The public sentiment regarding the potential government shutdown is predominantly negative, highlighting widespread frustration and distrust towards Congress and political leadership, particularly figures like Trump and Schumer. Many comments express anger over the political stalemate impacting essential services and jobs, with significant concerns voiced by marginalized communities, especially related to the implications for LGBTQ+ rights and safety. Commenters urge for urgent action and express a desire for accountability from elected officials.

US Congress

Donald Trump

Chuck Schumer


Friendly reminder that all **top level** comments must:  

1.  start with "answer: ", including the space after the colon (or "question: " if you have an on-topic follow up question to ask),

2.  attempt to answer the question, and   

3.  be unbiased

Please review Rule 4 and this post before making a top level comment:

http://redd.it/b1hct4/

Join the OOTL Discord for further discussion: https://discord.gg/ejDF4mdjnh


*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/OutOfTheLoop) if you have any questions or concerns.*

AutoModerator

Answer: Congress needs to vote on a budget annually in time for the beginning of the new fiscal year, which is October 1st. There are two bills being proposed, one by each party, but no agreement has been reached. If they don't reach an agreement by midnight on Tuesday, the government can no longer legally spend "non-essential" money, and will shut down until an agreement is reached.

This means that non-essential government employees are furloughed until spending can resume. They will be given back pay later, but have to go without during the shutdown.

For ordinary folks, this means we can't have access to things like national parks, museums, IRS taxpayer services, and some benefits. Federal research projects also get put on hold during that time.

AppendixN

Answer: This is all a fault of one person - Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti who in 1980 made insane decision to interpret US laws to require shutdowns. It happens in no other country, and didn't even happen in US before that craziness started.

Basically Congress needs to pass budget or a "continuing resolution" to fund the government. But what happens if it fails to? In every normal country (including US before 1980!) government just continues operating according to already passed laws and previous funding until Congress makes a decision.

But instead, this was interpreted by this madman to mean that every "nonessential" government function must immediately shut down until Congress comes to an agreement.

This is NOT required by Constitution or any law, and it's just utter madness.

Since that insane legal decision, both parties have been using this opportunity to play a game of chicken, causing regular short term "government shutdowns" that affected pretty much every president so far. It's pointless, highly damaging, but unfortunately everyone involved really likes to play the game of chicken, and is unwilling to stop this.

If you rely on any "nonessential" government function, you'll likely to be affected, but "essential" ones continue to operate.

Answer: A large number of government subsidies and grants are being removed in this budget. Specifically subsidies tied to the ACA (Obamacare). There is a lot of pressure from the public to keep these, so the Democrats are refusing to vote for cloture (end the filibuster) until the subsidies are added.

As far as the shutdown, the largest programs in the Federal Government (Social Security, Military Operations, Medicaid and more) will continue functioning as normal. However, the non-essential staff will be put on unpaid leave.

This non-essential designation is…arguable. For instance, the Forestry Service will be furloughed, right at the start of peak wildfire season. Unfortunately, we don’t know the scale of the shutdown because many of these agencies have not published official Guidance. Guidance is what the agencies would do if funds are frozen.

The other wild card is Trump’s threat to fire government workers. He mentioned vague numbers of how many people he would fire, which is far above the number of people furloughed during previous government shutdowns. Unfortunately, we won’t know until it happens this time around.

EDIT: It looks like Guidance was posted late on Sunday, September 28. We’ll probably have an analysis on the impact tomorrow morning (September 30).

teddyrupxin

Answer: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government\_shutdowns\_in\_the\_United\_States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_shutdowns_in_the_United_States)

Generally a "shutdown" is what happens when the current funding for the government's activities is exhausted, and no current budget is in force.  Many of the services that the government performs are suspended, except for those judged to be essential which do carry on.  Many government employees are not paid during shuttdowns, but they are paid retroactively once the government is funded again.

This has happened several times during my life, and is occurring more frequently as time goes on.  In the past, it has happened when the congress and executive branches are controlled by different parties with conflicting goals.  (E.g., More services versus less taxes.)  However, the looming shutdown and the longest shutdown to date have both occurred with Republicans in control of both congress and the presidency.

Despite Trump early on claiming responsibility for the earlier shutdown, he later attempted to pin the blame on the Democrats in congress.  Similar rhetoric is being promulgated at this time, with VP Vance labeling the upcoming one as "a Democratic shutdown" in a recent tweet.

Shutdowns are often ended by passing a "continuing resolution" to keep funding the government's activities until a budget can be passed.  I think that there have been times where they have been ended by the passage of a budget, but I'm not sure on that.  Often enough, it requires the debt ceiling (the amount the government is allowed to borrow) to be raised in order to pass a budget, as a lot of the money the government uses is borrowed money.

dreaminginteal

Answer: every year Congress and the President need to agree on a budget to fund the Federal government. If a budget is not passed, the government will start shutting down to just essential services, who are people who may not be paid depending on how long it goes for.

To pass a budget requires a bill to pass the house by a majority and 60 Senators in the Senate. Because Republicans don't have 60 senators they need a few Democrats to agree to pass a budget this time

Lately when the two parties can't agree with each other, we get a CR, continuing resolution, which just extends the previous budget for whatever amount of time both parties will agree on. 

However, because This Administration has continued to encourage no working with Democrats and shutting down departments even though they are funded, Democrats are less likely to now work with Republicans, unless their own terms are being met, even for a CR.

alotofironsinthefire

answer: Democrats want to extend the ACA tax credits  , refund Medicaid that the BBB took away, and fund medical research that was also cut . The yearly budget can’t pass unless a few democrats vote to pass the budget so they have some leverage, but the downside is a government shutdown. Essentially government services keep running but some nonessential are closed.

B0xGhost

Answer: The United States government is funded through tax dollars, and that funding is authorized by Congress. Congress is supposed to pass an annual budget that takes effect on Oct 1, the first of the fiscal year. 

Congress often doesn't pass an annual budget, and instead passes temporary measures. 

Oct 1 is coming fast, and Congress has not passed an annual budget or a temporary agreement. If they do not do so, most parts of the government will close their doors and not operate until the Congress passes something. There are some provisions for essential services basically requiring them to work even though they won't be paid, so the military will still have to work. 

National Park services will mostly close, dept of agriculture mostly doesn't do inspections and stuff. Funding grants to programs like old folks homes or daycares won't get their money and will shut down. 
People should still get social security checks, except sometimes the person who's job it is to push the send button isn't there, so anything automated will go, anything not automated won't. Nobody there to troubleshoot if problems come up, and nobody there to process new claims. Same with Medicare.  Automated processes will still work, but nobody will be able to process much. 

How much problem this causes depends entirely on how long it goes on. 

Overall, both parties want the other to be blamed. If they feel confident the other party is taking damage, they've got some reason to drag things out and try to get more things they want out of the negotiations. So right now you are seeing a lot of Republicans saying this is the Dems fault, while the Democratic congress people say "Republicans control both sides of Congress plus the Presidency, it's out of our hands"

How long this lasts will depend a lot on public opinion.

Sweet_Cinnabonn

[deleted]

Answer: This happens when congress cannot agree on a budget to pass. It used to be pretty rare, but this has been happening more and more often over the past decade. Trump’s first term saw the longest-ever shutdown (so far) of 35 days. Usually when we get close to a shutdown, congress is able to pass temporary measures to sort of kick the can down the road, but not always.

Essentially what happens is that some programs and organizations that rely on congressional funding cannot operate, and temporarily shut down. The specifics really depend on each organization, and each shutdown. Usually, the most necessary federal services like USPS and Air Traffic Control continue to operate, so average people might not be immediately affected if they don’t work for the government. But its still bad for the economy and disruptive for anyone who relies on federal benefits or needs to call or do business with a federal agency, with most or all of their staff out of office, or certain services out of order. We’ll know specifically what is affected and how once it happens.

The shutdown will last until congress can agree on a budget. Its a bit of a game of chicken with neither side wanting to take the blame for the shutdown, but also neither side wanting to compromise on what they each think are very important budget issues. Eventually one side will cave or they will find a middle ground and the shutdown will end.

It seems like so far the narrative focus of this shutdown is mostly about healthcare, but thats not the only point of contention and we can expect more issues and disagreements to come out. Democrats and Republicans will blame each other for the shutdown like they always do and it becomes a fight for messaging and attention in addition to the actual issues at hand.

GilderoyRockhard

Answer: The US political system doesn't have 'failure of supply' as a concept the way that Britain does...

Rather than triggering new elections, the failure to pass a budget simply causes the government to start closing government offices and stop spending money until a budget is passed.

Typically, the party in power shuts down the most publicly-visible stuff - offices that pay out benefit checks, national parks, and so on - as a way of trying to ensure people get pissed and demand that the minority party (which is almost always the one causing the shutdown by blocking the budget) yield and allow the budget to pass.

When the budget passes, all government workers are back-paid even though they were temporarily laid-off during the shutdown...

Dave_A480

Hi all,

A reminder that comments do need to be on-topic and engage with the article past the headline. Please make sure to read the article before commenting.  Very short comments will automatically be removed by automod. Please avoid making comments that do not focus on the economic content or whose primary thesis rests on personal anecdotes. 

As always our comment rules can be found [here](https://reddit.com/r/Economics/comments/fx9crj/rules_roundtable_redux_rule_vi_and_offtopic/)

*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Economics) if you have any questions or concerns.*

So to actually tell folks what's on the table. Democrats want to extend subsidies for the ACA for healthcare premiums permanently. Republicans, don't want to extended subsidies without effectively gutting it in order to cut costs.

Why it matters to you? Well average premiums for ACA programs is about $350-550, but are heavily subsidized reducing the cost by about 75%, so your monthly premium you pay is closer to $150-200 at most. If those subsidies end, your monthly payment for medicare &amp; ACA programs will sky rocket and likely double or triple in costs. In addition a large swath of people will no longer qualify for those programs.

Republicans swear these programs are overrun with corruption &amp; fraud; when questioned for evidence to these claims... they provided none whatsoever. But Republicans are adamant that the programs need to be heavily reduced if not done away with entirely.

Democrats swear that without these programs millions will lose coverage and cost for monthly premiums will skyrocket to crippling levels where people decide either to go into debt for medical cost or simply die.

**Who will win in the end?**

My guess Republicans, Democrats fold under even the slightest of pressure. I would estimate the shutdown will last a couple of weeks if it happens. Eventually some "necessary" job will get frustrated and refuse to work causing massive problems and both sides will "come to an agreement to discuss it later". Which results in the whole circus performing again in a couple of months.

**How will this impact you?**

Well besides rising health premiums, you'll likely be regularly barraged about how the "enemy party" is destroying america and that they are holding people hostage.

Bozihthecalm

Here we go again, another shutdown, another economic headache.

The article makes it sound like most critical services keep running, and technically they do. Social Security, military, and air traffic control keep ticking. But don’t be fooled, “non-excepted” employees sitting at home still matter. Even a short furlough freezes decision-making, slows regulatory approvals, and shakes confidence in government-backed programs.

What really stands out this time is the hint at mass firings. That’s different. Past shutdowns just paused paychecks. Permanent job cuts add long-term friction: experience walks out the door, recruitment costs soar, and agency efficiency takes a hit. There’s a real economic cost there, it's not just a temporary blip.

Also, while markets historically shrug off shutdowns, repeated standoffs create uncertainty premiums. Businesses delay investments, contractors pause projects, and households tighten spending: all subtle drag on growth. Even if retro pay lands, the timing mismatch matters.

A short shutdown is annoying. A shutdown with lasting workforce cuts is structurally disruptive. Investors and policymakers can’t just pretend everything is normal this time.

econheads

How come the media make it sound like democrats are at fault. When it was the other way round and Biden was president they laid the blame at his door 

No_Ferret_5450

Republicans suddenly raise hell that the government they bitterly want to shut down has shut down and they are mad as hell about it.


This is a finger pointing moment for both parties, but only one party has taken every opportunity to make this happen. 

Freud-Network

I'm a contractor to a VA hospital.  So although the hospital staff keep working, non-exempted staff are furloughed.  Today's email basically said that the IT staff are non-exempt which means that if something breaks on the IT side, there may not be anyone to fix it.  This will cause all kinds of problems for patient care.

ExplorerSad7555

The contractors face pretty severe circumstances, many contracts are not forward billed.  Contracting companies will fire employees if this drags on as the government is unlikely to fund them in arrears.  This results in work that stops and is much harder to start again.

Part of me hopes the Dems hold the administration to the fire to get them to act. But given the Republicans don't seem to give a shit, I know this is just going to end up hurting everyone and nothing will change.

HoneyNutz

If the stock market couldn’t open with the government shut down you could bet your left nut that the budget for 2025 woulda been finished in 1885 and signed off on. If the lack of a budget means the government gets shut down then they should be locked in session until a budget is passed only led out like school children to go to the cafeteria or bathroom and then bussed to hotel rooms at the end of the day and locked in their rooms. Do that until we have a budget passed.

tapwater86

According to some financiers, .. GDP goes down about a tenth of a percent or so everyday due to reduced spending.  Not too bad if a few days or a couple weeks.  A month?  Starts snowballing.  Could induce a recession.

IronyElSupremo

At this point with the doge team firing so many competent workers, Trump gutting NIH, NSF, dept of education and putting RFK in charge of health and human services, what is left? Shut it down.

TheCamerlengo

Won’t happen. Democrats will cave as always and will get nothing for the effort. No one will give them any credit because Republicans control the media so the framing is pro-conservatives. And as usual things will get slightly sh!ttier because Dems will concede. Those of us on the left will become even more nihilistic.

No-Personality1840

Congress has had months to resolve this issue, and give Americans the services we are paying for via taxation. I don't blame anyone else than Congress for this mess.

Allowing Trump to then have his way to reduce headcount is on Congress - after all, as in the private sector, the first casualty in a budget shortfall is the workforce. Has Congress done anything in the past 25 years that is positive to the US public? Anything? 

For all of you who vote as you always do (red or blue), please stop and send a message to Congress.

planetofchandor

Same thing that happens every damned year...nothing changes or gets fixed. Lots of complaining and blaming for a  week or two, then they pass whatever and move on to the next news cycle. 🙄🤮💀

thejameshawke

Why is this even a thing?  

Since Congress hired all the "furloughed" people to do their job, why is it ordering them to be "furloughed" by the debt ceiling?  

Isn't this direct contradiction between two laws passed by the US Congress, one saying they must be paid the other saying they cannot be paid?

Ateist

Nothing. 

Lolololololololololollokololololololololololoolooololo)lllllololdlrkriririrktktktktktkttktktktkkgkgkhkhkhkkhkhkhkhkgkgkgkhkgkgkgkkgkh

Theverybest92

The only reason I'm worried about it this time is because I work at a restaurant right outside of Zion National Park and quite literally the only reason people come there is because they are visiting Zion. So if the national parks close due to the government shutdown we are basically screwed until it opens again and hope it's busy since we are nearing the end of the season anyways.

Business-Split-2099

Here is an idea, rename us to a certain country in the Middle East that is committing a genocide and watch how all the clowns in DC fall in line 😂

Reasonable_Skill580

Nothing will happen, shut it all down.  Obama shut down the government and no one peeped.  Shut down all the national parks and other annoyances .

Dreamflayer

Not much will happen. This is click-bait harvesters "high" season. Some  feds will get time off with pay, a lot of people will make a lot of noise about things that do not affect them at all, and the funding will be passed.

It seems younger people get very upset about this kind of political grandstanding nonsense but if you live long enough, you'll get over it.

YogurtclosetWrong268

They are already taking gender affirming care away from federal employee coverage, this would just make it "law". 

Stripping Medicaid and Medicare of it will be the worst thing ever for the community.

Trustic555

I moved to a “shield” state, and even with legal protections that require in state insurance and medicaid to cover trans care, this will be bad. Out of state providers (usually work tied insurance) are not bound to this, and medicaid will have to have lost funds granted from elsewhere, this is likely to “pause” access for most if not all of us, and It’s all but certain that “state govt steals money from xyz to pay for trans care” will become a common theme, and become propaganda. If this passes, there are few “saving graces” to be had.

Zonal117569

God I've just gotten my life started and now it's under threat just 7 months in 😭😭😭

I hate this hellscape so much

TheOneTrueValkyrie

https://5calls.org/

Can help you contact a bit faster

Edit:
go to the site &gt; set your zip code to get your reps &gt; click any issue really these just give you info and script to help out &gt; get your reps contact info. 

Would recommend screenshotting or otherwise recoding their info for future use.

lasair7

I was wondering when it would finally come to this, and here it is... Fuck me...

User_name555

Where are the doctors and health professionals in this fight? The supposed allies and advocates? The people who have dedicated their lives to helping patients in need?  For god sake ive seen everyone and their mothers stand up for Tylenol and vaccines,  where are the people standing up for our basic human right to Healthcare and existence?   Why is it left up to the people who are already suffering, being attacked, and terrified?

Username_Unknown98

vastroll1

Of course when I have an appointment to start HRT the 13th.  Fuck this country.

ArachnidAuthor

i'm from Canada, but I personally know people in America who could really be affected by this... is there anything i can do?

diplodocus1818

My doctor and i have been prepping for this..,
He’s been giving so much hormones in case this happens i have extra hormones to last for years. :) 

So I have enough hormones to last until next election. 

FUCK TRUMP, FUCK MAGA!
TRUMP IS HITLER 2.0

Ok_Cauliflower6795

Dude I just wanna live my life holy hell 😭

XxYunGJayROn

idk how it works in the us, but im pretty sure texting a republican to stand for trans rights wont change their mind?

VatroxPlays

Edit: I read this too fast and my brain jumped to conclusions 

Either way, the attacks on our medical access are not going to slow down. The GOP sees dunking on transgender people as an easy win to feed useless scraps to their base because we are a hyperminority and therefore they see us as weak. Their regressive policies simply have to tear away services we are already used to having and people are often so blinded by hate they do not notice their own life is not improving when they move like this.

DIY might be more important now than ever to look into if you live in the US. 

Talking directly to anyone who is in a similarly bad head space as me right now; as bad as things might seem, don't do anything you will regret. This is another bump in the road, Trans people have been dealing with this shit for centuries and you have to outlive your haters to prove them wrong.

astraterranlagomorph

And my hate towards the country since the age of 12 cause of some of the stuff my father had told me back then about the government and stuff involving the military is justified now, I wish I had a passport and could afford to move to somewhere in his ancestral background as those countries currently seem to be the most lgbt friendly

FalicityFallenAngel

From what I read, the drafted provisions risk being removed in violation of Senate Rule XVI and House Rule XXI.

Labor-HHS Bill: (Page 123)

SEC. 247. “None of the funds made available by this or any other Act may be used for social transitioning, or for drugs or surgery that alter bodily sex traits as interventions for gender dysphoria.”

The language here is overbroad and can be argued as more of a legislative change than a budget appropriation, violating House and Senate rules. Additionally it poses constitutional challenges if it did survive, likely resulting in one or more injunctions. 

CJS Bill: (Page 135)

SEC. 573. “None of the funds made available by this or any other Act may be used to fund any sex-altering surgical procedures in either a Federally owned facility or a private facility leased or used by the Federal Government.”

This one seems narrower in scope but presents challenges based on the wording. It’s also still quite sweeping in terms of banning procedures and could constitute more of a legislative policy than an appropriation.

Overall, both of these bills seem chock full of provisions that lean more of a legislative change than a budgetary one and present challenges before they can be passed.

Midwest-Designs

By put trans women into prisons, would that be like Ice detainee for being trans 😭 or would that be like trans women in prisons??

CatrorCade

I hate to say it, but the Dems are going to throw us under the bus. 

They always cave.

mechanicalhorizon

Well trump has a final meeting with Schumer and Jeffries tomorrow and they were the ones who sold us out last time so ive pretty much already resigned myself to it being inevitable and picked up a 3 month supply of HRT from my DR and am looking into DIY options.

CreepyMuffinz

Is here any hope for those that have practically nothing? Like little money, no passport, not to mention immigration anywhere is fighting tooth and nail. 

I sure wish my mom chose to abort me. Is a medically induced coma (at least sometimes) in a secure location that bad? I mean it wouldn’t be  some hole in the ground, but a whole facility to hide, for those that can’t leave the US. It wouldn’t have to be built secretly though and then be defended. I doubt anything like that would happen. If it gets really bad I’m probably just going to jump.

CopingMechanical

Dems and libs have the power. But they are completely on the opposite end of our side. They claim to fight for us but in the end. The support the very bills that threaten our lives. I promise I’m not trying to be doom and gloom here. But I’ve come to learn that there isn’t many allies. Even the ones that claim to be them

DAbabyoni

Why only trans women in male prisons and not trans men in female prisons also?

Healthy_Process_7049

Remember when everyone tried to tell Dems that transgender rights wasnt this hill to die on, Sarah McBride included?  Now the Republicans are willing to let the government shut down over it.  The hypocrisy is deafening.

tpviolet

I may have to schedule my next consultation early and try to hint at whether or not we can get a script that lasts longer than 3 months. I'm so tired...

CarpeGaudium

Oh sure... lemme just call Ted Cruz real quick

Hot_Client_7612

Okay so lots of people are going to have to switch to diy. Monero is a currency that cannot be tracked by the government. You can obtain it without an ID by using RetoSwap. You can buy HRT supplies from Open Gate Labs, based in the U.S., directly with Monero.

I know, it's crypto and it's sucky to figure out initially, but it's likely the only limited risk way it's going to be possible soon. Buying in a traceable way is going to risk making you a target to this administration.

variablenyne

You know I keep saying that the universe is balanced so any evil is met with the same amount of good…
Equal and opposite forces… so yea I’m ok  but I’d love to see some good come from all this evil

Syriku_Official

Carl-99999

In before the mods say this is "disrupting the safe space" and remove it

VandomVA

Calling always better. It ensures they have a real time feel for the bill and you can continue to call as it happens

ESteele22

banning pride flags....? like... everywhere?

Toastmaker56

huh, weird

A bunch of posters here have been saying we've been "overreacting".

I hope they're doing alright with their privileged lives where they don't have to think about politics this much.

JamieStriker

At the very least I’d need to win the lottery to move out west

I'm from Illinois and our senators and especially our governor, JB Pritzker is very supportive of the transgender community.

After seeing this post, I went ahead and wrote letters to both senators, to Governor Pritzker, and even to the head of the DNC, Jaime Harrison, urging them to hold the line and not let these attacks on trans healthcare and rights get slipped into the budget. I really believe Illinois leadership will fight hard to protect our community, but I wanted to make sure my voice was heard directly.

Thanks for sharing this and raising awareness — it motivated me to take action today.

Comfortable-Bus-2918

Very concerning as almost all hospitals get federal funding so consider all grs and ffs etc stopped instantly if this passes. If youve been on the fence where you stand, its time to fall off on to the fighting for our rights side.

Signal-Link-7699

Ugh, I am so sorry my trans friends in USA. I hope that the Dems uphold basic human rights.

BritneyGurl

I’m from a small anti-LGBTQ country in the EU (Hungary), and we've been going down this path for about 5 years now. It still hurts so much to see this happening with you all... And anyone who says US politics doesn't influence the rest of the world is lying. It does and it's terrifying. 💔

I might be moving to Chicago next year through work within my company. So this could directly affect my life too, but even if it didn't, I want to stand with my trans siblings. Does anyone know how I could help? Would it make sense writing to Illinois reps in my case? Or something else? 

I wanna help 🥺🌷

MoonFlowerLady42

Great, got to talk to fucking Rick Scott.

Mocha_C4t

I would call but im in Arkansas and i dont think im changing tom cottons mind :( he's really evil and french hill is too

New-Willingness9811

My daughter is trans and lives in Texas, would it be safe to contact her senator about this, or could it risk her being targeted for being trans?

She is not a US citizen, although she has a green card and married to a US citizen, but ICE are scary, and don’t seem to care about such things as whether something is legal or not. 

My daughter has told me that she is pretty much in hiding these days. 

I do not live in the USA, so I don’t have a Senator that I can contact, but if I did I would.

Affectionate_Knee221

I was supposed to have FFS in September and like a total fucking moron I moved it to January for a family event. Now it might not happen at all because of this fucking bullshit. I hate this.

SkyWest1218

Please everyone start stocking HRT, if you can.

Don't think they'll stop here.

They want to criminalize every single thing about us, if Project 2025 and their actions have made it abundantly clear.

If I were to bet, without resistance, they'd make even speaking anything trans illegal and showing a single photo or writing a single trans person ever, criminalized as "violent terrorist thoughts".

They don't want to just erase us from public life. They want to erase us from the history books, from spoken word, from existence.

Even further than Germany in the 1930s.  This is as extreme as it gets.

SophieCalle

Preaching to the choir, but I needed to type it out-

We need a Rainbow Railroad from Red to Blue states and out of the USA. Allies, aid, and asylum. The best time was yesterday, but the next best time is NOW. 

We are the canary in the "freedom mines" and we're at risk of being silenced by GOP tyranny. How long will it take the world to recognize this for what it is? How much longer before anyone bothers to do anything about it? That's why we need to get as many transgender Americans as possible to safety ASAP. 

We need a way out and we need the danger stopped at its roots.

ETA: Run, hide, fight - do what it takes to survive. If you're able to get out, get to safety, then send help. If you can't flee, hide. If you can't or won't hide, join folks like me that are fighting until the end, it's going to take all of us doing what we can to build a better future.

ZeldaOkaloosa

Sometimes I wish we were a socialist/collectivist based society.

Hello-Rosie_

I can't believe this. I just can't. Just when I want to become the gender I want to be, the government decides to say "Fuck off. We don't care." God I hate this country.

SweaterBoi2001

Thank you for this, I will be contacting my senator

evilprincessalice

Jay--Art

I literally just decided *today* I’m going to try and start HRT 🫩 hate this place

Consistent_South_393

https://preview.redd.it/urquxle170sf1.jpeg?width=1179&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;s=749adc7e9a766719d6fc7689b980f338bb4b7bba

Just submitted it to my senator Angela Alsobrooks

Main-Ear-2438

I know this is aimed at the transgender community and I am so upset about it. I would also like to point out that I am a cis woman, post menopausal, on HRT, which is gender affirming care. If the gop thinks they are winning just wait till grandma can't get her estrogen either...remind them of that....I don't think the magas are taking that into consideration.

electrolysisbyLeesa

Commenting for reach, I'm in Hong Kong so I can't do shit but good luck to you all in the US, what the hell is going on there

hayzenthlay

I just emailed 2 of my districts representatives/congress. There are no Democrats in my district. I was very nervous but I did it. Thank you OP for your encouragement 😊

midnight_scorpio

How is banning pride flags not a blatant violation of the first amendment?

Greenrover10

cmon bruh i only started hrt 2 months ago

professionalyokel

Esmeray_moon

YALL  ARE GONNA MAKE THIS

contact your senators

cute_himbo_OwO

Sincere wishes for you as a person not in the US…

Illusory_P

https://preview.redd.it/j7mcmfi0l5sf1.png?width=735&amp;format=png&amp;auto=webp&amp;s=795c78d38d7af1b4dda596726a5a572eb50be6e7

should still remain aware (despite news outlets milking your trauma)

dankdees

Can someone direct me to any neutral-looking sources reporting on this? I want to send something to my dad and say "hey, this is what your guy is doing," but I need a source that won't just be handwaved. Or if somebody could link me to the specific bills containing the provisions, that would also be great.

necroTaxonomist

Wish my own senators were not cheerleaders for this bill passing. I hate living in a red state.

Edit: Fuck it. I emailed one of them anyway, he's more old guard than MAGA. The other is a lost cause.

Uchuujin51

Extreme situations call for extreme measures arm yourselves and resist

Comrade-Hayley

I think the best case right now, is a clear CR with no riders and punt it a few months out. We then need to step it into over drive to frame this as a larger attack to try to drive public perception.

Sure_Elk_8297

I f*cking hate Republicans they are such hypocrites that want to control the lives of everyone else! If anything they are the most anti-christian people out there! The kind that judges others, wants the death of others, treats others like trash etc. It's pretty obvious that Chetto Mussolini is out for revenge &amp; power if he's willing to go this far! Contact your senators now!!! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️✊

LogRepresentative280

So to clarify, this bill would make it so that any institution that provides any form of gender-affirming care would be at risk of having all federal funding cut? Not just for minors, not just surgeries, it would mean that hospitals have to stop offering any form of care or get defunded?

pennydreadful97

I can't imagine living in the US and living through that hellscape. My love goes out to everyone there (and in other similar countries). Please don't give up and fight for your rights and your freedom!

SillyCakeEnjoyer

HRT is great care for those who need it (or want it). 

Many of us will defend TO THE DEATH our friends and neighbors right to transition.

infamous_merkin

Thank you for making this easy. I sent the message to my representative and senators.

Whisker_of_Truth

Could people tell me exacts of harassment and other discrimination you have experienced because of the government if you don't mind because I am making an email to my MP (Canada) to ask for help making trans people get into Canada easier

Known-Valuable2212

Sent to my Democratic representative and Senator, though I doubt they will do anything.

I am cis, but I am in solidarity with you all. Fuck this country's treatment of you.

LordBarglebroth

The United States is imminent to face a government shutdown after the Senate failed to pass a crucial funding bill, leaving little chance of resolution by the midnight deadline. The 55-45 vote reflects ongoing tensions between Republicans and Democrats, particularly over health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.

US Government Shutdown

Why This Matters

Public Sentiment Summary

Highlighted Comments

Parties Involved

What the people want