The government shutdown that first began Oct. 1 is finally coming to an end, 43 days after it started and as the shutdown’s impacts have touched several facets of Americans’ lives, from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to air travel. And while the shutdown might be coming to an end, it could take some time before all the federal agencies and programs affected are operating as usual.
Montana’s U.S. representatives have yet to vote on the deal — the House’s vote on the continuing resolution to end the shutdown is scheduled for tonight — but both of the state’s U.S. senators cast “yes” votes on the proposal.
Sens. Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy, both Republicans, consistently voted that way throughout the shutdown, echoing party-wide sentiments blaming Democrats for the government’s closure. Democrats, on the other hand, have pinned the government closure on Republicans’ unwillingness to address Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the year’s end. Without extending the subsidies, more than 20 million Americans will face rising health care premiums.
“The past 40 days of the Schumer Shutdown have been an embarrassment to our country,” Sheehy said. “I’m glad to see the Senate reach an agreement tonight and look forward to reopening the government, restoring badly needed common sense in D.C., and getting back to work for the American people.”
In the end, the deal that negotiators reached included three full-year appropriations bills, including a full funding of SNAP benefits through the end of next September. The resolution also offers protections for federal workers who were laid off during the shutdown — including backpay for furloughed employees — and ensures no more reductions in force through the end of January. If passed by the House, the continuing resolution will keep much of the government open through the end of January.
Eight Democrats voted with 52 Republicans for that deal on Sunday night. The only Republican who didn’t vote for the resolution was Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. Democrats who voted against the party line were John Fetterman, D-Penn.; Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.; Angus King, I-Maine; Dick Durbin, D-Illinois; Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.; Tim Kaine, D-Virginia; Jackie Rosen, D-Nev.; and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.
But Democrats’ major call for the extension of ACA subsidies didn’t make it into the continuing resolution. Republicans conceded a vote on an ACA funding bill by the second week of December. There’s no guarantee those subsidies will be extended in that vote, which requires 60 yes votes in the Senate. On Monday, all 53 Senate Republicans voted against an amendment to the funding bill from Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., which would have extended ACA subsidies by one year.
Sen. Daines told the Beacon last week the subsidies served as a temporary aid during the COVID pandemic that failed to address the root cause of premiums rising: skyrocketing Obamacare costs.
“We’ve always said, when the government takes over a system, it doesn’t become more efficient and less expensive; it becomes less efficient and more expensive. That’s exactly what happened here,” Daines said. “So, it’s the exploding costs of Obamacare (that) are the problem. The subsidies are fraudulent, and if you throw more subsidies at a broken system, it doesn’t fix the system.”
Daines pointed to increasing the risk pool in health care insurance on Obamacare and expanding health savings accounts as reforms he’d rather pursue than extending the subsidies. But whether those reforms are ones the Senate will pursue is another question.
On Monday, Daines joined Sheehy in celebrating the broken stalemate.
“As I’ve said since the Schumer Shutdown first began, shutdowns start with a bang and end with a whimper, and this one was no different,” Daines posted on Twitter Monday. “I’m glad several brave Democrats joined Senate Republicans in voting to open up the government. We can now stop this nonsense and get back to work for the American people.”
I’ll be continuing to follow the ripple effects from this shutdown as the government reopens, starting with tracing the impacts of SNAP benefits failing to be doled out at the beginning of November (though partial benefits were restored earlier this week). Keep your eyes peeled for more reporting from me on that matter in the coming days.
For now, though, I’m Mariah Thomas, and I’ve got today’s Daily Roundup.
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Meet Miriam! She’s three months old and an Australian shepherd mix. This newsletter author is in love. So cute!
To find out more about Miriam and other pet adoption opportunities at the Humane Society of Northwest Montana go to: www.humanesocietypets.com. To donate to the Humane Society of Northwest Montana, visit the organization’s donation page here.
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