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FIRST ON FOX: The House GOP is releasing a report accusing Democrats of trying to undermine U.S. healthcare as the standoff over federal funding escalates.

The government shutdown is in its 14th day with Republicans and Democrats still unable to agree on a path forward for at least part of fiscal year (FY) 2026.

Republicans are pushing a relatively straightforward extension of FY2025 funding through Nov. 21, but Democrats have said they will not agree to any federal funding bill that is not paired with significant reforms on healthcare.

The new report led by the House GOP, however, accuses Democrats of trying to undermine the system with their counter-proposal for a federal funding bill — specifically its suggested rollback of healthcare measures in Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).

JOHNSON RAISES STAKES ON SCHUMER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BARRELS INTO WEEK 3

The report said the bill, which was rebranded as the “Working Families Tax Cuts” (WFTC), “advanced a vision of Medicaid that balances compassion with accountability, prioritizing care for the most vulnerable Americans while ensuring that federal resources are used responsibly.”

“The legislation’s reforms to rural hospital funding, Medicaid financing practices, and federal reimbursements for non-citizen medical care collectively strengthen the long-term sustainability of the program,” it said.

“By contrast, the Democratic Continuing Resolution would dismantle these reforms, reversing progress toward a more efficient, transparent, and equitable Medicaid system. Such a repeal would undermine rural healthcare stability, reintroduce opportunities for funding misuse, and impose unnecessary costs on American taxpayers.”

A continuing resolution (CR) is meant to be a short-term extension of current federal funding levels aimed at giving negotiators more time to strike a deal for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

SCREAMING MATCH ERUPTS BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES, MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CHAOS CONTINUES

Republicans’ CR would extend FY2025 funding levels through Nov. 21, while Democrats’ counter-proposal would run through Oct. 31.

In addition to the OBBBA repeal being pushed in Democrats’ CR, they are also calling for any deal to also extend Obamacare subsidies that were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic and which are set to expire at the end of this year.

Republicans have painted Democrats’ counter-proposal as a means to return healthcare to illegal immigrants after the OBBBA tightened certain measures that made it harder for non-citizens to access federal Medicaid dollars.

Democratic leaders have accused the GOP of lying about the situation.

But the GOP has also pointed out that repealing all of their healthcare reforms would also mean repealing $50 billion their bill adds to fund rural hospitals.

“This targeted investment supports states in stabilizing critical healthcare infrastructure and ensures that rural Americans, often located far from major medical centers, can continue to access essential services,” the report said.

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The five-page memo appears to be a rebuttal to Democrats’ defense in the shutdown fight that they are fighting to preserve Americans’ healthcare access.

The GOP’s CR passed the House on Sept. 19 but has been stalled in the Senate, where at least five Democrats are needed under the current tally to reach a 60-vote threshold to break a filibuster.

Senate Democrats rejected the GOP CR seven times, however. The chamber is expected to vote on it again Tuesday evening.

Fox News Digital reached out to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ office for a response to the GOP report but did not immediately hear back.

The friends, colleagues and pastors of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) co-founder Charlie Kirk are celebrating his life and legacy promoting faith, family and patriotism as President Donald Trump prepares to award him the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Tuesday. 

“Although he was taken from us far too soon, his legacy will inspire generations to come and outlive us all,” “The Charlie Kirk Show” executive producer Andrew Kolvet told Fox News Digital. “He represents the very best of America and is deserving of this and every other possible accolade. Thank you to President Trump for quite literally shifting world events to honor Charlie on what would have been his 32nd birthday.” 

“Only Charlie could do that,” Kolvet added. 

Kirk was assassinated Sept. 10 while attending a TPUSA event at Utah Valley University’s campus. The conservative movement leader was sitting under a tent while chatting with students when a shot rang out and struck Kirk in the neck, killing him.

TURNING POINT USA EXPANDS ITS MERCHANDISE COLLECTION WITH ITEMS COMMEMORATING CHARLIE KIRK

Following Kirk’s shocking assassination, Republicans and conservatives have vowed that his legacy of promoting family values, upholding the Constitution and spreading his Christian faith will continue.

Trump announced in September he would posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, calling him “a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people.” 

“I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and the courage he put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on,” Trump said Sept. 11 when announcing he would award Kirk the honor. 

TPUSA’s Chief Operating Officer Tyler Bowyer told Fox News Digital that the award ceremony will be felt by every young adult who has been involved with the conservative advocacy group. 

“Charlie will be honored today on behalf of the millions of conservative activists he helped lift up to save the movement and the country. Today in the White House this award will be felt by every young man and young woman who was impacted by his work. They can wear it too by carrying on doing the work,” Bowyer said. 

David Engelhardt, lead pastor of Kings’ Church New York City and board member of TPUSA, told Fox News Digital that it’s a “profound privilege to be able to witness this moment recognizing Charlie’s courage, conviction, and leadership in defense of faith and freedom.”

‘SLEEPING GIANT’ LIKELY WOKE UP FOR TURNING POINT USA AFTER CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION

“Charlie is the right recipient to the Medal of Freedom because he believed that God’s moral order found in faith is not a limit to freedom but the soil it grows in,” said Engelhardt, the pastor and friend of both Charlie Kirk and his wife, Erika. “People who destroy that soil in the name of safe-spaces and to protect against ‘dangerous ideas’ will soon find their land barren. Charlie stood for freedom rightly ordered and founded in the gravity of God’s system.” 

Kolvet added in his remarks that the conservative powerhouse’s deep faith and calls to protect freedom and the Constitution will continue to invigorate Americans even after his death. 

“Charlie devoted his entire being to saving America, and in many ways, he accomplished even more than that,” Kolvet said. “He proved that the blessings of liberty could be passed down to a whole new generation, even when so many believed all hope was lost. He proved them all wrong. In both life and death his message sparked a revival of faith and freedom all across the world, an impact we’ll never fully understand.” 

TRUMP TO AWARD CHARLIE KIRK MEDAL OF FREEDOM AFTER CAMPUS ASSASSINATION

Kirk is set to receive the highest civilian honor Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, on what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded to individuals who presidents determine have made exceptional contributions to the country. 

Rob McCoy — Kirk’s longtime pastor, friend and co-chair of TPUSA Faith — told Fox News Digital that Kirk “paid the ultimate sacrifice” to promote and protect freedom.

CHARLIE KIRK PAINTED AS ‘CONTROVERSIAL,’ ‘PROVOCATIVE’ IN MEDIA’S ASSASSINATION COVERAGE

“Charlie Kirk contended for freedom his entire adult life and paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect and defend this inalienable right given to mankind by The God Charlie trusted and loved,” McCoy said. 

Following Kirk’s death, his widow, Erika, was elected as TPUSA’s new chief executive officer to carry on her husband’s legacy of rallying younger generations with conservative principles. 

“I feel a sense of deep gratitude to Erika Kirk and the entire Turning Point USA team for their tireless work in continuing to shape a generation grounded in truth and purpose,” Engelhardt added. 

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The award ceremony will be held at the White House and comes on the heels of Trump’s return from the Middle East earlier Tuesday after he announced an end to the war in Gaza, which has has raged since 2023. 

The Democratic Socialists of America, the political party to which New York City Mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani belongs, brushed off Israel’s ceasefire with Hamas on Monday and called for further resistance to Israel’s “apartheid and occupation” of Gaza.

The DSA released the statement, titled “Until Palestinian Liberation,” on its website, declaring that they have “no illusions that Israel will honor any negotiated agreement that preserves Palestinian life or self-determination.” The statement made no mention of the release of Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity and accused Israel of “terrorizing” the Palestinian people and nations in the region.

“This will not end Israel’s assault on the Palestinian people or the theft and occupation of Palestinian lands. A conditional ceasefire agreement does not wash the hands of the ruling class,” the DSA wrote.

“The Occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, eroding under illegal settler expansion, continue to struggle under violent Israeli apartheid and occupation. Across the region, Israel terrorizes the people of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Qatar, and Iran while wielding the implicit threat of nuclear engagement to violently impose its fascist, expansionist aspirations,” the statement continued.

UN ACCUSED OF DOWNPLAYING HAMAS TERRORISTS’ USE OF GAZA HOSPITALS AS NEW REPORT IGNORES IMPORTANT DETAILS

Mamdani’s own statement on the ceasefire echoed the “occupation and apartheid” allegations against Israel, leading to quick criticism from both his mayoral race opponents and New York City officials.

“Today’s scenes of Israelis and Palestinians are profoundly moving: Israeli hostages being freed and families reunited after years of fear, uncertainty, and torture; the first days in Gaza without relentless Israeli bombardment of Palestinians as families return to rubble and loved ones freed from detention,” Mamdani wrote in a statement on X.

“We must work towards a future built upon justice, one without occupation and apartheid, and for a world where every person can live with safety and dignity,” he added.

MAMDANI BREAKS SILENCE ON FREED ISRAELI HOSTAGES IN STATEMENT THAT DOESN’T MENTION TRUMP

New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, who is Jewish, lashed out at Mamdani soon afterward, calling his statement a “word-salad” and noting the absence of any mention of Hamas or its crimes.

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running against Mamdani for mayor, noted how long it took the Democratic socialist candidate to address the ceasefire.

IDF KILLS HAMAS TERRORIST IT SAYS WORKED FOR UNRWA, LED CHARGE ON REIM BOMB SHELTER MASSACRE

“His silence speaks volumes,” Cuomo wrote in the hours that stretched between the release of the remaining living hostages and Mamdani’s eventual statement.

The exchange came as Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, also found herself the focus of criticism on Monday after she publicly mourned the death of a Palestinian social media influencer who praised Hamas’ actions on Oct. 7.

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The man, Saleh al-Jafarawi, was killed this weekend as Hamas clashed with rivals in Gaza after the Israeli military’s withdrawal.

“Beloved Jafarawi,” she wrote on Instagram.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. and Bill and Hillary Clinton are leading a chorus of prominent Democrats praising President Donald Trump for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal and the release of the remaining living hostages. 

The support from across the aisle comes as the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas freed all 20 remaining living hostages held in the Gaza Strip on Monday. 

“Today is a wonderful day. Finally, finally, finally, the last living hostages brutally held by Hamas are home, an immense and overwhelming sigh of relief,” Schumer said in a statement. “I commend the enormous advocacy of the tireless hostage families, President Trump, his administration, and all who helped make this moment happen.” 

“President Trump and his administration, Qatar, and other regional actors deserve great credit for keeping everyone engaged until the agreement was reached,” added former President Bill Clinton. 

TRUMP DECLINES TO COMMIT TO TWO-STATE SOLUTION AFTER HISTORIC GAZA PEACE DEAL: ‘WE’LL HAVE TO SEE’ 

Trump visited Israel on Monday to address Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, and met with some of the families of the released hostages. While returning home on Air Force One, the president was asked by a reporter for his reaction to Clinton’s remark. 

“I’ve always liked Bill Clinton. I’ve always gotten along with him,” Trump said. “I thought it was very nice, actually. And what is he doing? He’s telling the truth.” 

WITH HOSTAGES FREED, TRUMP THANKS OTHERS IN ISRAEL SPEECH BUT IS TOO QUICK TO DECLARE WAR IS OVER 

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also praised Trump, telling CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell on Friday, “I really commend President Trump and his administration, as well as Arab leaders in the region for making the commitment to the 20-point plan and seeing a path forward for what’s often called the day after.” 

The Trump administration had published a 20-point plan in late September on how it would end the war in Gaza. 

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“I commend the people who have been a part of this process. I commend the Qataris, the Egyptians and the president,” former Vice President Kamala Harris, who ran against Trump in 2024, said in an interview on MSNBC that aired on Sunday. 

Fox News Digital’s Hanna Penreck and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report. 

Former Vice President Kamala Harris commended President Donald Trump and his team for helping to secure the deal that led to the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas — but she only referred to “the President,” and did not identify Trump by name in the statement.

“I am thankful and deeply encouraged that this ceasefire has brought long-awaited moments of joy and reunion — as 20 Israeli hostages are finally reunited with their loved ones and Palestinian families and the people of Gaza begin to receive desperately needed relief from unimaginable suffering,” Harris said in the statement.

Israel launched a war effort in the wake of the horrific October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack, which included mass murder and kidnapping. 

BILL CLINTON SAYS TRUMP AND OTHERS ‘DESERVE GREAT CREDIT’ FOR ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASEFIRE

“Through diplomacy and persistence, today is an important first step toward a more hopeful future. I commend the leaders and partners whose efforts made this agreement possible, including the President and his team,” Harris continued.

“There is still much more work to do to secure a lasting peace, ensure the safety and dignity of every innocent life, and build a future where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in freedom and security,” she concluded.

Last year, Trump won both the Electoral College and the popular vote, trouncing Harris in the White House contest.

FETTERMAN MARKS RELEASE OF LAST LIVING HOSTAGES: ‘THE NIGHTMARE FINALLY ENDS’

The 2024 Democratic presidential candidate mounted a whirlwind campaign after President Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid and endorsed her.

Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas took a jab at President Trump on Monday, tweeting, “Raising hell at home & then pretending to be the President of Peace is diabolical.”

TRUMP DECLINES TO COMMIT TO TWO-STATE SOLUTION AFTER HISTORIC GAZA PEACE DEAL: ‘WE’LL HAVE TO SEE’

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But Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania gave, “Credit to @POTUS for a breakthrough ceasefire of this awful war.”

President Donald Trump told Fox News in an exclusive interview Monday that he credits the U.S. strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites for making the Israel-Hamas peace deal possible.

Trump made the comments to Fox News’ Trey Yingst in Israel after Hamas freed the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages from captivity in Gaza. 

“I think it really started when we took out the nuclear capability of Iran,” Trump said, referring to the June strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites. “When you look at what they had, you couldn’t have made this deal with someone sitting over there with a nuclear weapon over your head.”

Trump said that other countries around the Middle East were “fantastic” in helping the U.S. broker the peace deal, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Egypt.

TRUMP WRITES MESSAGE TO ISRAELIS AFTER ALL LIVING HOSTAGES RELEASED BY HAMAS

“That’s the amazing thing,” Trump said. “Everybody came together at this point. If you go back six months or seven months, you would have said a thing like this was impossible.”

Trump added that even with his impact as the U.S. president, the deal wouldn’t have happened if the dozens of countries that make up the Middle East did not want it to.

“They all wanted this to happen,” Trump said, “and it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”

Yingst said Trump emphasized that the Gaza deal is only the beginning of what he hopes will become a wider movement toward peace across the Middle East.

When asked about the state of Iran’s nuclear program today, Trump said it is nonexistent.

“They don’t have a nuclear program,” Trump said of Iran. “It was obliterated.”

In June, the U.S. launched Operation Midnight Hammer, the longest large-scale B-2 bombing mission in history, striking Iran’s nuclear sites with 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs.

Trump had immediately proclaimed Iran’s nuclear program had been “completely and totally obliterated,” though skeptics and opponents of the strikes voiced caution about declaring the mission a success before a final damage assessment was finished.

Trump also told Yingst that he believes Iran is going to be a country that “wants to get back into the world of good economies.” Trump added that Iran has shown signs of being open to diplomacy and that he has since spoken to Iran’s leadership, though he declined to specify which leader.

“The last thing they’re going to do is get into the nuclear world again because look what it’s gotten them, and I would just have to do it again,” the president said of Iran and the strikes.

TRUMP HERALDS ‘GOLDEN AGE OF THE MIDDLE EAST’ IN ADDRESS TO ISRAELI KNESSET HOURS AFTER HOSTAGES COME HOME

Trump arrived in Israel Monday morning to coincide with the prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.

The 20 living Israeli hostages were released as part of an agreement intended to end the conflict that began with the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas terrorists. Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,200 people and took around 240 hostages in southern Israel during the attack. Two years of fighting in Gaza followed, which resulted in tens of thousands estimated dead.

In exchange for the remaining living hostages, Israel began releasing around 2,000 Palestinian detainees, including approximately 250 identified as terrorists.

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This is a breaking news story; check back for updates.

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., delivered a stark warning during a Monday press conference on Day 13 of the government shutdown.

“We’re barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history unless Democrats drop their partisan demands and pass a clean, no-strings-attached budget to reopen the government and pay our federal workers,” the leader of the House of Representatives said.

The government entered into a shutdown nearly two weeks ago on Oct. 1 after Senate Democrats rejected the GOP’s federal funding plan. They have since blocked consideration of the same bill six more times. 

JOHNSON RAISES STAKES ON SCHUMER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BARRELS INTO WEEK 3

During his press conference, Johnson referenced former President Barack Obama telling a crowd over a decade ago, “There is one way out of this reckless and damaging Republican shutdown: Congress has to pass a budget that funds our government with no partisan strings attached.”

“What I just read was a direct quote. Those are not my words. They belong to President Barack Obama. He was speaking there in 2013 when our government was shut down for 16 days,” he said. “This would be the third-longest government shutdown in American history, that one would be.”

He added, “If Democrats keep up their obstruction here today, that’s where we’re going to be headed.”

The longest shutdown in U.S. history lasted 35 days between December 2018 and January 2019, during President Donald Trump’s first term.

The second-longest was a 21-day shutdown under former President Bill Clinton between December 1995 and January 1996, followed by the shutdown under Obama.

At this point, the 2025 shutdown is the fifth-longest in history, just behind the 1978 shutdown under former President Jimmy Carter.

SCREAMING MATCH ERUPTS BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES, MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CHAOS CONTINUES

Republicans proposed a seven-week bill extending fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal funding levels through Nov. 21 called a continuing resolution (CR). It’s aimed at giving congressional negotiators more time to strike a longer-term agreement on FY2026, which began on Oct. 1.

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It’s largely free of policy riders — save for an added $88 million in security funding for lawmakers, the White House and the judicial branch — and it has bipartisan support.

It passed the House along mostly partisan lines on Sept. 19. But Democrats in the House and Senate were largely infuriated by being sidelined in federal funding talks and are now demanding that any spending deal also include an extension of COVID-19 pandemic-era enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year.

President Donald Trump celebrated “peace in the Middle East” after he signed the historic peace agreement that ended two years of fighting in Gaza. 

“At long last, we have peace in the Middle East, and it’s a very simple expression, peace in the Middle East,” Trump said during remarks at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, flanked by dozens of world leaders. 

“We’ve heard it for many years, but nobody thought it could ever get there. And now we’re there.” 

Trump went on: “This is the day that people across this region and around the world have been working, striving, hoping, and praying for. With the historic agreement we have just signed, those prayers of millions have finally been answered. Together, we have achieved the impossible.”

NETANYAHU CALLS TRUMP ISRAEL’S ‘GREATEST FRIEND’ AS FINAL LIVING HOSTAGES RELEASED

His remarks came after Hamas released the final remaining 20 living hostages on Monday as Israel backed off its frontline positioning in Gaza over the weekend. 

Now, according to Trump, mediators will begin work on phases two, three and four of the 20-point peace plan. 

“This breakthrough that we’re here to celebrate tonight is more than the end of the war in Gaza, it’s, with God’s help, it’ll be the new beginning for an entire beautiful Middle East,” Trump went on. 

He expressed optimism that more Arab and Muslim-majority nations would join the Abraham Accords, a series of normalization deals with Israel, as he took a shot at the Biden administration for failing to advance the deals. 

“We’re going to get a lot of people joining the Abraham Accords. We have the four great nations that did it early on, and they stayed with it. And then you had the Biden administration, which is the worst administration in the history of our country. And obviously they did nothing on that in anything else.”

During Trump’s first administration, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates joined the Abraham Accords. 

“We don’t have a Gaza and we don’t have an Iran as an excuse. That was a good excuse, but we don’t have that anymore. All the momentum now is toward a great, glorious and lasting peace and our commitment to fulfilling the 20 point plan we developed together will be the crucial foundation for achieving that bright future,” the president went on. 

Trump said he believed the deal would mean an end to “terror” in the region. “We want to get rid of the terror and get on to other things. There are many other things in life that are so good.”

TRUMP CREDITS IRAN NUCLEAR STRIKES FOR KICKSTARTING ISRAEL-HAMAS PEACE DEAL

He suggested the next phase of the peace plan — rebuilding from the rubble in Gaza — would be the easy part. “We all know how to rebuild and we know how to build better than anybody in the world.”

At one point during his own address, Trump called up Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to speak. “Today is one of the greatest days in contemporary history because peace has been achieved after untiring efforts, efforts led by President Trump, who is genuinely a man of peace,” Sharif said. He added that Trump worked “relentlessly” to lead efforts to “make this world a place to live with peace and prosperity.” Sharif also said that Pakistan nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump, meanwhile, credited Secretary of State Marco Rubio for his work on the pace plan nine months in the making. 

“I think he’ll go down as the greatest secretary of state in the history of our country. I really believe that, Marco.”

He described an optimistic vision for the Middle East. 

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“Let us continue in the spirit of cooperation and goodwill that has finally brought us to this incredible historic breakthrough. If we do it together, we will reach the Middle East’s incredible destiny, a safe and prosperous and beautiful crossroads of culture and commerce, faith in humanity and geographic center. This will be the geographic center of the world.”

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania marked the release of the remaining living hostages held by Hamas, the terror group that perpetrated the heinous October 7, 2023, attack in Israel.

He credited President Donald Trump with helping to negotiate the peace agreement that led to the release of the captives kidnapped during the attack.

“The nightmare finally ends. May the hostages have a full recovery and may we never forget those who didn’t make it out alive. Credit to @POTUS for a breakthrough ceasefire of this awful war,” Fetterman noted in his post on X.

ARDENTLY PRO-ISRAEL DEM SEN JOHN FETTERMAN CONGRATULATES TRUMP FOR ‘HISTORIC PEACE PLAN’

Fetterman began his post with a quote from former hostage Eli Sharabi, who was released back in February. That two-word quote, “Now, life,” comes from Sharabi’s memoir, “Hostage.”

Fetterman has been a steadfast and ardent supporter of Israel in the wake of the horrific 2023 attack and the war that followed.

FORMER HAMAS HOSTAGE RELEASED 491 DAYS AFTER HE WAS KIDNAPPED AND HIS FAMILY WAS SLAUGHTERED

“I congratulate @POTUS on this historic peace plan that releases all the hostages. Now, enduring peace in the region is possible. Our parties are different but we have a shared ironclad commitment to Israel and its people,” he noted in a post on X last week.

Fetterman also marked the 250th anniversary of the Navy on Monday.

NETANYAHU CALLS TRUMP ISRAEL’S ‘GREATEST FRIEND’ AS FINAL LIVING HOSTAGES RELEASED

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“250 years of defending freedom and protecting prosperity—and the finest sailors of the strongest naval force in the world. Proud to be the grandson of Lt. Commander Donald Fetterman, who served in the Pacific Theater of WWII. Happy 250th Birthday, @USNavy!” he noted in a post on X, adding the American flag emoji and a black-and-white photo presumably his grandfather.

The Senate is set to return on Tuesday to again vote on whether to reopen the government, but like many times before, the plan is expected to fail again as a deal remains elusive.

Lawmakers in the upper chamber are expected to vote for an eighth time on the House GOP’s continuing resolution (CR), as the government shutdown inches closer to its third week. But after a long weekend away from Washington, D.C., it’s unlikely either party has shifted from their positions.

Senate Republicans want to pass the House’s “clean” short-term funding extension, which would reopen the government until Nov. 21. Included are millions in spending for lawmaker security and a budget fix for D.C.’s local government.

TRUMP DIRECTS HEGSETH TO PAY TROOPS DURING ONGOING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN STANDOFF AS HE RAILS AGAINST SCHUMER

But Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., remain adamant that they will not provide Republicans and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., the needed votes to reopen the government unless there is a firm deal to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies.

Both sides are talking, breaking up into small groups that are focused on some of the Democrats’ demands, like extending the subsidies or putting guardrails on future rescissions and impoundments of federal funding.

Still, no concrete negotiations or an off-ramp out of the shutdown have materialized.

“I think Leader Schumer’s checked out,” Thune told reporters on Friday. “I don’t think this is going to happen. I think this is going to happen organically with enough reasonable Senate Democrats who care enough about doing the right thing for their country and not what’s in the best interests of their left-wing political base to come forward and help us find a solution.”

So far only three Senate Democratic caucus members, Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Vt., have consistently crossed the aisle to reopen the government.

SENATE LEAVES WASHINGTON AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN NEARS 3RD WEEK, MILITARY PAY AT RISK

One key deadline, which was expected to make Democrats squeamish as the shutdown continued on, was met over the weekend. While lawmakers were away, President Donald Trump authorized Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to use “all available funds” to pay military service members by Oct. 15.

But Schumer has remained steadfast that he and Democrats want more than just a guarantee on the expiring subsidies and demands that Thune, Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., come to the negotiating table.

“We Democrats want to end this shutdown as quickly as we can,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “But Donald Trump and Republicans need to negotiate with us in a serious way to fix the health care premiums crisis. We can and should do both. It’s not either or, like Republicans think.”

SENATE DEMOCRATS BLOCK GOP PLAN AGAIN TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT AS MILITARY PAY DEADLINE LOOMS

But Senate Republicans have countered throughout the shutdown that Democrats routinely voted for CRs under former President Joe Biden, and that the only difference between then and now is that Trump is in office.

“A political game is being played by the Democrats because they think that every day gets better for them,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said. “And this isn’t right versus left. This is right versus wrong. That’s what we’re facing in this country today.”

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And there’s still another deadline on Capitol Hill fast approaching, this time to pay Senate staff.

“I’m concerned about everybody going without pay,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said. “We need to open the government back up, and I think people need to sit down and talk to each other. And so far, the president has been unwilling to talk, the leadership in both houses have been unwilling to talk.”