Graphic by Dani Ramirez
Written by Steven Mynott
On Sunday, eight Democratic senators reached a deal with Senate Republicans after 43 days to end the longest government shutdown in American history. The CI View published an article covering the beginning of the shutdown on Oct. 10. The bill passed by a vote of 60-40 on Monday without the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that Democrats were demanding. Senate Democrats initiated the shutdown after Senate Republicans put forward a bill that did not include ACA premium tax credits. The current ACA premium tax credits are set to expire at the end of the year. Without them, Americans will see their health insurance premiums increase, some, by as much as fourfold.
The eight Democratic senators who voted in favor of the deal are Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and Angus King of Maine. King is not a member of the Democratic party, though he does caucus with Democrats.
The newly passed bill will put furloughed government employees back to work, give back pay to employees who worked without pay during the shutdown, reverse layoffs that took place during the shutdown, and prevent the federal government from laying off employees in the future. The bill also restores full funding to theSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Though the bill that reopens the government does not include an extension on ACA premium tax credits, Republican Senate majority leader John Thune agreed to bring the tax credits to a vote on the Senate floor in December. Even if an extension on ACA premium tax credits were to pass in the Senate, there is no guarantee that they will pass in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Shaheen, one of the Democratic senators who voted in favor of the bill, explained her position on CBS. She emphasized that ending the shutdown will end the suffering of Americans going without food assistance, and government employees who were out of work or working without pay. She stated, “And that’s what we need to keep people focused on. It’s not the Democrats who broke ranks who are the issue here. It’s President Trump and the Republicans who have kept us from dealing with the costs of healthcare.”
Not all Democrats are happy that a deal was reached without ACA premium tax credits. Andy Kim, Democratic senator from New Jersey, said in an interview with CNN, “What just happened in the Senate chamber is an absolute disgrace. I just, I can’t stress enough. I’m just so pissed off. Just what’s going to happen to so many people? So we’ll get to the political ramifications and whatnot. But right now, just coming out from this vote, you know, I’m just I’m sad for so many that we weren’t able to help.”
Democratic U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut has her doubts about the likelihood of the tax credits passing. She acknowledges that Senate Republicans have agreed to bring the issue to a vote, but also noted that Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has not agreed to anything in the House. “Do I trust any of them? Hell no,” said DeLauro.
Thune addressed the country in a speech on the Senate floor after passage of the bill in the Senate. “There’s been a lot of talk over the last several weeks – on both sides of the aisle – about the health care crisis in this country,” said Thune. “And I’m thankful to be able to say that we have senators, both Democrat and Republican, who are eager to get to work to address that crisis in a bipartisan way. These senators are not interested in political games – they’re interested in finding real ways to address health care costs for American families. We also have a president who is willing to sit down and get to work on this issue. And so I’m looking forward to seeing what solutions might be brought forward.”
President Donald Trump signed the new funding bill into law last Wednesday. During the signing ceremony, he said, “We went through this short term disaster with the Democrats because they thought it would be good politically. And it’s an honor now to sign this incredible bill and get our country working again.”
