Takeaways from Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez’s CNN town hall on the government shutdown

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez participate in a CNN town hall, moderated by Kaitlan Collins, in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. The two lawmakers fielded questions from Collins and a live studio audience, comprised of Democrats, Republicans, independents and those who have been directly impacted by the shutdown. Eric Lee for CNN Washington —

As Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused Republicans of refusing to work to end the government shutdown and referred to House Speaker Mike Johnson as focusing on “inane and silly” things, the White House’s rapid response account was calling her and fellow progressive Bernie Sanders “not serious people.”

The 90-minute town hall with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins illustrated how far apart how Democrats and Republicans a