WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats and Republicans have yet to reach an agreement on government funding, extending the shutdown into a second week.
The shutdown continues amid partisan divides over government spending. In the Democrats’ proposed spending resolution, enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies would become permanent. Republicans claim that these subsidies would fund health care for undocumented immigrants, putting a strain on the federal budget. However, ACA subsidies are not available to undocumented immigrants.
Last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) canceled House sessions through Oct. 13, designating the week as a district work period as the Senate grapples with the shutdown.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) criticized this decision, accusing Johnson of dodging his party’s divided stance on health care. He pointed to an Oct. 3 KFF poll indicating that 57% of MAGA Republicans wish to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits.
“What does the speaker do with these divisions in his conference, almost irreconcilable? He ducks. He chooses the politically expedient way out,” Schumer said.
Meanwhile, Johnson criticized Democrats for not passing the Republican bill and prolonging the shutdown.
He said the shutdown comes at the cost of government programs like veterans’ protections, health services and nutrition programs.
“All these programs are now being shuttered because the funding streams have stopped,” he said at a press conference Tuesday morning.
He added that the ball was in the Democrats’ court, emphasizing that Republicans were “united 100%.”
Johnson also said that furloughed federal workers should receive back pay, and emphasized the strain the shutdown puts on their families.
“We have troops, we have Border Patrol agents, TSA agents that are all serving, protecting all of us, protecting the country without pay right now, real hardships for real families, and they cannot drag on any longer,” he said.
Johnson said that for the shutdown to end, Democrats need to vote in favor of the Republican-led Continuing Appropriations and Extensions bill. The vote is split by 54-44, with only six votes needed to pass.
Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.), one of three Democrats to vote across party lines in favor of the Republican-led House bill without ACA tax credits, said his priority was reopening the government.
“We can disagree on all these policies and change them, but it’s a core responsibility to keep our government open,” Fetterman said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) maintained that the health care crisis was a primary driver of Democrats’ resistance to voting in favor of the Republican-proposed bill. He said that if ACA subsidies are not included, health care costs could skyrocket for middle-class families.
“Because of the Republicans’ continued refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, tens of millions of Americans are about to experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles that will bankrupt them,” he said at a press conference Tuesday morning.
“Ninety-three percent of the people who benefit from the Affordable Care Act tax credits make $63,000 or less. These are working-class Americans that Democrats are fighting to protect in terms of their health care,” he added.
