Copyright Newsweek
Six Democrats voted for a bill to reopen the federal government, which passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Why It Matters The government funding bill has become a sticking point for Democrats. While moderates in the Senate have voted to reopen the government, critics on the left have accused the party of not fighting hard enough. Democrats declined to advance a bill ending the shutdown for more than a month due to concerns over Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits set to expire at the end of the year. The shutdown has become the longest in American history and has led to concerns of flight delays and cancellations ahead of the holiday season due to air traffic control shortages, as well as the impact on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for millions of Americans. What To Know Most Democratic members of Congress opposed the bill to reopen the government, citing concerns about whether the deal reached in the Senate sufficiently addressed their concerns about health care. The deal only requires that the Senate vote on the ACA credits, so there’s no guarantee it will pass. Only the following Democrats voted in support of the bill: Jared Golden of Maine Adam Gray of California Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington Don Davis of North Carolina Henry Cuellar of Texas Tom Suozzi of New York In September, only one House Democrat voted in support of the funding bill: Golden, a centrist who has since announced he will not run for reelection in his conservative-leaning district. Golden had been a proponent of ending the shutdown. In October, he blamed it on “hardball politics driven by the demands far-left groups are making for Democratic Party leaders to put on a show of their opposition to President Trump.” “The shutdown is hurting Americans and our economy, and the irony is it has only handed more power to the president. This fight is ostensibly about health care, so let me be clear: I opposed the GOP’s Medicaid cuts and I want to extend the ACA tax credits. But some of my colleagues in the majority party have reasonable concerns about tax credits going to high-income households. There’s room and time to negotiate. But normal policy disagreements are no reason to subject our constituents to the continued harm of this shutdown,” he said on October 1. In the Senate, the following Democrats sided with Republicans to advance the bill: Dick Durbin of Illinois, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Tim Kaine of Virginia. Senator Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats, also voted alongside Republicans to restore funding. What People Are Saying Golden’s office wrote in a statement reported by Axios: “Congressman Golden’s position on using a government shutdown as a legislative strategy has been clear and has not changed. He’s also spent months having bipartisan conversations about how to build the support necessary to extend the ACA tax credits and prevent massive price increases for Americans who buy insurance on the individual market. He looks forward to continuing those conversations with his colleagues in the days to come.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on MSNBC this week: “House Democrats will strongly oppose the bill that’s come over from the Senate because we continue to make clear that we have to decisively address the Republican health care crisis.” House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on Wednesday on X: “For 40 days, hardworking Americans have endured flight cancellations, missed paychecks, and empty dinner tables — all because Democrats closed the government. It was foolish, pointless, cruel, and entirely avoidable. Republicans have been working every day to get the government reopened for the American people, and today we should finally be able to overcome the Democrats and accomplish our mission.” What Happens Next The bill, expected to be signed into law by President Donald Trump Wednesday night, would fund the government through January 30.
