Both of Southwest Michigan’s representatives in the U.S. House are placing the blame for the federal government shutdown squarely on Democrats in the U.S. Senate.
The Senate Democrats this week rejected a continuing resolution to keep the government fully open as they demand Medicaid and Affordable Care Act funding stripped from the budget by the Big, Beautiful Bill be restored. Congressman Tim Walberg tells us it’s all unnecessary. He contends some of the healthcare funding sought by Democrats does, in fact, go to illegal immigrants.
“When some of them are saying that there is no funding for illegals, the CBO came out and said that isn’t true, that over a million illegals were receiving free healthcare coverage as a result of states like California and other liberal states doing a workaround so that they could pay for illegals,” Walberg said.
Under federal law, those in the U.S. illegally do not qualify for either the Affordable Care Act or Medicaid.
Meanwhile, Congressman Bill Huizenga tells us the expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies being sought by Democrats would be a continuation of emergency COVID actions that were always intended to expire.
“They’re demanding that those become now permanent law,” Huizenga said. “And this is a very odd place to have a significant, significant policy shift be negotiated in a six-week continuing resolution.”
Huizenga says the fundamental problem with the Democrats is that they’re facing pressure from the left flank to dig in. Plus, he says they refuse to cooperate with President Trump.
Both Walberg and Huizenga say the only way the shutdown will end is if seven Democrats in the Senate vote for the continuing resolution. Neither is accepting their pay while the shutdown continues.
Democrats says this was finally their chance to fight against punishing cuts to healthcare that will affect millions of Americans.
