I’m feeling much more optimistic about the midterms after tonight. When the MAGA passed their big “beautiful” bill, it was designed to have a big chunk of the pain kick in after the midterms. But then, right before this year’s election, they shut down the government because the Dems would not agree to just forget about ACA subsidies.
So right before today’s elections, the GOP
😱 laid off and furloughed federal workers, leaving them without a paycheck for a month;
😱 cut off SNAP/food stamps to 43 million people, 40% of whom are children, a few weeks before Thanksgiving;
😱.let the ACA subsidies expire so health insurance for 2026 became unaffordable for millions of Americans
Suddenly, many people wake up and realize the GOP is willing to use them as pawns to get what they want. They are willing to let people starve to get what they want — which is to make health insurance unaffordable for many by gutting the ACA.
Trump, livid, claims the long shutdown is all the Dems fault because they didn’t immediately cave to his bullying like they were supposed to. He is mystified and angry that, instead, Dems don’t back down and fight for those ACA subsidies.
It becomes painfully clear that Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress do not care whether millions of Americans go without paychecks, food and health insurance.
So much for their crafty plan to delay the pain until right after the midterms. Now it’s our job to help make sure people remember this pain in November 2026.
