WASHINGTON, D.C. – The government officially shut down at midnight, marking the first shutdown since 2018, which lasted just over a month. Lawmakers are now questioning how long this shutdown will last and how it will affect the American people.
Representative Dan Newhouse shared his thoughts on the shutdown, emphasizing that “nobody wins.”
Newhouse explained the core issues both sides are debating. “We’re asking for more time. They’re asking for policy issues to be included right now without that debate… the people that are trying to close the government, to make a point, to gain something, never win. And then in the end, it ends up costing the taxpayers more money. This is not a cheap exercise,” he said.
Newhouse highlighted that Democrats are pushing for enhanced tax credits to make medical insurance more affordable. “We have to open the government in order to accomplish that. So I’m hopeful that the Democrats will see that as an opportunity to accomplish some of the goals that they have in mind and reopen the government,” said Newhouse.
Immigration is another point of contention. President Trump and other Republicans argue that Democrats aim to provide federal funding for illegal immigrants. “We want to make sure that citizens of the United States or taxpayer, are, eligible for taxpayer funded programs and that those people that are here illegally,” said Newhouse.
Democrats assert their proposal would benefit more than 24 million people, including 1.4 million who are ‘lawfully present,’ such as DACA recipients, refugees and asylum seekers.
Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell shared potential impacts on Washington state. “One family in my state of Washington is about to see their premiums jump from $283 a month to as high as $1800 a month if Republicans insist on inaction. And I know they’re not the only ones,” said Murray.
Cantwell added, “Many people will be paying these higher rates, but 5 million Americans across the country, including 80,000 Washingtonians, the estimates are, will just no longer be able to afford insurance. That’s the estimate: 5 million Americans across the country, 80,000 in my state, will just be like, ‘Nope, can’t afford insurance anymore, not going to buy it.'”
The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a research and polling organization, reported that without the tax credit, the average healthcare cost for Americans will double.
Lawmakers agree on the urgency of resolving the shutdown. “Together, we can figure out a way to extend these expiring credits and come up with solutions to lower those costs, and I urge my colleagues to do so as soon as possible. The American people are depending on us to help them not face these enormous inflationary costs,” said Murray.
Newhouse concluded by stating that if the government reopens by Monday, the impact may be minimal. “But the longer this goes on, if it goes on for several weeks or month or more… We could start seeing some, much bigger impacts to people,” he said.
