Fulcher addresses federal shutdown, Qatari military facility in telephone town hall

With Idaho recently in the national spotlight and the federal government in a state of limbo, U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, hosted a telephone town hall Tuesday to hear concerns from his District 1 constituents.

Fulcher's call largely centered around two issues: the federal government shutdown and the future arrival of a Qatari military facility at the Mountain Home Air Force Base.

Addressing the shutdown, Fulcher said Democrats' requests for over $1 trillion in spending were a “non-starter.” He added the Democratic demands included wanting to reverse work requirements for Medicaid, provide funding for transgender surgeries and use taxpayer-funded health care for non-citizens.

Democrats have stated that they are looking to reverse spending cuts to Medicaid that were enacted by the "O