on Capitol Hill, most of them want actual appropriations bills. So actual bills that set the funding levels of what, you know, different. Just having stopgap measures for the rest of our lives?

Not just having stopgap measures at the same levels that have been happening for the last couple of months. They actually want to see an appropriations process, which is essentially what Congress is supposed to do, is set the government funding levels each year. But if you talk to those really conservative members, the Freedom Caucus guys, the guys that really love President Donald Trump and are very MAGA, they're going to say, what's the point of raising funding levels to any department? We should just keep the government funded at its current levels.

maybe try to help the Department of Defense and raise that funding. But other than that, why do we need to raise spending? We want to cut spending. So even within the Republican Party, Jane, those discussions are happening too, but it's not new. This happens every time that there's government funding talks on Capitol Hill. It's like Groundhog Day every couple of months when these conversations begin and end once they've passed a package. I mean, I think that that's the weirdest thing about this is that we did this like a couple of months ago. We were both here. Like, I was alive.

I remember all of this. But it does feel different right now to me. Does it feel different to you? Does the vibe feel different? And if so, why? I think there are a lot of factors for why it's different right now than it is in March. First of all, Elon Musk is not playing a role in all of this because he's not part of Doge, a Department of Government Efficiency. And he was the one, you know, really in Donald Trump's ear saying,

We need to cut spending in all the departments, keep the appropriations bills low. This time around, it seems like Republicans and Republican leadership do want to upset top-line funding numbers and work with Democrats on that because they can't do it alone. I think that's something the average American who's just tuning in to government spending every couple of months when it's in the headlines may not understand is that Republicans, even though they control the House and the Senate and the White House, They can't pass bills, even a CR, a stopgap measure, without Democratic help. So even if they want to say they want to do all of these things, they kind of have to work with Democrats.

And Democrats seem like they're willing to fight. Now, the White House reportedly sent along the president's anomalies list. Can you tell me what that is and how that might impact negotiations? Right. I got a copy of those anomalies. They sent them yesterday. It basically addresses all of the things. that the White House wants included if they're able to pass something to continue funding the government past September 30th. Now hidden in that anomalies list was a suggestion that the Republicans

try to pass a continuing resolution through January 2026 or January 31st of next year. We had known that the White House's position was a longer CR, but they put it in writing in an anomalies list that they sent to the Republican leaders that included a bunch of other provisions from different departments of things that they wanted. So whether or not Republicans move forward and do their own plan or listen to the White House, which is typically what Republicans on Capitol Hill do, if the White House tells them to do something, they do it, remains to be seen. So far I talk to top appropriations leaders, including Tom Cole,

who's the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, who said, look, we're flexible, we'll see what time the stopgap measure happens. they say they would prefer something that goes through Thanksgiving or the holidays, the Christmas holidays, December holidays, because it adds more pressure and then they can scramble and try to pass the rest of the appropriations bills before the end of the year so that they at least get something done sooner. So we'll see if they actually are able to achieve that because a lot can change between now and September 30th.

Yeah. Is it common to try and get a CR that would have gone? until next, like, January 31st, 2026, that seems to be kicking the can way down the road. I mean, if you know Congress the way I do, Jane, that's a lot of what they do around here is kick the can down the road. I feel like they've been kicking the can for like eight years. Oh, my goodness.

I've lost track of how many government funding fights I've covered in the, you know, on and off eight years I've covered Congress. it's pretty standard to hear them talk about just figuring out a temporary solution to buy more time. It's interesting to me because they knew this deadline was coming up. This is always the question that we ask lawmakers on both sides. You knew that September 30 it was coming up. Why is it now a scramble when you saw this deadline coming? But again, as I said earlier, Congress doesn't tend to do much until they're faced with a major deadline.

And that's really when you see them. Move quickly. Look, that was me in college. I get it. I totally understand. We all procrastinate. As you mentioned, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling for both parties to come to the table to work out a bipartisan funding deal. But a lot of Democrats, like Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chris Murphy, seem to be saying, you know what, fuck it.

Let's do a shutdown. Do you care to read some tea leaves here as to how this might play out over the next three weeks? As you keep saying, like, no one really knows what will happen until we get to basically like the end of September. But what are you seeing and what are you thinking right now? I will say, Jane, this is also similar to a question you asked earlier. It feels very different this time around than March, because let's flashback for a second. Do you remember what happened in March when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sided with Republicans with a handful of Democrats that were able to get that CR across the finish line? And then that next week, he couldn't even do a press tour for his book

because he was getting so much hate for Democrats because he helped Republicans pass a CR with nothing in exchange for it, quote unquote, what his own party said about him. He feels that pressure this time around. And of course, it doesn't help that progressive Democrats have called for him to step aside as leader because of that decision in March that a lot of House Democrats were doing that in town halls when that happened in March 2.

So I don't think Schumer, if I could read as much, mind. He has not told me this directly, but based on what my knowledge in sourcing is eager for that kind of drama again. And he listens to voters. And there's a lot of voters, Democratic voters, that say it's time for Democrats to fight for us and put something on the table with Republicans about what needs to be happen in exchange for whatever Republicans are going to do to fund the government. So it does feel different in that sense. And to be clear, House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jefferies is already saying publicly, you know, Democrats on the House side are aligned. We are going to stick together in this. We have a lot of things that we're asking Republicans for, including extending ACA subsidies, which they find to be a priority in addressing before the end of the year.

So that's why there's a lot more pressure on Schumer to do something about this, because he kind of has more weight and power in these negotiations with Republicans on this. Now, I used to live in D.C. I remember having a couple of government shutdowns because all of my friends who worked for the federal government suddenly were at the bar. But can you remind us what actually happens if the government shuts down? Yeah, a lot of departments stop functioning the way you're used to. You know, you might need to call someone about your student loans and someone's not going to be on the other line to pick up that call. you might need, you might have an issue with your taxes and need to address, you know, the IRS. There might not be someone on that other line.

But another thing to know is there will be people working in these departments who are not going to get paid. And I'm not sure how many people want people in the military serving without a paycheck coming to them because that's what's going to happen. I mean, it's going to have a massive effect on the economy across the country. People are not getting their paychecks for their government jobs, which, by the, way are not just in D.C., but in every state. Danielle Diaz, thank you so much for joining me. Thank you for having me. That was my conversation with Daniela Diaz, a congressional reporter for notice.

We'll link to her work on our show notes. We'll get to more of the news in the moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube, and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. What a day is brought to you by Nutrafol. You've probably seen a million ads for hair growth products and thought, sure, like that actually works. But Nutrifol isn't like the rest of them.

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and enter the promo code day. Find out why Nutraful is the best-selling hair growth supplement brand at Nutraful.com, spelled N-U-T-R-A-F-O-L-com promo code day. That's NutraFol.com from a code day. Here's what else we're following today. Headalines. There was kind of that deep, dark internet, the Reddit culture, and these other dark places of the internet where this person was going deep. That's Utah's Republican governor, Spencer Cox, on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday,

giving new details about the suspect in the shooting. of Charlie Kirk. A 22-year-old Utah man was taken into custody on Thursday. As of Sunday night, the suspect hasn't been cooperating with authorities, and investigators haven't established an official motive. But Governor Cox says the suspect held, quote, leftist ideology, and that friends and family have provided information. Cox says one source has been the suspect's roommate, who is also his romantic partner. Authorities have indicated the partner has provided private messages that incriminate the suspect. Investigators are also looking into a note left behind by the alleged shooter. And the New York Times reports the suspect even joked in a group chat that

his doppelganger was a killer. Formal charges are expected Tuesday. In that same interview with Meet the Press on Sunday, Governor Cox made his umpteenth attempt to get people to curb political polarization. The most powerful companies in the history of the world have figured out how to hack our brains, get us addicted to outrage, which is the same type of dopamine, the same chemical that you get from taking fentanyl, get us addicted to outrage, and get us to hate each other. I'm seeing it in real time since the tragic death of Charlie Kirk. He has his work cut out for him. President Trump said that Kirk's backers should respond without violence,

but he also blamed people on the left for the killing, saying they're, quote, vicious and they're horrible. And Trump's senior advisor, Stephen Miller, echoed this sentiment on Fox News on Friday. There is a domestic terrorism movement in this country. When you see these organized boxing campaigns where the left calls people enemies of the Republic

calls them fascists, says they're Nazis, says they're evil, says they have to be removed, and then print their addresses, what do you think they're trying to do? They are trying to inspire someone to murder them.

Maga's troll-in-chief, Laura Lumer, agreed. On Twitter, she wrote that folks in the right should fear assassination attempts against them. She went on to say that she'd ruin the career of anyone who reveled in Kirk's death. Apparently, there's now a website to help her with that. It aims to ID and shame anyone who celebrated Kirk's murder or even people referencing Kirk's actual statements.

The internet is terrible right now, so of course some people have actually already lost their jobs. And some people listed on the site are reporting death threats against them. There are signs that Charlie Kirk's own social media empire will return to the fray. Widow Erica Kirk spoke on her late husband's YouTube channel Friday. The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle. cry. To everyone listening tonight across America, the movement my husband built will not die. It won't. I refuse to let that happen. It will not die.

Social media accounts run by Charlie Kirk and his organization, Turning Point USA, have attracted millions of new followers since his death. We're going to Memphis. Memphis is deeply troubled. And the mayor has is a Democrat mayor. The mayor is happy. And the governor, Tennessee, the governor is happy. President Trump announced Friday that he set his sights on Memphis, Tennessee for a National Guard deployment. Memphis is the third city thus far and his crime cracked down spectacular after Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Trump also floated that the deployment could include the military if necessary. Tennessee Republicans, including Senator Marsha Blackburn and Governor Bill Lee, predictably applauded the news.

But as for the president's claim that Memphis's Democratic Democratic, mayor is happy about it? Mayor Paul Young told CNN Saturday. Well, I'm certainly not happy about the National Guard. Trump initially had his sights on Chicago, but after a unified opposition from state and local Democrats, he backed down. In the latest deportation news, because yes, deportations are still happening, a federal judge said over the weekend it appeared the Trump administration was flouting U.S. court orders that prohibited five African immigrants from being deported to their home countries. How? By sending

them to Ghana, only to have Ghana, not the U.S., send the deportees to countries where they could face torture or even death. According to an ACLU lawyer, one of the plaintiffs has already been sent from Ghana to his native Gambia, even though a U.S. court found he could not be sent there. Sound familiar? U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkin ordered the government during an emergency hearing Saturday to detail its plans for the immigrants in Ghana. She said, quote, I have not been shy about saying that I think this is a very suspicious scheme. Agreed. A Department of Justice lawyer told Chuckin in court that Ghana promised it wouldn't deport those immigrants, and that Chuckin had no power to control how another country treats deportees anyway.

Again, sound familiar. What an empathetic administration. And that's the news. Before we go, great news. Whataday has new merch. A new Whataday T-shirt and bottle opener just dropped. Wearing a soft t-shirt and cracking open a cold drink are two of the things that make even the roughest days better. And we are all about that at Wad.

The designs are really colorful and fun, and I know the Wad Squad is going to love them. Grab them now at crooked.com slash store. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review. Wish Ching Bao the Giant Panda a happy fourth birthday and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading, I'm not just about Ching Bao, who lives at the National Zoo in D.C. And had a frupticle cake to celebrate with hundreds of panda fans, like me. What today is also a nightly newsletter.

Check it out and subscribe at cricket.com slash subscribe. I'm Jane Koston, and after 30 minutes of eating fruit and opening presents, including a new ball, Ching Bao climbed into a tree and took a nap, a model for all of us. What a day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producer is Emily Ford. Our video editor is Joseph Dutra. Our video producer is Johanna Case.

We had production help today from Greg Walters, Matt Berg, Megan Larson, Gina Pollock, Jonah Eatman. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison, and our senior vice president of news and politics is Adrian Hill. We had helped today from the Associated Press. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East. Thank you. I'm sorry. Thank you.