Trump takes victory lap as Gaza peace deal signed: From the Policy Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the policy officea newsletter bringing you the latest reporting and analysis of the NBC News Politics team from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s issue, Jonathan Allen takes stock of the Gaza peace deal brokered by President Donald Trump and what comes next. Meanwhile, back in the US, there is (still) no end in sight to the government shutdown. Our team on Capitol Hill has the latest news on the Obamacare impasse dispute.

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– Adam Woolner

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Trump takes victory lap with signing of peace agreement in Gaza

Analysis by Jonathan Allen

There is still much to be resolved in the Middle East, not least the question of whether the Palestinians will eventually obtain their own independent state. If every step toward lasting peace succeeds, it will take days, months, years, and perhaps decades to assess the full scope of the success of the deal to end the war in Gaza that President Donald Trump brokered, blessed, and signed.

But what is clear today is that the remaining living Hamas hostages have been released, the IDF has withdrawn to its defensive positions, more aid is making its way to Gaza, and the United States – led by Trump – is at the center of an international coalition dedicated to maintaining peace and rebuilding Gaza.

It is difficult to find political leaders in the United States, or anywhere else, who believe these are bad outcomes.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a former and possibly future presidential candidate, nodded approvingly to Trump In X’s post today.

“More than two years later, the prayer has been answered after the president and others reached an agreement to bring the Israeli hostages home,” she wrote. “This is an important step towards a lasting solution to the war. We must work to end the humanitarian crisis and secure lasting peace.”

Outside the United States, Trump’s ability to attract and maintain the trust of both Israel and a group of Arab- and Muslim-majority countries, stretching from the Middle East across the Indian Ocean, is a rare diplomatic achievement. It required him to take a tougher line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu than contemporary American presidents have been willing to draw.

The Knesset, the Israeli parliament, received Trump with a standing ovation when he spoke there. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi awarded Trump the highest civilian award in his country later in the day.

Trump said in his statements: “This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East.”

If this is indeed the case, Trump may win the Nobel Peace Prize he seeks.

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Shutdown, Day 13: Mike Johnson slams Obamacare money as ‘boondoggle’

Written by Sahil Kapoor and Gabriel Khariyati

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Los Angeles, criticized the expiring Obamacare subsidies at the heart of the government funding crisis as “useless” as the shutdown approaches the two-week mark with no end in sight.

“The COVID-era Obamacare subsidy, which they’re all talking about, today’s issue supposedly won’t expire until the end of December. And by the way, it’s the Democrats who created that subsidy, and they’re the ones who put the expiration date on it,” he told reporters at a news conference on the 13th day of the shutdown.

“They put a cut-off date on it because they knew it was supposed to be related to Covid, and it became unhelpful,” Johnson added. “When you subsidize the health care system and pay insurance companies more, prices go up.”

Johnson’s comments escalate the battle one day before the Senate is scheduled to return to Washington, although there is no clear path to ending the shutdown. It will test the patience and resolve of both parties, as federal employees — including members of law enforcement, air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration employees — are set to lose their paychecks.

The GOP-led Speaker has kept the House out of session since Sept. 19 and continues the recess through this week, drawing harsh criticism from Democrats and even some Republicans who say they want to get back to work.

Cancel replay: Johnson also addressed growing calls for the right to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a long-standing goal of conservatives, and said in a lengthy response to NBC News that “Obamacare has failed the American people” and that the system needs “radical reform.” He said he suffers from “PTSD” over the GOP’s 2017 repeal effort and remains frustrated by its failure.

“Can we completely repeal and replace Obamacare? A lot of us are questioning that now, because the roots are so deep,” Jones said. “It was really ominous, the way it was set up.” “I think Obamacare was created to implode on itself, to collapse in on itself.”

Justin Chermol, a spokesman for the House Democratic campaign arm, responded: “Mike Johnson just admitted that the GOP’s ‘health care plan’ isn’t just about eliminating Medicaid and closing rural hospitals. Republicans are still desperate to repeal the Affordable Care Act and take away protections for people with pre-existing conditions — as the Speaker of the House made clear this morning as he “He is recovering from the trauma he suffered after failing to repeal Medicare in 2017.”

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That’s all from the Policy Office for now. Today’s newsletter is compiled by Adam Woolner.

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