Fox host Harris Faulkner snaps as effort to place shutdown blame smacked down on live TV

Fox News’ Harris Faulkner snapped at a Democratic voter Monday during a roundtable discussion after they noted that millions of Americans would likely lose health insurance if Democratic lawmakers were to support Republicans’ spending proposals amid the ongoing government shutdown.

Faulkner was hosting a roundtable discussion with both Democratic and Republican voters Monday to discuss “the issues shaping” the upcoming midterm elections, and among the topics discussed was the ongoing government shutdown, sparked by disagreements on government health care subsidies.

Democrats have pushed for subsidies for the Affordable Care Act — set to expire at the end of this year — to be extended in any spending bill, whereas Republicans have held firm in refusing to back Democrats’ demands, instead proposing a temporary spending bill to give lawmakers more time to debate the issue. Democrats have refused to entertain any spending measure that does not include an extension to the subsidies.

Faulkner asserted during the discussion that Democrats were entirely to blame for the government shutdown, now on its 34th day.

“I want to make sure that we're sticking with the facts here: this is in Democrats' hands, and we don't have the ability to have the facts driven by our freedoms – I mean, by our feelings, forgive me,” Faulkner said. “You think people are hurting now, let it go until Christmas, like it's time for [Democrats] to step up.”

A Democratic voter only identified as Amanda chimed in: “But if they step up, then we lose health care.”

Faulkner snapped back at the voter.

“You’re not going to lose health care! Health care was going up on its own!”

Yet, despite Faulkner’s assertion that she or others wouldn’t “lose health care,” the Congressional Budget Office has already projected that enrollment in the government’s health care marketplace would fall by nearly 4 million if the subsidies were allowed to expire, a projection also supported by the Urban Institute. Additionally, health insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act are projected to increase by 114% for millions of Americans.

“Yes, for millions of people they will,” Amanda fired back.