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Josie Duffy Rice: It’s Monday, November 10th. I’m Josie Duffy Rice, in for Jane Coaston, and this is What a Day, the show that wonders where Donald Trump was racing to in his limousine this weekend. If you guessed that he was headed to the Capitol to resolve the longest government shutdown in American history, you would be wrong. [sound of motor plays] He was, in fact, racing to his golf course in West Palm Beach. You know, if only golf courses were federal agencies, the shutdown would have lasted like 14 seconds tops. [music break] On today’s show, the fight to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program continues, and Trump promises, quote, “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person from tariffs to most American citizens,” before his Treasury secretary immediately tries to clean that up. But let’s start with the longest government shutdown in American history, which might be coming to an end soon. As of our recording time on Sunday evening, senators from both parties reached a deal that could bring an end to the shutdown, which has lasted well over a month. The deal would include a new stopgap measure that would fund the government through January, plus three different spending measures. One of them, the 2026 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding bill would allocate $153 billion to fund the Department of Veterans Affairs and infrastructure programs at the Pentagon for a full year. In a win for Democrats, these three bills do not include most of the brutal spending cuts that Trump proposed in his budget a few months ago. No longer would the government accountability office’s funding be cut in half. Democrats are also negotiating the rehiring of more than 4,000 federal employees who were laid off during the shutdown. But Democrats are not getting the primary thing that they’ve wanted. For weeks, Democrats insisted that Republicans agree to extend the Affordable Care Act’s insurance subsidies. But now that demand has been reduced. As of now, Republicans have only agreed to hold a vote on the issue next month but have not guaranteed any support. I spoke with Stephen Neukam, a congressional reporter for Axios, on Sunday afternoon as the details of an agreement were still being hammered out. Stephen, welcome to What a Day. 

Stephen Neukam: Thanks for having me. 

Josie Duffy Rice: So you reported on Sunday about a group of Senate Democrats who are willing to advance a package of bills to end the shutdown. How much do we know about what’s in this package? 

Stephen Neukam: We know a decent amount about what is in the package. It’s sort of formed around a short-term stopgap spending bill that would go through the end of this year, between either January 30th or January 31st, and also packaged with three full legislative funding bills, MILCON, VA. So that will fund a number of things across the government, which is a big handout or a big victory for Democrats who want to see some of the agencies fully funded through uh the end of the year. And then on top of that, to get the Democratic votes, the moderates that they’ve been able to extract, Republicans have given Democrats a promise of a vote in December on expiring Obamacare tax credits. On top of some language, we’re not exactly sure what the language looks like yet, but some protections for rehiring federal workers who were fired under the shutdown. 

Josie Duffy Rice: Wow um what led to this thaw in negotiations? Like, how did we get here after so many weeks of it feeling like a total impasse? 

Stephen Neukam: Yeah, it did feel like a total impasse. And I think if you go back to the beginning of of the middle of last week and the end of last week, there was actually a decent amount of momentum moving toward a deal that kind of looked similarly to this. And then what happened was Democrats go out and sort of route Republicans in elections across the country, they win the Virginia governor’s race, they win the New Jersey’s governor’s race, they win state houses, they they flip a lot of red seats. And there’s a lot of Democrats up here on Capitol Hill in the Senate, who read that as voters sort of rewarding them for holding out and fighting the Trump administration on government funding and and on healthcare. So we sort of got that little law there for a few days where folks were trying to understand what the effect of the election was. What the polls were going to say. Senate Democrats earlier this week brought forward their own proposal which was a one-year clean extension of these ACA tax credits that are expiring and attaching it to a government funding bill, and Republicans rejected that. So I think that once we got to that spot at the end of this week, there’s a lot of moderate Democrats who were already kind of willing to to enter into this type of agreement. And once we saw that there was no path forward for the Democratic solution to the shutdown, they were willing to negotiate with Republicans. But I would just say, sort of timing-wise, in terms of getting the government open, we’re talking right now, you know, Sunday afternoon, Senate Democrats are about to meet. The way that the Senate works procedurally is they need something called unanimous consent to sort of go through procedural hurdles, if they were to sort of run the procedure all the way through, this wouldn’t get done until, you know, Thursday or Friday of next week. That’s just sort of the way that the Senate works. And like, they’re going to come out of this meeting, and I can guarantee you there’s going to be some progressives, Bernie Sanders, Chris Murphy, who are going to be upset with this deal. And something to watch is if if they give what is called consent to sort of let this process move more quickly along to get the shutdown done quicker. Because if the moderates say that they’re willing to vote for the bill, there’s nothing that the left can do to stop this bill from passing. 

Josie Duffy Rice: So you mentioned that as part of this deal, there’s a promised vote on extending ACA subsidies, but it wouldn’t be until December. So why is that compromise like not satisfying to some Democrats? 

Stephen Neukam: Well, the reason it’s not satisfying to some Democrats is because it’s not a guarantee that it will be passed. The way that the–

Josie Duffy Rice: Right. 

Stephen Neukam: –Senate works, you need 60 votes to to be able to pass anything to break a filibuster. So they have a promised vote in December, a 60 vote threshold on extending these ACA tax credits. Is there enough Republican support in the Senate to get to 60 votes to pass that extension? Maybe, but the reality is even if it gets through the Senate, it has to get back through the House where, you know, the thing just stands essentially no shot. House Speaker Mike Johnson has already said that, you know, this is not something he’s willing to put on the floor. There’s other ideas that are going around about how do you do that. But really, the reality is that there’s just no path forward for this this extension, even if it were to pass the Senate against all odds in December. 

Josie Duffy Rice: And Republicans are starting to talk more about alternatives to these subsidies. Can you tell a little bit about the proposal that Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy is suggesting? 

Stephen Neukam: Yeah, not just the Cassidy one, but if to sort of give you like the the uh spectrum of ideas here on healthcare that have been thrown around, yeah, you have Cassidy and some Republicans who have talked about the idea of income caps on the ACA tax credits. You’ve seen the president say that the ACA structure is not a good one, that they don’t want to continue to go down that path. So Republicans have sort of developed their counter proposal. The reality, you know, at this point is that the bill that’s going to be voted on in December is the democratic version of a one-year extension of ACA tax credits. And that’s the reason why I say it’s just unlikely that it gets through the Senate in December. And even if it did, it would die in the House. And then you have folks on the left, like Bernie Sanders, who who have said that, okay, well, if we’re worried about the influence of insurance companies, if we’re worried about the the making the wealthier richer uh through through these types of programs, well then they should all get behind Medicare for All, which is obviously sort of a really popular proposal on the left, something that’s been led by Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, others uh in the past. So this sort of debate has sparked a debate about health care across the entire political spectrum recently. 

Josie Duffy Rice: So there’s a Supreme Court element to this too, right? Because on Friday, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson paused a lower court order to fully fund SNAP benefits during the shutdown. Then over the weekend, the Department of Agriculture demanded that states undo any SNAP payments that have already gone out this month. So what’s the latest on this back and forth? Do we have a sense of that? 

Stephen Neukam: Well for, as of right now, the Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to sort of let that pause go on in terms of not paying the federal benefits as it gets worked out in the lower court system. I think the most important piece or the most point to make on SNAP benefits is this like when you when you talk about SNAP benefits, it’s not like federal workers who have been furloughed or working without pay, especially working without paying, who get back pay when they are are you know the government’s back open and things are functioning the way it is. Those SNAP payments you don’t those aren’t accrued You don’t get them uh from you know, the mispayments that you didn’t get you just you know you just don’t have the money to to buy food. So I think that that SNAP uh sort of issue is really a driving issue especially with some of the moderates who are willing to make a deal in the democratic party right now because they understand uh that that they’re not going to get those benefits back and the quicker that they can open the government up, the quicker those benefits can get to folks who really need that type of support. 

Josie Duffy Rice: Okay, I just have one more question for you, Stephen. So if and when the shutdown ends, hopefully when, um what will you be watching for other than this potential vote on the ACA subsidies? What else should we be aware of? 

Stephen Neukam: Yeah, you’ve got to look at the fallout for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who you know faced a lot of criticism in March when he decided to to vote to fund the government, found himself in a similar position, obviously did not do it do that in October or the end of September. That’s why we’ve had a shutdown for for a month and you know a week. But he could face some pretty serious criticism from his left. Just in terms of the structure of the deal that seems to be coming together, like you said there, our Democrats are going to be upset that this will not be enough, that a promised vote does not mean that it will become law, that does not means that the president will sign it into law even if it passed Congress. So I would be looking for the political fallout in terms of the criticism of Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer. 

Josie Duffy Rice: Thank you so much, Stephen, for joining us. 

Stephen Neukam: Yeah, thanks for having me. 

Josie Duffy Rice: That was my conversation with Stephen Neukam, congressional reporter for Axios. We will get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a five star review on Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. [music break]

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Josie Duffy Rice: Here’s what else we’re following today. 

[sung] Headlines.

[clip of Mayrland Governor Wes Moore] We’ve now received guidance saying the states are going to be punished for fronting the money. There is a chaos, and it is an intentional chaos, that we are seeing from this administration. 

Josie Duffy Rice: Maryland Democratic Governor Wes Moore spoke with Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan on CBS on Sunday about how the federal government is failing to feed Americans during a shutdown. The Trump administration is demanding states, quote unquote, “undo” the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits that have already been paid out to recipients. The directive comes after a federal judge ordered the White House to fully fund SNAP benefits for the month of November. The administration immediately appealed and the Supreme Court issued a temporary pause on the program on Friday in order to give the appeals court time to weigh in. In light of that decision, the Department of Agriculture warned state staff directors over the weekend that it now considers payments under the prior orders, quote, “unauthorized.” It’s just the latest swing in a back and forth legal battle over the food aid program used by 42 million Americans, but Governor Moore said he’s taking matters into his own hands. 

[clip of Mayrland Governor Wes Moore] And I have also authorized $62 million to go towards SNAP to make sure that SNAP is not going to be interrupted for the people of Maryland for as long as we can, uh despite the fact that we are waiting for the President of the United States to finally do his job. 

Josie Duffy Rice: And Moore isn’t the only one pushing back. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said in a statement Sunday that recipients, quote, “with funds on their cards should continue to spend it on food.” And Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers didn’t mince any words. In response to the administration’s demand that states return food assistance payments to the government, Evers said, quote, “no.” President Trump touted his tariff policies on Truth Social on Sunday, bragging about how rich the country is now and writing, quote, “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person,” not including high income people, will be paid to everyone. That sounds great, right? Well, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent immediately tried to reel in that promise when speaking with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos the very same day. 

[clip of ABC’s George Stephanopoulos] Do you have a proposal, a formal proposal to give a $2,000 dividend to every American? 

[clip of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent] I haven’t spoken to the president about this yet, but you know it could the $2,000 dividend could come in lots of forms, in lots of ways, George. Uh you know it could be just the tax decreases that we are seeing on the president’s agenda. You know no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no taxes on Social Security, deductibility of auto loans. So, you know those are substantial deductions. That you know are being financed in the tax bill. 

Josie Duffy Rice: I love this response. He sounds terrified. Just say no. We’re not going to get that money, Scott. You know it. We know it, just be honest. Trump made other claims in his post on Sunday that Stephanopoulos also pressed Bessent on. 

[clip of ABC’s George Stephanopoulos] The president is also posting about tariffs this morning. He’s saying people that are against tariffs are fools. We’re taking in trillions of dollars. Is that true? 

[clip of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent] We have taken, over the course of the next few years, we could take in trillions of dollars, George, uh but the real the real goal of the tariffs is to rebalance trade and make it more fair. 

Josie Duffy Rice: We could take in trillions of dollars over the next few years. Again, just say no, Scott. Admit it, we have not taken in trillions. Just, you know, shoot straight, man. Trump’s comments come as the Supreme Court weighs the legality of his tariffs on U.S. trading partners. A majority of the justices last week seemed skeptical about Trump’s ability to unilaterally impose them. Israel on Sunday confirmed it had received the remains of Hadar Goldin. A soldier killed in the Gaza Strip in 2014. The 23-year-old was killed two hours after a ceasefire took effect in that year’s war between Israel and Hamas. Goldin’s family waged a public campaign for 11 years to bring home his remains. The return of Goldin remains were a result of the U.S. brokered truce, which has faltered, to say the least. Israeli forces have killed over 200 people in Gaza since the ceasefire was reached. Israel has blamed Hamas for the slow return of the bodies of hostages. Gaza health officials say 300 Palestinian bodies have now been handed back, with 89 of those identified. Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and a key architect of Washington’s 20-point ceasefire plan, has quietly returned to Israel to help push negotiations forward. A person familiar with the visit told the Associated Press. The BBC’s director general and its top news executive both resigned, following criticism over how the broadcaster edited a speech given by President Trump. Pressure on the broadcasters’ top executives has been growing since the right-leaning Telegraph newspaper published parts of a dossier last week compiled by a former employee hired to advise the BBC on standards and guidelines. The report criticized the outlet’s editing of Trump’s January 6th, 2021 speech used in a BBC documentary last year. The BBC cut out a section where Trump said he wanted supporters to demonstrate peacefully. Telegraph associate editor Gordon Rayner detailed the dossier’s findings in a video posted by the outlet. 

[clip of Gordon Rayner] In it they play the following clip. 

[clip of President Donald Trump] We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you and we fight. We fight like hell. 

[clip of Gordon Rayner] But Trump didn’t in fact say this at all. The BBC spliced together two clips that took place 54 minutes apart. So let’s go through it again. 

Josie Duffy Rice: Rayner then plays the unedited excerpt of the speech. 

[clip of President Donald Trump] We’re gonna walk down to the Capitol. And we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. 

[clip of Gordon Rayner] It’s different.

Josie Duffy Rice: BBC director-general Tim Davey said in his resignation letter on Sunday that quitting the job was entirely his decision. News CEO Deborah Turness said in her own letter that the controversy about the Trump documentary quote, “has reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC, an institution that I love. As the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the buck stops with me.” And that’s the news. That’s all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, prepare yourself for Trump’s DC arena, and tell your friends to listen. And if you were into reading, and not just about how the White House said Saturday, it would be, quote, “beautiful to name the new stadium for the Washington Commanders after President Donald Trump,” like me. What a Day is also a nightly newsletter, so check it out and subscribe at crooked.com/subscribe. I’m Josie Duffy Rice. And Trump actually attended the Washington Commander’s game on Sunday. And if the crowd’s reaction to him on the Jumbotron is any indication of their enthusiasm for a name change. Well. [clip of crowd booing] [music break]

Jane Coaston: What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It’s recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producer is Emily Fohr. Our video editor is Joseph Dutra. Our video producer is Johanna Case. We had production help today from Greg Walters, Matt Berg, Megan Larson, Gina Pollack, and Jonah Eatman. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison, and our senior vice president of news and politics is Adriene Hill. We had help today from the Associated Press. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East. [music break]

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