We have been taking your calls on this, the 20th day of the government shutdown.
We are opening up the phone lines to open form.
If there's a public policy issue you would like to talk about, you can go ahead and give us a call.
The lines, Republicans, 202-748-8001.
Democrats, 202-748-8000.
And Independents, 202-748-8002.
You can continue talking about the government shutdown, or if there's another issue, please join us for the discussion.
This was sent in on X asking, is the construction of the Trump Ballroom on hold during the government shutdown?
Our producer, Leslie, letting us know, this is from People Magazine, White House will continue construction on its 90,000-foot square foot ballroom during the government shutdown.
It says that on Wednesday after the shutdown, a White House official said that despite the shutdown, there will be no stoppage of a ballroom work when the shutdown occurs.
According to the White House Office of Management and Budget Memo, the ballroom's construction is being funded by President Donald Trump and other private donors, meaning that it is not impacted by the federal budget negotiations that spurned the shutdown.
Let's talk with John, who is calling from North Carolina on the line for independence.
Good morning, John.
unidentified
Yes.
Thank you.
Thank you, McCall.
They call this the Affordable Care Act.
Why is it not affordable?
I mean, I don't understand that calling for something that they named it the Affordable Care Act.
So, I mean, if it's affordable, that means you're supposed to be able to get it.
It's affordable.
But, you know, that's a lie.
And all the Republicans, but one's voting for open it.
And the Democrats is voting no.
Who's shutting down the government?
What if they all say no?
But they're trying to get it open because it takes 60 votes to get it open.
I was going to ask your listeners if I can't remember the congressman's name or what station it was on, but this weekend, a Republican congressman said that he had proposed to some of the Democrats for a one-year extension of, I think he said, the subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, and they said no.
And so I hear the Democrats get up and say, there's no negotiations.
We want negotiations, but there was one.
And another thing about Social Security, I understand that Congress has been using the Social Security money that's coming into the government.