Fox News host Jessica Tarlov lost it live on-air during a heated debate with colleague Bret Baier about the then-looming government shutdown.

Tarlov, a rare liberal voice on the network, accused Republicans of not wanting to actually deal with Democrats.

Baier, the host of Special Report, countered by suggesting the issue was actually ‘quite straightforward’. He accused the Democrats of being at fault for not making sufficient compromises.

Tarlov, 41, contended that the American public would still hold Senate Republicans accountable. The group has since organized another round of votes for Wednesday, giving Democrats an opportunity to change their stance.

The US government commenced its shutdown process early on Wednesday morning, just as Baier, 55, and Tarlov engaged in their heated debate. With the GOP holding a 53–47 majority, they require seven Democrats to support a continuing resolution to prevent a shutdown.

‘You know, this is a plain, fund-the-government continuing resolution,’ Baier told Tarlov.

‘But it’s a clean resolution inclusive of these cuts,’ Tarlov interjected, referring to tax credits set to be repealed. They make health insurance premiums cheaper for millions of Americans and will expire at the end of the year, as is.

‘That affects Democrats just as much as Republicans. And there are a lot of Republicans on Obamacare,’ Tarlov said. 

Jessica Tarlov, a Democratic strategist and host of The Five, accused Republicans of not wanting to make with Democrats. Both parties have engaged in finger-pointing after failing to pass a funding bill for 2026

Special Report host Baier pushed back, saying the situation was actually ‘kind of simple’

She pointed to how some Republicans, like Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley, have warned a shutdown could prove worse than any other outcome, especially everyday Americans are considered.

Baier continued: ‘It doesn’t stop until the end of the year. So, you fund the government-‘

Tarlov erupted: ‘Enough with this! But who’s to say they’re gonna sit down and negotiate with us afterwards.’

The Democratic political strategist pointed to a an AI-generated social media post from the president Tuesday that suggested Democrats were seeking to give healthcare to undocumented immigrants – an outright lie, she said.   

‘They came out of that meeting, Trump is posting racist AI videos, saying, “I don’t need to deal with them, at all.” 

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance both pedaled that lie, Tarlov said.

‘[They] are lying about what Democrats are asking, saying we want to fund a health care for illegals – which is impossible and doesn’t happen. It is impossible.

‘They’re saying they want to cut $50 billion for rural hospitals. They took $137billion out and then gave us back $50billion and said that it’s our problem.’ 

A noticeably tense altercation ensued, during which Tarlov repeatedly criticized the GOP and administration

The US government began the shutdown process early Wednesday morning, after politicians from both sides were not able to make a deal. Republicans control the Senate 53-47, and need seven Democrats to vote for a continuing resolution to avert a shutdown

The brush-up ended there, with Tarlov left fuming by the end.

Democrats like her have blamed the shutdown on Trump and the GOP. They say Republicans are refusing to protects millions of Americans’ healthcare.

Democrats are demanding an extension of Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act be included in the funding bill. 

The party has been prone to in-fights after House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer cut a deal with Republicans back in March without making any concessions.