r/Askpolitics

Megathread: Trump evacuated after ‘gunshots’ fired at White House Correspondents Dinner
🔥 Hot ▲ 129 r/Askpolitics

Megathread: Trump evacuated after ‘gunshots’ fired at White House Correspondents Dinner

Megathread will cover the event at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

You are free to discuss, debate, opine, share continued updates about subject matter only in this megathread

Megathread will remain active until conversation as ceased

Please report bad faith commenters, low effort and any off-topic comments

All r/askpolitics and Reddit TOS rules apply

independent.co.uk
u/LawnDartSurvivor74 — 1 day ago

What's the stance of US people regarding the foreign policies of their gov?

By this I'm mainly referring to the foreign policies and specifically the never-ending cycle of wars in the last 2-3 decades from Afghanistan to Iraq, Iran and several other countries especially considering that it definitely impacted the quality of life of the American people internally.

Whatever your answers are, why don't we see acting upon that stance (this is at least what we, outsiders, perceive based on media outlets output)

reddit.com
u/bahrain_gemstones — 2 days ago
🔥 Hot ▲ 131 r/Askpolitics

White House proposes $736M cut to National Parks amid record visitation. Conservatives, how does this work?

The White House just released its FY2027 budget proposing a $736 million (25%+) cut to NPS park operations, and reducing the construction budget to under $50 million, a 72% reduction from 2025 levels.

Some context: the NPS has already lost nearly 25% of its workforce since January 2025 (over 4,000 staff) through pressured resignations and early retirements. Visitation has gone the opposite direction, with 26 parks setting record attendance last year and 323 million total visits in 2025. Staff shortages are already causing real problems, Yosemite reportedly can’t collect entrance fees at some gates because there’s nobody to staff them, fees that directly fund park operations.

The same budget also requests $10 billion for a “Presidential Capital Stewardship Program” for construction and beautification in and around Washington D.C.

Parks like the Grand Canyon and Black Canyon of the Gunnison are still recovering from devastating 2025 wildfires with large sections still closed. The DOI says the goal is to shift more staff into “visitor-facing roles” but park advocates warn that eliminates the biologists, trail crews, and maintenance workers who keep parks functioning behind the scenes.

For conservatives who support cutting federal bloat: what’s the realistic plan here? How do parks stay operational and safe next summer with this level of reduced staffing and funding?

Full details: https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2026/04/white-houses-budget-proposal-would-be-catastrophic-national-park-service

u/CoreTECK — 3 days ago
🔥 Hot ▲ 119 r/Askpolitics

Why is it Democrats just can't run on, and deliver, a populist policy?

Universal healthcare, increased wages, expansion of social security, taxation of the rich, investment in renewable energy, keeping AI in check, getting grocery bills down and making life more affordable for the average person.

These are the keys to winning elections. Trump ran on these and it got him back into the White House in 2024 despite his first term being an absolute disaster. However, for some reason, Democrats can't seem to get the message and run on the same issues. They always end up copping out and run on "social issues" instead of what actually matters to the majority of the country.

Even then, when they do regain power, they always seem to forget that kitchen table issues are what matter most to people and immediately default back to being disconnected and even cringy when it comes to their domestic policies.

Why is it they can't just run on a populist agenda and then actually deliver on it when they take power? Giving the people what they have been asking for over the past 40 years is a solid method of retaining power AND ensuring the prosperity of the country. Yet, when Dems regain their power, the populist is replaced with "centrist", and it becomes a game of "we don't want to upset the Republicans".

The people are telling the Democrats what they want, so why not just actually deliver?

reddit.com
u/AlanPublica — 3 days ago
▲ 45 r/Askpolitics+1 crossposts

H.R. 5449/S. 2885 would significantly limit partisan gerrymandering, why don't Republicans seem interested?

The Redistricting Reform Act of 2025 (https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5449, https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2885), which has been introduced by Rep. Zoe Lofgren and Sen. Alex Padilla, would require independent redistricting committees for congressional maps and ban mid-decade redraws.

It's been referred to the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee and the Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee, but has not even seen any hearings or votes. It seems like voters on the right are convinced that neither party has any interest in ending gerrymandering, with the claim that Democrats may have introduced such legislation in the past but they intentionally coupled it with many other irrelevant stipulations that they knew Republicans would not approve of, yet this bill seems pretty straightforward.

My main question is in the title. Why do you voters on the right think there seems to, at a minimum, be no sense of urgency by the Republican party to pass a bill that so many of you would likely support?

reddit.com
u/DyIsexia — 3 days ago

Who are some good left wing podcasters that debunk right wingers thoroughly instead of brushing them off?

I’m looking to expand how I get my information to some left wing sources. An issue I’ve run into a bit is that from the ones I see they just say that right wing people are wrong or lying but don’t really explain why or give context. I’m looking for podcasts that are left wing and confront right wing ideas.

One thing that drew me towards right wing media was that they broken down everything I’d hear from the left and rebutted it. I’m looking for something on the left that has a similar style to that.

Sorry the post is short it’s just a straightforward question.

reddit.com
u/SnooCupcakes4729 — 4 days ago

What are your thoughts on the differences between Rep. Ilhan Omar’s past and current financial disclosures?

Last year, Rep. Ilhan Omar reported her net worth between $6 million and $30 million, prompting widespread questions about the dramatic increase from the prior year.

Omar has since revised her disclosure, claiming her actual net worth is between $18,000 and $95,000. She attributed the massive discrepancy to an accounting error.

Is this explanation believable, or does the massive swing in reported assets still warrant further scrutiny?

https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/ilhan-omar-financial-disclosure-amendment-accountant-error/

u/Logic_9795 — 4 days ago

What additional resources are available to uncover the donor list/associations of a Political Action Committee?

I recently saw a political ad that tried to appear as a non-partician take on a California bill to tax billionaires. Unfortunately the video is not yet available online but when I searched for their name the site https://ofeca.org/ showed the normal things you would expect but when looking for their donor list/associations I could find nothing. A deeper online search resulted in nothing and I mean nothing as far as who they are and who they represent. Any help to discover more about who funds them would be greatly appreciated.

reddit.com
u/brees2me — 3 days ago
🔥 Hot ▲ 72 r/Askpolitics

Why are Leftists called Leftists and Conservatives called Conservatives?

Hey, I’m from Europe and I genuinely want to ask:

Firstly:

Why isn’t it leftist and rightist?

Or progressative and conservative?

Secondly:

Why does it seem that most people (or nearly everbody) don’t take ideas from both sides and instead are very radically taking one side?

Finally:

Why isn’t there a middle partie? Or is there one?

It feels like right now, the american people will never work together because of that separation.

Thank you!

reddit.com
u/FabulousSmoke107 — 5 days ago

What would it take, structurally, to prevent the U.S. from drifting into “forever wars”?

I just read a recent New York Times opinion piece by Graham Platner describing his experience in post-ISIS Iraq and the broader pattern of what people call “forever wars.”

What struck me wasn’t just the human cost, but how these conflicts seem to persist without clear objectives, timelines, or exit conditions. They don’t necessarily expand dramatically, they just continue.

So I’m wondering from a policy and institutional standpoint what would actually prevent these "forever wars" from happening again?

Is this mainly a problem with war authorization laws like the AUMF or is it more about the balance of power between Congress and the executive branch? Are there realistic mechanisms that could force reassessment, such as requiring defined objectives or periodic reauthorization, or is this just inherent to modern military and geopolitical realities?

I’m especially interested in perspectives from people with military, legal, or policy experience.

reddit.com
u/sethleyseymour — 5 days ago

Why don't Americans use the multi-member list system with a single district per state?

Instead of dividing each state capriciously, a single district is implemented for each one and assumes as many representatives at stake as the percentage of votes each list has obtained.

A representation more appropriate to the amount of support received would be achieved, in a much more democratic way.

reddit.com
u/WillLife — 4 days ago

Does calling politicians about a bill not yet up for vote matter?

Hello!

I know the basic process when you call is the staffer just marks you for or against a specific issue. However, I’m frustrated by the Eliminating the Marriage Penalty in SSI Act or EMPSA sitting in a committee for over a year now with no updates in the Senate. I know that many bills sit in committees for years, but one of my senators is in the committee it’s in. I don’t expect much to happen; I just want to remind her it exists at least. I sent a longer email to her saying how important this bill is to myself and other disabled people, but I’m not sure if a call would do anything as it’s not up for vote for anything. Would it be noted at all if I called? Or should I wait until it’s further along?

reddit.com
u/nova_noveiia — 5 days ago