This week, a group of moderate Democrats in Congress voted alongside Republicans in an agreement to temporarily fund the government, ending a 43-day shutdown — the longest in U.S. history.
Republican Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri's 6th District told KCUR's Up To Date that he feels relieved that the government is back open. He said that there are "no winners" in a shutdown.
"Democrats don't win, Republicans don't win. There's only losers," Graves said. "And you know, in this case, it was the American people, the traveling public, air traffic controllers, military... those were the folks that that lost in this thing. And it's just unfortunate. It really is."
The deal will only fund the government through Jan. 30, 2026. That means that the next government shutdown may just be a few months away.
"Well, (another shutdown) could happen," Graves said. "I mean, we're obviously back at the table negotiating the appropriations bills, which is good news, but it could happen. There's always the threat of a looming, you know, of a looming shutdown. I don't think either side really wants that battle again."
Graves serves as the chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in the U.S. House of Representatives. He says his office was receiving calls "all the time" during the shutdown — especially from air traffic controllers.
"I've got a lot of friends that are controllers, and obviously that's in my world with transportation, and they were frustrated," Graves said. "They were still showing up for work, still doing their job, and I commend them for that. But, you know, we heard a lot of folks, you know, very upset about (the shutdown), obviously."
Kansas City-area Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II voted against the appropriations bills. He told KCUR's Up To Date on Wednesday that the deal failed to extend tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, which will likely cause health insurance costs to spike for millions of people.
- Rep. Sam Graves, Republican, Missouri’s 6th District
