The longest government shutdown in U.S. history will soon come to an end, with the House passing a stopgap funding bill that reopens the government through January 2026.
But the bill did not include a key Democratic priority – extending Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the end of the year – and thus earned no support from New Jersey’s nine Democratic representatives, eight of whom voted against the bill. (The ninth, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, was unable to be in Washington due to a medical issue, but she said in a statement that she, too, opposed it.) Senators Andy Kim and Cory Booker similarly voted no when it came before the Senate earlier this week.
All three of New Jersey’s Republican congressmen – Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), Chris Smith (R-Manchester), and Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) – supported the bill, which is set to be signed into law by President Donald Trump shortly.
The shutdown began on October 1 after Senate Democrats blocked a House-passed temporary funding bill, something which the filibuster gave them the power to do. The following month and a half, during which federal workers around the country were furloughed or went without pay (and during which the House did not spend a single day in session), was a blame game on both sides: Republicans criticized Democrats for preventing their bill from passing, while Democrats said Republicans weren’t willing to negotiate in good faith.
At the core of the dispute were Covid-era ACA subsidies, without which millions of Americans’ health care costs are set to go up. Democrats wanted an ACA fix to be part of a government funding solution, but Republicans – even those supportive of extending the credits – said the two issues needed to be handled separately.
This past weekend, eight Senate Democrats relented, securing a guaranteed Senate vote on an ACA subsidy extension and a handful of other concessions in exchange for breaking the filibuster on a funding bill. Their decision prompted outrage from many of their Democratic colleagues, with Kim calling it “an absolute disgrace.”
In a statement released after tonight’s vote, Booker said that “the Democratic Party needs change” and that it’s “time for a new generation of leaders” – possibly a shot at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has borne the brunt of heavy intra-party criticism over his handling of government funding battles throughout the year. “If the Democratic Party is to deliver, new leaders must rise, stand, and fight,” Booker said.
It’s not clear whether an ACA bill will be able to pass the Senate, and even if it does, there’s been no promise from House GOP leaders that it will be put for a vote in their chamber. Van Drew – who, alongside Kean, has been one of the most vocally pro-extension Republicans in the House – said that he would have preferred a firmer promise to get a House vote, but that concern wasn’t enough to be worth keeping the government closed.
“I wish that we had done more, as far as locking in something,” Van Drew said. “But we didn’t, and we’ve got to open government up. As soon as we open up, we’ve got to press hard to get something done.”
Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-Newark), who had surgery this morning but still made her way to Washington to vote against the bill, slammed House Republicans for failing to extend the subsidies as part of the funding legislation, and said she was skeptical that any future fix will be coming along.
“Republicans don’t give a damn. I think that’s what the reality is,” McIver said. “I wouldn’t take a pinky-swear promise from them.”
