Newhouse calls Murray, Cantwell’s shutdown vote political ploy | Opinion

We are now in the fourth week of the Senate Democrats’ government shutdown, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer remains unwilling to come to the negotiating table.

Their political ploy has been centered around the enhanced premium Obamacare tax credits that expire Dec. 31, and their tactic is negatively impacting farmers, veterans and federal employees across Central Washington.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I am once again calling on Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell to open the government so we can debate the merits of extending these tax credits.

On Nov. 1, open enrollment for health insurance begins. At this point, health care companies are sending notices to enrollees that premiums are going to increase without the extension of the Obamacare premium tax credits. However, if an extension of these credits were to pass both chambers and be signed into law, insurance companies could send additional notices that premiums are not increasing and are instead remaining stable.

For weeks, Democrats have demanded that Republicans commit to extending the tax credits, and in turn they will vote to reopen the government. The caveat here is that Senate Majority Leader John Thune has already committed to holding a vote on extending the credits when the government reopens, but Senate Democrats have rejected that offer.

Senate rules require 60 votes to advance legislation for a final vote. With 53 Republicans in the Senate, seven Democrats must cross the aisle and vote to re-open the government. Eleven different times, Senate Democrats have blocked the House’s clean government funding bill from reaching the President’s desk.

Farmers are unable to receive their Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans that are a part of their operations’ financials, veterans are having issues getting care, and our troops are at risk of missing a paycheck next week. At a bare minimum, members of Congress must vote to keep our government open and Washington State’s Senators have abdicated their responsibility.

Earlier this year, and twelve other times when President Joe Biden was in office, Murray and Cantwell voted for a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open. Had they voted on Sept. 30, or 10 other times since, for the clean funding bill and kept the government open, we would be in Washington, D.C. finding a solution to the health care tax credit issue. They should vote for the House’s bill to fund the government and end their manufactured shutdown.

Dan Newhouse is a Republican who represents Washington’s 4th Congressional District.