Senate Leadership Under Fire Over Government Shutdown

By Sam Barron | Wednesday, 08 October 2025 09:22 PM EDT
The shutdown is attributed to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., catering to the left flank of his party, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Newsmax Wednesday.

Appearing on “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” Marshall dismissed claims by Democrats that the shutdown is about lowering healthcare costs for all Americans. Democrats are demanding that Republicans extend expiring tax credits for people who buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

“The problem with the Affordable Care Act is it’s not affordable, and the subsidies they are talking about are wrought with fraud because of the way they set this up,” Marshall said. Marshall labeled the shutdown the “Schumer shutdown,” asserting that Schumer shut it down due to pressure from his far-left party members. He added that the legacy left media wanted him to shut the government down, forcing him to find a way to reopen it.

Marshall noted that two weeks before the shutdown, Democrats suddenly shifted focus to addressing expiring subsidies. “Even if we wanted to fix them, it would probably take a month just to figure out how to get rid of the fraud going forward,” he said. He predicted marketplace premiums will rise 18% to 20%, blaming the Affordable Care Act’s failed policies and overregulation for industry consolidation.

“Their Obamacare policies have created a consolidation in the industry,” Marshall stated, citing two or three insurance companies dominating 90% of the market in each state. He proposed a bill requiring hospitals to disclose costs upfront, comparing it to restaurants showing prices. “We force hospitals to show their price tags; we expand healthcare savings accounts, which forces patients to become consumers again,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.