Sen. Cory Booker on the Democrats’ risky shutdown bet

2025-10-02

Democrats are making a gamble that voting against a Republican plan to fund the government will be worth the pain of the current shutdown.New Jersey’s senior Democratic senator Cory Booker voted against a similar Republican plan to fund the government back in March. And he's been one of the most visible critics of the second Trump administration in the Senate. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Booker about the stakes of the current government shutdown, how long it could go on, and why he says D...

Democrats are making a gamble that voting against a Republican plan to fund the government will be worth the pain of the current shutdown.

New Jersey’s senior Democratic senator Cory Booker voted against a similar Republican plan to fund the government back in March. And he's been one of the most visible critics of the second Trump administration in the Senate.

Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Booker about the stakes of the current government shutdown, how long it could go on, and why he says Democrats must “do something” to try to reduce looming hikes in health care costs or risk further alienating their base.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Josh Carroll, with help from Zoe Cummings. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair.

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