Morning Rundown: Courts reverse mass firings, a notable absence from U.S.-Russia talks, and a veteran’s $100K in surprise medical bills
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Two federal courts are ruling that the firings of probationary federal workers were improper and that tens of thousands of those employees must be immediately reinstated. The Trump administration is calling the ruling absurd and unconstitutional and is vowing to fight back. NBC’s Garrett Haake reports for “TODAY.”
WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., indicated yesterday he would vote to advance Republicans’ six-month funding bill that passed the House to avert a government shutdown tonight.
The move is a major concession from Schumer, yielding to the GOP measure just one day after he vowed that Democrats wouldn’t allow it to pass. It means the bill is likely to find enough votes to clear the 60-vote threshold and eventually pass with a simple majority, even as a growing number of Senate Democrats came out in opposition to it yesterday.
“There are no winners in a government shutdown,” Schumer said in a floor speech. “It’s not really a decision; it’s a Hobson’s choice: Either proceed with the bill before us or risk Donald Trump throwing America into the chaos of a shutdown.
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Jennifer Gilkerson never imagined that her West Virginia farm’s freeze-dried fruits would get caught up in political fights in Washington, D.C.
But last Friday, she learned that funding for a U.S. Agriculture Department program that helps schools and food banks buy products from local farmers like her had been cut. Without those federal dollars, Gilkerson no longer expect local schools to be able to buy her freeze-dried fruits, which she has already spent thousands of dollars preparing to produce.
“We’re just in such a state of shock. We just don’t really even know how to respond to all this. We thought that this was sacred and really untouchable. So it’s just quite a shock and very devastating,” Gilkerson said. “Everyone thinks all farmers voted for this, but we did not vote for this.”
From funding cuts to tariffs, farmers have found themselves caught in the middle of Trump’s escalation of trade wars and efforts to slash billions of dollars in spending, leaving a growing number now struggling to find markets for their products and facing the risk of steep losses for the year ahead.
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Democratic campaign committees and state parties are partnering to host a series of town halls in Republican-held districts after congressional Republicans were advised against holding more town hall-style events in person following tense interactions that went viral.
The list of districts where Democrats plan to hold events includes several that are expected to have close House races next year: Arizona’s 6th District, Colorado’s 8th District, Iowa’s 3rd District, Michigan’s 10th District, Nebraska’s 2nd District and Pennsylvania’s 7th and 8th districts.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement that Republican lawmakers are “terrified to be in the same room as the people who sent them to Washington.”
“If they won’t talk to their own voters, then Democrats will. That’s why we’ll be hosting People’s Town Halls in all 50 states across the country, starting now with vulnerable GOP-held target districts. Working families deserve to have their voices heard, even if Republicans want to ignore them,” Martin added.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Susan DelBene, D-Wash., said in a statement that congressional Republicans “are failing to do the most basic aspect of their jobs: meeting with the people they represent.”
The move from Democrats, who have been on their heels since the start of the Trump administration, comes after several GOP lawmakers were confronted at town halls in their districts.
In one instance, videos showed attendees booing Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., after he defended Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. In another instance, Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, was confronted with chants of “Vote you out,” at one of his town halls.
Republicans have accused Democrats of organizing protesters to attend Republican-led town halls and disrupting them.
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