Top GOP leader on shutdown: ‘This could go on for quite some time’

Post Reports

The Washington Post

Daily News, Politics, News

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🗓️ 17 October 2025

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As the federal government shutdown stretches on, Republicans and Democrats are still far apart on a path to reopening. One major sticking point is the Democrats’ demand to include renewed health care subsidies for ACA marketplace enrollees as a part of any vote to end the shutdown.

Host Colby Itkowitz sits with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) to ask about how Republicans view that demand, how the politics of health care are playing in this moment, and the White House’s moves to fire federal workers during a shutdown.

Today’s show was produced by Josh Carroll, Laura Benshoff and Elana Gordon. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	I hear a lot from people that there are days where it's hard to read a single news story.
0:05.8	Forget actually being caught up.
0:08.0	But I host a podcast that can fix that.
0:10.8	It's called The Seven, Seven Stories Every Weekday by 7 a.m. Eastern.
0:16.0	And here's the other thing. It's short, less than 10 minutes, in fact.
0:20.4	I'm Hannah Jewell. The Seven podcast will turn around
0:23.4	your morning and get you caught up. Check it out and follow the Seven wherever you listen to podcasts.
0:30.6	I think the president's trying to make a point, while you're not in doing your work,
0:35.5	I'm going to do some of your work for you.
0:38.1	Which in this case seems to be firing or laying off thousands of people.
0:42.5	Yeah, I mean, I think it's 4,000 people.
0:44.6	So far.
0:45.2	Right.
0:46.1	And, you know, I'd like to see it done more surgically.
0:50.2	But I think the president and his executive team has decided this direction to go.
0:59.4	That's Senator Shelley Moore Capito, the senior Republican from West Virginia.
1:04.4	She's also the only woman in Senate Republican leadership.
1:08.6	I wanted to find out how she thinks this ongoing federal government shutdown is going to end.
1:13.6	And what is her message to the real people who are caught up in this stalemate?
1:18.6	From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post reports.
1:21.6	I'm Colby Echowitz. It's Friday, October 17th.
1:25.6	Today, the shutdown is in its third week. It's Friday, October 17th.
	...

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