LOS ANGELES (OC).–Republicans and Democrats in Congress continue to stonewall on the Oct. 1 government shutdown now the third longest shutdown in U.S. history. By tomorrow it will be the second longest shutdown with no real end in sight. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) asked Democrats to agree to a Continuing Budget Resolution [CR] where both parties can spend time hashing out their differences. At this point, there’s no excuse for Democrats to continue blocking a new CR that prevents the kind of disruptive shutdown affecting many important government functions including air-traffic control, national parks, social security and SNAP, food assistance program. There’s no valid excuse for Democrats and Republicans to not agree to a CR that would refund the government for the time being. Budget details can be worked out over the next few months.
Democrats led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y) played hardball with House Republicans, refusing to sign onto a new CR until they got the $1.5 trillion in Medicaid funding that causes disruption in health care deliver for the poor and, more importantly, payments to hospitals that participate in the Medicaid program. Subsidies for the Affordable Care Act provide health insurance to some 14 million Americans need to be reinstated to pay the government subsidies. Republicans have no problems voting on a a CR to end the shutdown and deal with funding discrepancies in the future. Democrats demand that Republicans give in on reinstating the full $1.5 trillion in lost Medicaid funding cut out of President Donald Trump’s big beautiful bill signed July 4. Without debating the merits, Democrats and Republicans have to end the government shutdown.
Forcing air traffic controllers and other government employees to work without pay is inexcusable for Congress that keeps getting paid during the shutdown. Airports around the country including Chicago, Atlanta, Newark and Dallas have already experienced travel delays because of a lack of air traffic controllers. Air traffic controllers working 60 hours a week are no longer collecting paychecks while Congress bickers over spending. New York’s LaGuardia temporarily closed because of the shutdown. Congress, Democrats and Republicans, could end the shutdown immediately by signing onto a CR to keep the government funded. Democrat have tried to make a point to Republicans that they must negotiate with Republicans to reinstate lost Medicaid funding. Republicans want reassurances that Medicaid funding cannot be used for noncitizens.
Whether admitted to or not by Republicans, it was a big mistake to cut $1.5 trillion out the Medicaid system given the sheer numbers of citizens counting on government subsidies under the March 23, 2010 Affordable Care Act. Republicans have been trying to undermine the Affordable Care Act since its signing, knowing that it’s helped untold numbers of Americans. Affordable Care act banned the insurance industry practice of redlining subscribers with pre-existing conditions, making it more affordable for individuals to buy health insurance. Insurance companines could no longer exclude or rate up the premiums of subscribers with pre-existing conditions. Affordable Care Act opened the government health care marketplace where anyone could purchase Obamacare health insurance. Whether good or bad, at leats it was a place where anyone could purchase government subsidized health insurance.
Trump threatened to make shutdown furloughs permanent if Democrats didn’t sign a new CR to end the shutdown. Republicans certainly object to spending another $1.5 trillion to reinstate Medicaid funding. Cutting Medicaid funding was a colossal blunder by Office of Mangament and Budget [OMB] Director Russell Vought. Ramming through Trump’s big beautiful bill didn’t take into account all the people potentially affected by cuts in Medicaid funding. Democrats are stubbornly trying to insist on reinstating $1.5 trillion of Medicaid funding but it’s not entirely necessary now. Once Democrats sign onto a new CR they would have the chance to argue for reinstatement of lost Medicaid funding. Vought’s cut to Medicaid funding upended the Medicaid health care system, putting hospitals, especially in rural areas, out of business.
Democrats and Republicans need to sign onto a new continuing budget resolution, ending the government shutdown immediately. Democrats and Republicans can spend the next few months arguing over Medicaid funding but, at least for now, end the government shutdown. Losing some $15 billion a day due to the shutdown, the government wastes a lot of money bickering over priority spending. Democrats have made their point to Republicans about the the necessity of $1.5 trillion in Medicaid funding, now is the time for a new CR to but the government back to work while Congress can debate specific elements of the budget. No one benefits and all lose over the government shutdown. Budget matter can be debated and resolved with a new CR, letting furloughed government workers, like air traffic controllers and other essential workers, get paid.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
