No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen Trump loses the government shutdown messaging war
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Oct 5, 2025 
Bernie Sanders, a U.S. Senator and champion for Medicare for All, discusses the dire consequences of GOP budget cuts on health insurance and their connection to billionaire tax breaks. Elizabeth Warren, another U.S. Senator, elaborates on the limited Democratic leverage to protect Affordable Care Act subsidies while challenging misinformation about healthcare for undocumented immigrants. Ro Khanna, a U.S. Representative, shares insights on political strategies to release the Epstein files and secure public accountability. Political commentator Tommy Vietor analyzes the shutdown's impact and the ongoing blame on Republicans.
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Immigrant Claim Is A Political Diversion
- Sanders and Cohen dismantle the claim that federal funds would subsidize undocumented immigrants via ACA or Medicaid.
- Federal law bars undocumented people from Medicaid, Medicare, and ACA subsidies, so the GOP's immigrant argument is a diversion.
Use Senate Leverage To Protect ACA
- Use Senate rules and leverage: Democrats need to insist on rolling back ACA cuts before voting to fund government.
- Sanders urges using the 60-vote dynamic to force bipartisan negotiation and protect healthcare.
Democrats' Narrow, Strategic Demand
- Elizabeth Warren highlights that Democrats' limited leverage focuses narrowly on restoring ACA protections in any continuing resolution.
- She frames the demand as modest: roll back healthcare cuts Republicans inserted while they gave tax breaks to the wealthy.