In the shutdown fight, Democrats are playing their favorite trick on Republicans. They’re demanding a permanent extension of a temporary welfare program, predicting that a crisis will result if the GOP doesn’t act.

But Republicans should see through the current Democratic smokescreen on expanded Obamacare subsidies, like they have the last few times the Left tried this trick. Far from creating a crisis, they’ll preserve affordable healthcare for the vulnerable while protecting taxpayers from unaffordable debt.