After a historic 40-day shutdown, the federal government appears to be poised for reopening, following a bipartisan Senate deal to fund the government until Jan. 30 of next year, that included a December vote to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that are expected to rise sharply for millions of Americans.
However, Maryland senators are pushing back on parts of the Nov. 9 funding resolution, citing the impending spike in medical costs as a primary concern.
“I have voted seven times for a responsible funding agreement to end the shameful Republican shutdown, hold the president accountable to the law, and prevent health care costs from skyrocketing for tens of millions of Americans. I am prepared to work toward a compromise, but this funding bill before us tonight does not come close to meeting those terms,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D) in a press statement on Nov. 9, hours before the Senate agreement was made. “Not only does it fail to address the impending explosion in working Americans’ health insurance costs, it also lacks the necessary guardrails to stop President [Donald] Trump (R) from ignoring the law and withholding funds for important priorities. That is why I am voting no.”
Having served in the Senate since 2017, Van Hollen was a sponsor of a 2018 bill alongside then-Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) to guarantee back pay for federal workers, a protection that President Donald Trump (R) has repeatedly suggested is not guaranteed.
“Should this bill become law, the administration must follow the law that Sen. Cardin and I passed after the first Trump shutdown to ensure all federal employees receive the full backpay they are owed once the government reopens,” he continued. “We must also continue working to pass my legislation guaranteeing back pay to federal contractors – from maintenance and custodial staff, to construction and security workers. Like federal civil servants, these workers had nothing to do with causing this Republican shutdown, and likewise do not deserve to bear the brunt of it.”
Van Hollen vowed to continue working to support federal workers and “stand up to this administration’s attacks” on many American communities.
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) is also planning to vote against the funding resolution, as Senate Republicans have not affirmed their support for ACA subsidies.
“I have voted eight separate times to reopen the government. And each of those times, I voted for a continuing resolution that addresses the health care crisis Republicans have unleashed on working families across this country. After weeks of refusing to negotiate, Senate Republicans have finally put forth a new continuing resolution that reaffirms their indifference to the health care crisis and growing unaffordability of our country,” Alsobrooks said in a statement hours after the Senate deal was announced.
The first Black person to represent Maryland in the Senate, Alsobrooks called the Trump administration “a disaster,” citing rising energy and food prices and inconsistent tariff policies.
“As I look at this new continuing resolution, I am glad to see it includes language I fought for to reverse the draconian RIFs. But, I have maintained from the beginning of this Republican shutdown that I could not vote for anything that does not address the rising health care costs,” she continued. “Republicans have put forth a resolution today that does absolutely nothing to help struggling Marylanders afford health care. I made a promise to the people of Maryland that I would always vote in their best interests. That’s why I’m voting no.”
Federal workers, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), have called for an end to the shutdown since its earliest days, noting increased financial stress and the continued obligation to keep working without pay.
“As president of the largest federal employee union, I cannot countenance the sight of workers I represent standing in food lines,” wrote AFGE president Everett Kelley in a late October letter to the Senate. “It should trouble the conscience of every member of Congress and indeed every American. Whether they are declared excepted workers or are furloughed — a designation they do not choose — federal workers are for the most part not being paid. Yet their obligations remain to pay mortgages and monthly rents, credit card bills and childcare, and gasoline and automobile loans.”