This government closure is already the second-longest in American history — with neither party seemingly willing to budge.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a Continuing Resolution that would keep funding the government at current levels, while the next year’s fiscal budget is being negotiated. But the majority of Senate Democrats refuse to pass a stop-gap without an extension of the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year.
“We don’t want any break in the service to our constituents,” said U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, who represents Missouri’s 5th District in the Kansas City area.
Without the extension, health care premiums will rise significantly and millions of Americans could lose insurance coverage. Continuing the subsidies permanently would increase the deficit by an estimated $350 billion over 10 years.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said Republicans have a plan to address health care subsidies.
“I don't know what that plan is, but we can talk about it as soon as we get back to Washington. And we're not going back to Washington until the government is back open,” said U.S. Rep. Mark Alford, who represents Missouri’s 4th District.
The junior congressman said lawmakers need to get back to “regular order” by addressing health care funding through the Ways and Means Committee.
But Cleaver said he’s lost trust in the process after previous appropriations were cut by the Trump administration, including a solar program meant to help low-income families in Missouri.
“I mean, why would I vote for something after the Congress had approved it and the president signed it and then took the money,” Cleaver questioned. “I’m not going to do it.”
While the government remains closed, Missouri’s more than 650,000 residents who receive food aid through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will not receive benefits in November. And the state's estimated 49,000 active duty military and civilian federal work force continue to go without pay.
During the shutdown, Alford has stayed busy traveling the 4th District speaking with rural hospitals about the Rural Health Transformation Program, which provides $50 billion in funding to help keep hospitals afloat. That money was set aside in an attempt to offset the massive Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” although health care experts say it’s insufficient and will likely lead to more hospital closures.
“The path forward to this is for the Democrats in the Senate to pass the current level funding extension. Let us get back to Washington and start working on the subsidy programs and how we can modify that and possibly take away some of the pain,” Alford said. “I think we could find some common ground in that.”
- U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, Democrat, Missouri’s 5th District
- U.S. Rep. Mark Alford, Republican, Missouri’s 4th District
