As the October 1st government funding deadline approaches, Democrats and Republicans remain at an impasse over healthcare demands, with Senator John Thune stating that Democratic proposals are not acceptable for negotiation. In an interview with the Associated Press (AP) between 1:07 PM and 1:36 PM UTC on September 26th, 2025, Thune, a Republican, indicated that while he believes a resolution is possible, the current Democratic stance on healthcare must be "dialed back." This disagreement over healthcare spending, including demands for an extension of COVID credits and the codifying of health savings accounts (HSAs) and direct primary care (DPC) advocated by President Trump, is a significant hurdle in ongoing funding negotiations. Representative Steve Womack, a Republican appropriator from Arkansas, questioned the Democrats' willingness to negotiate given concerns that proposed funding might be subject to vetoes by Russ Vought. Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an interview with Axios, expressed his belief that President Trump desires Ukraine's victory in the ongoing conflict and understands that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not assist in ending the war. Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Eric Adams attended a meeting with the Israeli delegation for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the UN General Assembly. Previous reports indicated that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had stated Democrats would not yield in the government funding debate, criticizing Republican efforts to "destroy the American way of life" as the deadline neared. Additionally, earlier reporting from September 26th noted that Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was scheduled to make an announcement regarding Non-Domiciled Truck Licensing, and that a CNN poll showed independent voters leaning Republican on leadership and the economy, but Democratic on social issues.
