Washington, DC – Following reporting that senators have reached a deal to end the government shutdown that does not include an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) Action Fund, released the following statement:
“The Republican shutdown has been devastating for families and communities at the very moment that millions of Americans are facing skyrocketing health care premiums. Instead of coming to the table to negotiate a solution in good faith, Republicans have done everything possible to make it more painful for federal workers and for everyday Americans. Speaker Johnson has kept the House on extended vacation, and the President is currently begging courts to let him deny food support for families, while robbing federal workers of their jobs and paychecks.
“This is why after 40 days of this shutdown – and following a historic election where voters resoundingly rejected the Republican agenda – it is unacceptable for Democrats to agree to a deal that takes us back exactly to where we were on September 30.
“Any deal to reopen the government must include an extension of expanded health care subsidies. A hollow promise of a future vote simply isn’t good enough, not with millions of people’s health care on the line. Just last week, voters across the country, including in Virginia, a state with one of the largest populations of federal workers, sent a clear message that they expect more from Democrats. We also expect more, and any deal that fails to address the health care crisis we’re facing should be dead on arrival.”
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