Politics and views in the United States.

Senate Democrats refuse to support GOP budget bill. The EU and Canada respond to steel and aluminum tariffs and some groups work to counter Christian Nationalism, which they call a threat to democracy. 

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to 2025 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort, but Republicans chose a partisan path, drafting their continuing resolution without any input from congressional Democrats.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says Republicans don't have enough votes to pass a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown.

While the GOP has a 53-seat majority in the chamber, the bill needs 60 votes to pass.

In the House, only one Democrat supported the bill, while one Republican voted against it.

Schumer says Democrats want to fund the government for one month.

That would increase their leverage to maintain funding programs like SNAP, Medicare, and Medicaid, and to ensure Congress keeps the power of the purse without the White House acting on its own.

The head of the EPA is declaring the greatest day of deregulation in history.

Critics say easing the rules will make tap, water, and air less safe, but Administrator Lee Zeldin promises they're making life cheaper.

Local leaders are in Washington this week for a National League of Cities congressional conference.

David Sander is a council member from Rancho Cordova, California.

He says cuts coming from the Department of Government Efficiency could impact municipalities.

Because there are so many changes potentially underway, we're really focused on certainty and stability because it's hard in local government where everything has to work and we're held accountable.

He's worried Congress could eliminate the tax-free status cities now get on municipal bonds for roads and schools.

President Donald Trump's 25 percent tariffs on aluminum and steel went into effect yesterday, but the European Union and Canada have responded.

EU tariffs will hit $28 billion in U.S. goods, while Canada is putting levies on $20 billion.

The U.K. is no longer in the EU, but speaking to Parliament, Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he's disappointed a longtime ally is starting a trade war.

We will take a pragmatic approach.

We are, as he knows, negotiating an economic deal which covers and will include tariffs if we succeed, but we will keep all options on the table.

After the stock market fell earlier this week, trading was calm Wednesday.

The White House is walking back comments from Trump that he would not rule out a recession and is defending Trump's turbulent trade policy.

Senior White House Trade and Manufacturing Counselor Peter Navarro says the chaos is part of ending Keynesian spending under former President Joe Biden.

When it's done in a way using money we don't have and it builds the highest amount of debt we've ever seen in history, it's too much money chasing too few goods and inflation was the inevitable result.

Extremist right-wing groups have existed in parts of the Pacific Northwest for decades, but some Washington state groups are working to counter what they say is a growing Christian nationalist threat to democracy.

Aaron Scott is the author of Bring Back Your People, 10 Ways Regular Folks Can Put a Dent in White Christian Nationalism.

He says the movement can't be ignored.

We can't afford to say, "Well, we're not going to really deal with that stuff."

That's a side conversation because clearly we are now in a moment where it is not a side conversation, it is the central conversation.

Estimates show about a third of Americans adhere to or sympathize with Christian nationalist ideals.

I'm Edwin J. Vieira for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.