Congressman Thompson Statement on Republican Government Shutdown

Washington, D.C. - Today, United States Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) released the following statement:

"Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House. Yet instead of working together to keep the government open and protect American families, Donald Trump and House Republicans chose to shut it down," said Rep. Thompson.

"As the only member of Mississippi's Congressional House Delegation who voted for the Affordable Care Act, I have always stood with working families who need access to affordable health care. The Republican spending bill does the opposite. It rips away health care from families who finally gained coverage and makes premiums unaffordable for thousands more.

"Health care should not be a political football. In the richest country in the world, no family should be forced to choose between paying the bills and going to the doctor. Republicans say they care in private, but when it is time to act, they fall in line with Donald Trump. Shame on them."

If Congress does not extend health care tax credits immediately, hundreds of thousands of Americans will lose coverage, and millions more will see their costs skyrocket. In Mississippi's Second Congressional District alone, 81,000 people will see their health care costs rise. For a family of four making $64,000 a year, premiums would increase by $2,571.

Rep. Thompson and Democrats are fighting to reopen the government, protect health care, lower out-of-pocket costs, and ensure working families are not left behind.