Trump's Terms Gov't shutdown continues; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt talks to NPR
Oct 3, 2025
The government shutdown reaches day three as the GOP Senate pushes for partisan bills. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt discusses the urgency for a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government. She highlights concerns over federal layoffs and the impact on health care subsidies and enrollment timing. The conversation also touches on outreach to moderate Democrats to secure necessary votes and the implications of halted infrastructure funding due to furloughed workers. A tense political landscape unfolds as crucial decisions loom.
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Senate Tactic And Vote Math
- The GOP-led Senate is repeatedly voting on partisan stopgap bills to pressure Democrats to end the shutdown.
- Republicans lack the 60 votes needed and expect few Democratic defections, prolonging the stalemate.
ACA Subsidies Stall Talks
- Democrats insist on addressing expiring ACA subsidies before voting to reopen, citing enrollment timelines.
- Republicans view a clean continuing resolution as a prerequisite and resist bundling health care in the CR talks.
Public Pressure Builds Slowly
- The shutdown's immediate pain is muted because many agencies still operate and paychecks haven't been missed yet.
- But as operations pause and furloughs continue, public pressure to resolve the impasse will grow.