Wednesday marked the second day of the government shutdown and the second day of Republicans spinning the story to place blame on the Democrats. Congressional GOPers have seized on the closing of the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. as an example of the effects of the shutdown that they say is the fault of Democrats who will not compromise. House Republicans have singled out federal memorials and parks, as well as veterans’ programs and services for D.C., and proposed several small bills to keep these chosen areas funded. Chris Hayes will talk with Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, member of the Senate Budget Committee, Fmr. Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, and Former Congressman Barney Frank about why his piecemeal approach is a bad idea.
Larry Kudlow, Host of The Kudlow Report, will also join the table to talk about how Democrats have actually already made concessions that brought federal spending down to the levels Republican Rep. Paul Ryan touted in his budget plan. Chris will show how these spending cuts hurt the U.S. economy.
Plus: Fox News pundit and former White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush, Dana Perino, said Tuesday that offering information about Obamacare in 150 languages is “absurd.” Perino questioned how non-English speakers would be able to explain their symptoms to a doctor if they can’t apply for insurance in English. Chris Hayes will explain how this assertion is an insult to the many people who have put in long hours to make sure that the Obamacare rollout will work–and who are now being repaid with a government shutdown and furloughs.
Chris will also talk about the proposed Vitter Amendment, which would prevent members of Congress and their staff from receiving employer health care or insurance subsidies, how it would hurt many hard-working, middle class government employees.
Jelani Cobb, professor at the University of Connecticut and blogger for The New Yorker, Lizzie O’Leary, correspondent and fill-in host for American Public Media’s Marketplace, and Jacob Hacker, Professor and Director of the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University, will also join Chris Hayes for a discussion about the government shutdown and the strategy being played on both sides.
Rachel Simon
Rachel Simon is a writer and editor based in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is the author of “Pickleball for All: Everything but the ‘Kitchen’ Sink.” Her work has been published in The New York Times, Glamour, Vulture, Teen Vogue and more. You can find her at @rsimon113.