Grounded with Jon Tester & Maritsa Georgiou

SNAP Decisions

42 million people are going to bed tonight worried about the legal limbo over whether they’re going to get their SNAP benefits. In normal government shutdowns, SNAP benefits continue to go out because of contingency funds. That’s not what’s happening this time around. 
Josh Protas of Meals on Wheels and Liza Lieberman of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger help us dig into the hunger crisis that exists in this country even without the threat of taking away SNAP payments. We also discuss how this summer’s sweeping budget bill affected food assistance programs and how we can all help in ways big and small.

Broken Harvest

2025 election results show big wins for Democrats in races across the country. What does it mean for the government shutdown? Will it change minds in Washington? Plus, our conversation about the state of farming and ranching at this moment in the U.S.— from tariffs to price increases to the government shutdown. We tackle it all with a farmer and rancher and what it means for the future of their livelihoods.

Governerds Unite

Sharon McMahon, America’s Government Teacher, joins Grounded to discuss the government shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history. We talk about the new legal battle over sending out SNAP payments and the cancellation of hundreds of flights across the country. Sharon’s energetic and enthusiastic approach to teaching makes it easy to see why she’s so effective and popular. The former government teacher now uses her online platform to teach the rest of us the basics of civics. Her “Governerd” community not only gets a history lesson—it’s raised more than $13 million to help pay off medical debts, donate to food banks, fill teacher wishlists and more. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.

In the Room

Author and journalist Michael Wolff joins Grounded to discuss the new lawsuit he filed in response to First Lady Melania Trump’s lawyers threatening him with a $1 billion defamation suit. Wolff brings a unique perspective, as he’s not only spent time with President Donald Trump, but also Jeffrey Epstein. He’s written four books about Trump and has more than 100 hours of interviews with Epstein. What does he hope will come out of the lawsuit? What does it even mean when we talk about the Epstein files? Plus, a long discussion about the Democratic senators who voted to end the government shutdown.

Every Day is Veterans Day

It’s not every day we’re live on Substack when a U.S. senator calls Jon Tester’s landline and agrees to be put on speaker phone. But that’s exactly what happened today when Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) called the farm.On this Veterans Day, we also welcome Paul Rieckhoff, a veteran himself in addition to being the president of Righteous Media and founder of a group called Independent Veterans of America. He discusses what he calls a cultural war the Trump administration is waging on our government institutions, low morale at the VA and his frustration with both the Republican and Democratic parties. Plus, learn more about what he describes as the “patriotic purge,” and what Rieckhoff thinks is the most important group of people to push back on the president.

As the Crow Flies

The last time Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) appeared on Grounded was Oct. 1, 2025—the very first day of what became the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. When an event with Crow and JT lined up in Arizona, we decided it was a good chance to check in on what was accomplished during the shutdown, the renewed focus on the Epstein files and his efforts to recruit Democratic candidates in flippable House districts. Plus, we bring Tiffany Muller of End Citizens United back into the fold to again discuss money in politics.

Pardon Our Mess

Former DOJ pardon attorney Liz Oyer joins Grounded to discuss a whole lot of chaos happening inside her former office. Hours before our interview, Congress moved to force the DOJ to release its Epstein files, raising major questions about what comes next. Oyer breaks down the complications ahead. With nearly 2,000 pardons already granted in Trump’s second term, Oyer talks to us about why the pardon process looks wholly different in a Trump 2.0 term and the negative impacts on the American people. Plus, a chat with American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten about the latest moves to dismantle the Dept. of Education. 

Houston, We Have a Problem

It’s hard to predict when news will break, but today’s episode is quite timely. We invited Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) to join us on Grounded after being one of the subjects of a video that prompted the President of the United States to amplify posts calling for six members of Congress to be hanged. We talked about the video, if he expected this response from the White House, and if he thinks he’s being investigated or surveilled. That’s when the Dept. of War announced it’s investigating Kelly for alleged misconduct. In addition to the video, we discuss the potential Ukraine peace plan being floated by the Trump administration, the economy, and his favorite space movie. Don’t worry—we also asked about his astronaut Labubu.

The Montana Plan

We tried and (mostly) succeeded in our first live recording with a live in-person audience! The audio isn’t perfect, but we thank you for your patience!Former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock joined us for some headlines before we dove into this week’s topic: A Montana effort to make the effects of the Citizens United decision a moot point—with hopes the effort will spread to other states. That’s where Jeff Mangan and the Transparent Election Initiative (aka the Montana Plan) comes in. We broke it all down with Mangan, including the legal hurdles still facing the initiative, what opponents are saying, and how to get an effort like this started in other states.

Superpower Suicide

Former ambassador and national security adviser Susan Rice joins Grounded to discuss why America’s current foreign policy strategy amounts to “superpower suicide.” On the Russian invasion into Ukraine, Rice says not enough was done to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014 during the invasion of Crimea. When will it end? “He doesn’t stop until he is stopped,” Rice said about Putin.Rice provides a history lesson on what led to this moment and doesn’t hold back on the Trump administration’s strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean. We discuss the impact of dismantling USAID and what it all means for our national security. Plus, Sen. Tester weighs in on the $12 billion bailout for farmers and Maritsa’s viral moment with Gene Simmons.