Washington — November 9, 2025
President Donald Trump escalated his campaign against the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as “Obamacare,” as the U.S. federal government entered its 40th day of shutdown — the longest in the nation’s history.
The shutdown, since October 1, has effectively halted large segments of the federal workforce, slowed food-aid programs and disrupted air travel logistics.
Amid mounting pressure, the Senate advanced legislation designed to reopen government operations by extending funding through January 30, 2026 — contingent on continued negotiations over healthcare subsidies. The procedural vote passed 60-40, the threshold needed to overcome a filibuster.
In a forceful message delivered over his social-platform account, Trump declared that the hundreds of billions of dollars in ACA subsidies flowing through insurance providers be redirected “directly to the people so that they can purchase their own, much better, healthcare, and have money left over.
He lambasted the subsidies as a “windfall for health insurance companies, and a DISASTER for the American people.
Republicans, while publicly agreeing to the short-term funding measure, made clear they would address the future of the subsidies only after the shutdown ends.
Democrats, in contrast, warned that delaying action on the ACA credits imperils coverage for millions, and they accused the Republicans of weaponising the shutdown to force major health-care reform.
With the shutdown now at 40 days, the stakes broaden: federal workers remain unpaid, domestic food-aid programmes hang in uncertainty, and the holiday-travel season looms amid fragile air-traffic staffing. Analysts warn the economic damage is mounting.
As the Senate moves closer to finalising the funding extension, the key question remains whether Congress will agree — and whether President Trump will sign — a resolution that simultaneously keeps the government running and reshapes a cornerstone of U.S. health policy.