Republicans: Pay For Me, But Not For Thee

10.7.25

Happy Tuesday and welcome back to today’s edition of Common Sense with Ally Sammarco—your daily briefing on U.S. politics. Let’s break it down.

Shutdown Enters Second Week as Bills Fail Again….The government shutdown has dragged into its second week after the Senate once again knocked down both Republican and Democratic funding measures on Monday. The Democrats’ proposal—funding through October plus extension of ACA subsidies—failed by a 45-55 vote and the Republican bill failed by a 52-42 vote. Both needed 60 votes to pass.

Common Sense takeaway: Republicans refuse to negotiate, then blame Democrats for the chaos. Well newsflash: just because you have the majority, doesn’t mean you don’t need to work with Democrats. The Senate needs 60 votes, not 51, and at this rate, I’m not sure if we’ll ever get there.

Illinois Sues to Block Trump’s National Guard Deployment….Illinois has filed suit to stop the Trump administration from sending 300 National Guard troops to Chicago under ICE support orders. The state argues it violates the Constitution, the Posse Comitatus Act, and other federal statutes. Gov. Pritzker called the move an “invasion” of state sovereignty and accused the administration of using federal power to intimidate Democratic-led states.

Common Sense takeaway: It’s about time someone stood up to this authoritarian overreach. This isn’t about law and order—it’s about control—and the bully is never as strong or as smart as they want you to think.

Johnson Signals Feds May Not Get Back Pay….A newly drafted White House memo argues that federal workers furloughed during the shutdown are not automatically entitled to back pay, attempting to reinterpret the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act. Mike Johnson also made a statement reiterating that fact at a press conference today. Democrats say this stance directly contradicts the law’s intent and prior Office of Personnel Management guidance.

Common Sense takeaway: So after forcing people off the job, the GOP now pretends they don’t owe them money? The workers who were not very kindly booted from their jobs because of the incompetence of Congress? Maybe we should start with you, Mike.

Bondi Grilled Over DOJ’s Political Decisions…Attorney General Pam Bondi faced questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, defending her claim that the DOJ is ending the “weaponization of justice” even as multiple Trump critics—Comey, Schiff, and Letitia James—are under federal investigation. She refused to explain whether she vetted troop deployments to Democratic cities, didn’t answer a question regarding the FBI’s possession of explicit photos of Trump with young girls from Epstein’s safe, and couldn’t explain what happened o the $50,000 bribe that Tom Homan took.

Common Sense takeaway: Bondi’s attempt to paint this DOJ as neutral is pathetic when she so clearly lies on the stand and uses the DOJ as a political arm to defend the administration. We don’t care about your opinion, Pam, we want the truth, and this may be the least transparent DOJ we have ever seen.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading Common Sense with Ally Sammarco. Check back tomorrow for more.