Summary
- Chuck Schumer blamed Trump and Republicans.
- Cited them for ongoing government shutdown.
- Accused them of raising healthcare premiums.
- Said shutdown causes American suffering and pain.
After senators were unable to resolve a stalemate on financing legislation, the federal government formally commenced a shutdown at midnight on Wednesday.
"It's day three of the Trump shutdown, and the government remains closed because Donald Trump and Republicans insist on raising Americans' health care premiums and kicking millions off their insurance.
Sending premiums skyrocketing, as Republicans insist, is fundamentally unsustainable,"
Schumer said on the Senate floor as the federal government remains shuttered for a third day.
On Wednesday, Senate Democrats once more vetoed a stopgap funding package that was passed by the House and would have allowed the government to reopen until November 21.
Schumer stated that Democrats are still prepared and eager to cooperate with the opposition.
"We're ready to work on a path forward to lower health care costs for the American people and fund the federal government,"
he added.
What demands are Democrats making to end the shutdown?
Democrats advocate for the renewal and expansion of enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies (i.e., tax credits) which have enabled millions of Americans to access affordable health coverage since 2021. These subsidies will expire in December of this year and millions of consumers will face more than double the costs in premiums when the subsidies expire.
Democrats want to restore cuts to Medicaid funding which were included in the spending bill passed by the House of Representatives and Senate earlier in the year, while under Republican control.
Democrats maintain that any government funding bill must support protections of health care subsidies and Medicaid supporting funding rather than defer these discussions.