Podcast Summary: The MeidasTouch Podcast
Episode: Senator Kelly Calls Out Trump for Disaster Trump Shutdown
Date: October 13, 2025
Host(s): MeidasTouch Network (Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas)
Guest(s): Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Ron Filipkowski (Co-host/analyst)
Overview
This episode focuses on the current government shutdown engineered by MAGA Republicans under House Speaker Mike Johnson, the refusal to swear in Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva, the looming healthcare premium crisis, Trump's use of military force off Venezuela's coast, and the politicization of the military under Trump. Senator Mark Kelly provides on-the-ground perspectives from Arizona, offers insider context for congressional dysfunction, and expresses both concern and optimism for American democracy and bipartisanship.
Key Discussion Points
1. Congressional Dysfunction & Shutdown
Segment Start: [02:31]
- House Speaker “MAGA Mike” Johnson has closed the House and sent Republicans on "paid vacation," refusing to swear in Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva from Arizona's 7th district.
- Political speculation suggests Johnson's refusal is linked to preventing Grijalva from being the 218th signatory on a discharge petition regarding Epstein files.
- The shutdown is portrayed as fulfilling an anti-government agenda long promoted by certain Republicans.
- Ron Filipkowski: “He’s literally shut down the House of Representatives and told the Republican caucus… time for a paid vacation.” [02:39]
Notable Quote
“Everything they're doing right now… it's so transparently… they seem to be enjoying the shutdown. The MAGA Republicans… this is what they've always wanted. They hate government. … They seem to enjoy the suffering.”
— Ron Filipkowski [05:08]
- Senator Kelly confirms that Arizona’s 7th district—his own home district—remains unrepresented in the House due to this refusal. [06:05]
- Senator Kelly: “There are well over 100,000 people that would be represented by her [Adelita Grijalva] if he would swear her in. All of those individuals… don’t have representation.” [06:17]
2. Healthcare Premium Crisis & Republican Strategy
Segment Start: [03:49, picks up at 06:32]
- Marjorie Taylor Greene criticizes her own party for lacking a plan to address looming health care premium increases if ACA subsidies expire.
- Mike Johnson sidesteps direct answers, suggesting that Greene isn’t “read in.”
- Kelly spotlights personal stories from constituents:
- Robin from Northern Arizona’s premiums rise from $250 to over $1,000/month. She is “not looking for a handout, just a hand up.” [07:12]
- Rusty from Tucson, a Trump voter, faces the same unaffordable premiums—he educates clients (many pro-Trump) on looming costs. [10:19]
- Kelly refutes partisan scapegoating: “Don’t let anybody tell you… this is about undocumented people. This is about the health care premiums that Americans are gonna have to pay that they can’t afford.” [08:04]
- The underlying reason, per Kelly: to subsidize "big tax cuts for rich people," not just fiscal hawkishness.
- Senator Kelly: “We got here because months ago, the president and Republicans in Congress wanted to extend that big tax cut for rich people. That’s what this is all about… if we didn't kick people off of Medicaid and… premium tax credits, that $4 trillion [cost] was going to be a lot higher.” [11:16]
Notable Quote
“We’re fighting for health care. They’re fighting for big tax cuts for rich people.”
— Senator Mark Kelly [12:18]
3. Calls for Transparency and Debate
Segment Start: [08:56]
- Filipkowski and Kelly discuss the merits of public versus private debate about the ACA and health policy.
- Kelly acknowledges need for both public discourse and private, productive negotiation, cautioning against “the theatrics” that Trump has favored.
4. Trump’s Military Actions & Legal Concerns
Segment Start: [12:58]
- Trump orders kinetic military strikes on drug boats off Venezuela, posts videos online (“death videos”).
- Senator Kelly, a former combat aviator, voices legal and ethical concern:
- No Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) has been granted.
- Worries about legality and future liability for servicemembers involved.
- “We have not… in the history of our country authorized kinetic action as the first step against drug smugglers… That’s probably the way we should continue to do that.” [14:10]
Notable Quote
“I really worry about those aviators… that are in the Caribbean right now… whether or not this is legal, or are they going to find out on some future date that what they did was not consistent with our laws here in the United States and laws of international conflict.”
— Senator Mark Kelly [13:36]
5. Politicization of the Military under Trump
Segment Start: [15:17]
- Trump referred to Democrats as “gnats” in a speech to the Navy and spoke to senior military leaders about “the enemy from within,” implying a focus on domestic use of troops.
- Kelly condemns these remarks as “ridiculous, uncalled for, and un-American.”
- “The President just looks for every single opportunity to divide us as a nation… He's got an instinct that is exactly the opposite of every other person who has served as Commander in Chief…” [16:21]
- Praises the professionalism and apolitical demeanor of military leadership in response to Trump's remarks.
- Dismisses the idea of domestic troop deployments as outside the President’s authority.
Notable Quote
“There’s no insurrection, there’s no rebellion. So he is outside the bounds of his authority to do that.”
— Senator Mark Kelly [17:32]
6. Enduring Bipartisanship and Optimism
Segment Start: [17:36]
- Despite partisanship, Kelly asserts there is more bipartisanship than the public realizes.
- “I’m a guy who flew a spaceship built by the lowest bidder. So I’m an eternal optimist.”
- He remains hopeful negotiations will continue and that solutions for healthcare and representation can be reached.
Notable Quote
“…our entire healthcare system is careening towards a cliff. And Democrats… we’re trying to stop it before it goes over the cliff here… when these premiums go up and millions of people could lose their health insurance just because they can’t afford it.”
— Senator Mark Kelly [18:54]
Notable Quotes & Moments
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Highlight | |-----------|------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 05:08 | Ron Filipkowski | “They seem to enjoy the suffering. That's what I get out of this.” | | 06:17 | Sen. Mark Kelly | “All of those individuals in our district don't have representation in the House.” | | 08:04 | Sen. Mark Kelly | “This isn’t about immigrants… premiums that Americans… can’t afford.” | | 12:18 | Sen. Mark Kelly | “We're fighting for health care. They're fighting for big tax cuts for rich people.”| | 13:36 | Sen. Mark Kelly | “I really worry about those aviators… whether or not this is legal…” | | 16:21 | Sen. Mark Kelly | “The President just looks for every single opportunity to divide us as a nation…” | | 17:32 | Sen. Mark Kelly | “He is outside the bounds of his authority to do that.” | | 18:54 | Sen. Mark Kelly | “…our entire healthcare system is careening towards a cliff.” |
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [02:31] — Transition from ads; intro to House shutdown situation
- [06:05] — Sen. Mark Kelly joins, discusses Arizona’s lack of representation and shutdown motives
- [07:05] — Real-life healthcare premium stories from Arizona
- [10:19] — Rusty, Tucson constituent, Trump voter, hit by premium increases
- [11:16] — Roots of crisis in rich-centric tax cuts
- [12:58] — Venezuelan operations, legal/ethical questions regarding military force
- [15:17] — Trump’s comments to military, politicization concerns
- [17:36] — Sen. Kelly on bipartisanship and hope
Closing Thoughts
This episode offers a layered, inside look at the impacts of Republican shutdown tactics, with both personal stories from constituents and policy context from Senator Kelly. There’s a bracing critique of Trumpian politics—especially regarding the military and healthcare—and a call to recognize the often unseen bipartisanship in D.C. Kelly’s tone is pragmatic but optimistic, underscoring the real stakes for Americans facing unaffordable premiums and a paralyzed Congress.