NC lawmakers are saying a lot about the shutdown. What’s true and what’s not?

As the government shut down overnight Tuesday, members of Congress representing North Carolina took to social media and made statements in interviews about how this happened and what their colleagues across the aisle did to cause it.

Some of the statements are true, some have an element of truth and some are completely false.

We scoured their statements and broke down what’s real and what’s not.

Here is the latest list.

Did the U.S. House go on vacation as the government shut down?

Yes and no.

Members of the U.S. House passed, on Sept. 19, a continuing resolution to keep the government funded at its current levels and then left for a scheduled weeklong district work period, which means they went back home to meet with their constituents, or whatever else they chose to do.

They were set to return to Washington on Sept. 29 and 30, then take the rest of the week off to recognize Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. There are 35 Jewish members of Congress, or 6.5% of members.

After the Senate failed to pass the House’s resolution, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled the House’s Sept. 29 return to Washington, meaning that the House has not been in Washington for two weeks.

Government funding expired after 11:59 p.m., Sept. 30.

The House returns Oct. 7.

Were House Democrats in Washington, while Republicans stayed away?

It appears that way.

House Democrats made their presence known this week, gathering in the chamber when it opened pro forma (ceremonially). They’ve held news conferences and live streams.

All four of North Carolina’s Democrats appeared on the steps of the Capitol this week, as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries addressed the media about the shutdown.

For the most part, it’s unclear where Republicans are spending their time, though Johnson has been in Washington.

Many of North Carolina’s lawmakers, on both sides of the aisle, appeared Monday at a congressional hearing in Charlotte that dealt with crime in North Carolina.

Some Republicans have made television appearances from North Carolina the week of the shutdown, and others posted videos from the state about action they’re taking in Washington. But Rep. Brad Knott, a Republican from Raleigh, posted an interview in which he appeared to have been in a Washington newsroom.

Did Republicans refuse to meet with Democrats to negotiate the bill?

Yes.

It wasn’t until Sept. 29 that the Big Four — Johnson, Jeffries, Senate Leader John Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — met to discuss what Democrats wanted in order to pass a government funding bill. That meeting took place at the White House and was the first time that President Donald Trump and Jeffries met in person, according to The Hill.

Is Schumer really scared of the ‘Bartender Caucus’ and what is that?

Rep. Greg Murphy, a Republican from Greenville, has repeatedly made references to Schumer’s apprehension about upsetting “the Bartender Caucus” and said his fear of the “bartender” led to the shutdown.

Murphy is using New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s work as a waitress and bartender before becoming a member of Congress to demean her. Ocasio-Cortez did hold both those positions, and also has degrees in international relations and economics from Boston University. At 29, she became the youngest congresswoman in history.

Vice President JD Vance and other Republicans have accused Schumer of listening to far-left members of the Democratic Party, like Ocasio-Cortez, when deciding to shut down the government.

Ocasio-Cortez criticized Schumer earlier in the year when he helped provide Republicans the votes they needed to fund the government at that time.

Is the government shutdown a way to give $500 million to news outlets?

This messaging comes from one of three demands Democrats are making in order to pass a government spending bill.

One of those is that Trump, or any future president, can no longer request that lawmakers rescind earmarked funding already passed by Congress.

In a bill passed earlier this year, Congress already agreed to Trump’s request to cancel $1.1 billion in government funding for PBS and NPR.

It’s long been rumored Trump plans to make more requests later this year to cancel other spending, and Democrats are trying to get ahead of those.

Did the government shut down because Democrats are fighting to offer federal health care programs to “illegal immigrants”?

No.

This is a claim that’s been repeated by several of North Carolina’s Republicans.

The One Big Beautiful Bill got rid of a law that allowed immigrants in the country with permission to seek federal health insurance coverage while waiting for legal status. These are people like asylum seekers, refugees, green card holders and beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programs.

Democrats want to restore access for these subsets of immigrants, but not for people who lack protected status. They’re also seeking to restore the $1 trillion in cuts made to Medicaid in that same bill.

Does North Carolina fund Medicaid for people who are in the country without permission?

No, except in cases of emergencies.

It is against federal law for a person in the United States without authorization to receive Medicaid, Medicare or coverage from the Affordable Care Act.

A White House official posted on X a screenshot from a North Carolina website showing that it is possible to seek emergency Medicaid coverage. The only time federal health care coverage is offered to immigrants in the country without authorization is if someone’s safety or life is at risk, which represents less than 0.5% of federal health care spending.

Can members of Congress forgo their paycheck?

It’s complicated.

Under the 27th Amendment, members of Congress must be paid.

Since the shutdown began, many members announced they would request their paycheck be withheld.

Among those are Reps. Valerie Foushee, a Democrat from Orange County, Don Davis, a Democrat from Snow Hill and Tim Moore, a Republican from Kings Mountain.

Since their paychecks must be sent out, they can decline and return their pay, donate their salary to a charity or the Treasury, or request the House administrative office withhold their pay, though it would still be owed.

Several “No Budget, No Pay Acts” have been introduced in recent years calling for lawmakers to not be paid during a shutdown, but those have not made it to a floor vote.

Their staff members, however, are working without pay.

This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 9:48 AM with the headline "NC lawmakers are saying a lot about the shutdown. What’s true and what’s not?."

Danielle Battaglia

McClatchy DC

Danielle Battaglia is the D.C. correspondent for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer, leading coverage of North Carolina’s congressional delegation and elections. She also covers the White House. Her career has spanned three North Carolina newsrooms where she has covered crime, courts and local, state and national politics. She has won two McClatchy President’s awards and numerous national and state awards for her work.