Shutdown Livestream: This Won't Fix Trillion-Dollar Deficits

Reason's Peter Suderman and Eric Boehm discuss the government shutdown live at 3 p.m. Eastern time today.

Reason's Peter Suderman and Eric Boehm discuss the government shutdown live at 3 p.m. Eastern time today. Join the livestream here.

The government has shut down—but don't get too excited. Taxes are still being taken from your paycheck, drugs are still illegal, and the Commerce Department (for some reason) still exists.

So what does the shutdown mean for ordinary Americans? And how long is this budgetary standoff likely to continue? Suderman and Boehm will be talking about this live on YouTube, X, and Facebook at 3 p.m. Eastern time on October 1.

Officially, the government shutdown happened because Congress failed to pass a new budget (or a continuing resolution) before the new fiscal year began on October 1. In reality, this shutdown is all about one specific part of the federal budget: health insurance subsidies delivered as part of the Affordable Care Act.

Senate Democrats refused to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government open because Republicans are opposed to extending an expanded version of those subsidies, which were originally created as a temporary measure during the pandemic. If those subsidies aren't extended, millions of Americans who purchase health insurance via the Obamacare system will face higher premiums next year. On the other hand, does it make sense for the federal government to offset the cost of health insurance for households earning well over six figures?

Health care already consumes the biggest slice of the federal budget, and this shutdown is unlikely to change that—or to reduce the overall size and cost of government. Instead, brace for finger-pointing, silly memes, and yet another bipartisan decision to borrow and spend money that we don't have.

There must be a better way to do this—Congress needs to stop governing by crisis and start passing real budgets that make clear tradeoffs.

We'll unpack the shutdown's short-term shocks and longer-term risk live on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Comments

[Chumby]

EB;dl

[Don't look at me! ( Is the war over yet?)]

Congress? I thought it was Trump’s fault.

[JesseAz (RIP CK)]

Did you ask congress before posting this Boehm?

Weird complaining about income taxes when you had 2 articles criticizing BBB for not raising income taxes.

[Mickey Rat]

"This Won't Fix Trillion-Dollar Deficits"

Who was claiming it did?

[JesseAz (RIP CK)]

It doesn't fix everything immediately, so not worth doing.

[Chumby]

I’d guess that strawman was crafted by Boehm.

[MasterThief]

I really wonder who Reason presumes their audience is. Anybody paying attention is aware that this likely will not reduce government spending. History doesn't support the assumption. There is a small chance that here that we actually might cut some excess spending with Republicans in charge and Trump pushing for cuts. Regardless of that, I'll cheer every minute the government is "shut down" because they're interfering less with my freedoms and wasting less of my money even if only temporarily.

[Neutral not Neutered]

No but reducing the size of government should be a celebrated achievement along with reducing spending.

Now continuing to wake people up, open their eyes to the reality of how horrible the democrat ideology and actions have been and have them stop voting for democrats so sanity and common sense can re root itself is the big test.

Sadly media has not climbed on board with doing the right thing and lowering the temperature and getting back to sensibility and stopping the constant fear mongering predictions of gloom and outright hate while hiding the truth from the people.

[TJJ2000]

Isn't it amazing how Democrats think 'Guns' (Gov-Guns) make something cheaper.
You know who else carries those same 'beliefs'? CRIMINALS.