Connecticut politicians are decrying a federal government shutdown that’s bringing a fresh cycle of uncertainty to American politics.
President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep government programs and services running by Wednesday’s deadline. Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, some potentially fired by Trump’s Republican administration.
In Connecticut, Democrats were quick to decry the shutdown Wednesday morning.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro said she tried, and failed, to introduce a bill Tuesday night that would have kept the government funded through October 31.
“Republicans chose to shut down the government rather than get into a bipartisan negotiation with Democrats,” DeLauro told NPR’s Morning Edition. “What is at the center of this fight? Twenty million Americans are going to see their health care costs skyrocket.”
Democrats are demanding funding for health care subsidies that are expiring for millions of people under the Affordable Care Act, spiking the costs of insurance premiums nationwide.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal told Connecticut Public’s “The Wheelhouse” Wednesday, there is a path to end the shutdown.
“Which is for Republicans simply to agree to extend the subsidies for health care insurance that have existed under the ACA [Affordable Care Act] and provided 130,000, or more, people in Connecticut, millions around the country, with affordable health insurance, that will end at the end of this year,” Blumenthal said.
U.S. Rep. Jim Himes said in a statement that Democrats are “ready to negotiate a bipartisan spending bill that funds the government responsibly without sacrificing the needs of our constituents.”
But Himes blamed Republicans for refusing to negotiate.
“Until Republicans join us in that endeavor, the pain of this shutdown will be borne by our most vulnerable neighbors—servicemembers living paycheck to paycheck, mothers who rely on food assistance, and grandparents applying for their Social Security.”
No easy exit as health care costs soar
Ahead of Wednesday’s start of the fiscal year, House Republicans had approved a temporary funding bill, over opposition from Democrats, to keep the government running into mid-November while broader negotiations continue.
But that bill has failed repeatedly in the Senate, including late Tuesday. It takes a 60-vote threshold for approval, which requires cooperation between the two parties. A Democratic bill also failed. With a 53-47 GOP majority, Democrats are leveraging their votes to demand negotiation.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republicans are happy to discuss the health care issue with Democrats — but not as part of talks to keep the government open. More votes are expected Wednesday.
This is a developing story and will be updated. Connecticut Public’s Frankie Graziano, Jennifer Ahrens, Michayla Savitt, Patrick Skahill and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
