Government Shutdown Begins With No Deal in Sight; Trump Says Pfizer Will Discount Drug Prices | NTD Good Morning (Oct. 1)
A government shutdown kicked in on Tuesday night after the Senate failed to pass a second short-term funding bill, with the motion falling short by five votes. Democrats are demanding the repeal of Medicaid changes in the GOP-led One Big Beautiful Bill Act and an extension to Obamacare subsidies, while Republicans are saying the demands are unreasonable. Thousands of federal workers are expected to be laid off during the shutdown, and many could be let go permanently.
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Pfizer will heavily discount its medications for Americans, while investing $17 billion into U.S. pharmaceutical research and manufacturing. The discounted drugs will be available on a federal government website, TrumpRx.gov, which the White House says will be launched by early 2026. Pfizer will be given a three-year grace period from Trump’s pharmaceutical tariffs as long as it begins moving its production to the United States.
A suspicious package triggered a bomb scare at Utah State University on Tuesday just hours before a Turning Point USA event—the first in Utah since Charlie Kirk’s assassination. A bomb squad detonated the suspicious device out of caution, though it said it likely had nothing to do with the event and wasn’t an explosive. Security was already heightened as thousands packed the arena to honor Kirk and to continue his movement.
