Rep. Kiggans on Senate Vote to Open the Government

Washington, DC-Today, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02) released the following statement as the Senate began the process of advancing a funding package to reopen the government:

"I am glad that after forty days, eight Senate Democrats stopped pandering to their left-wing base and started the process to end the Schumer shutdown. This shutdown held Americans hostage from the start. Using our military, federal workers, and veteran benefits as "leverage" isn't leadership-it's political blackmail. On September 19th, House Republicans advanced a continuing resolution (CR) to provide more time for budget negotiations and pass our funding bills, but the Democrats in the Senate chose to vote against this CR and shut the government down to create chaos. I ran for office to get work done for Virginians and Americans, not to play these types of political games," Rep. Kiggans stated.

The vast majority of Senate and House Democrats voted to shut down the government and then proceeded to hold the American people hostage for over a month. They blamed Republicans for the shutdown, despite the fact that Republicans voted to keep the government open. This means Republicans voted to fully fund SNAP, to pay air traffic controllers, our troops and federal workers, and to fund all veteran programs. Rep. Kiggans stated, "Any Democrat that deflects blame for this shutdown is spinning the truth."

As a nurse practitioner, Rep. Kiggans has prioritized healthcare reform since coming to Congress. That is why she has led the Republican effort to address the affordability problems inherent in Obamacare, including an extension of the ACA premium tax credits. She also understands that many families rely on SNAP benefits. As of the 2024 fiscal year, 41.7 million people or 12.3 percent of the U.S. population received SNAP benefits.

Rep. Kiggans continued, "The costs of Obamacare are out of control, and I share the concern about the ability of Americans to afford healthcare. That's why I introduced the Premium Tax Credit Extension Act prior to the government shutdown. However, using partisan games for leverage to get those healthcare benefits for middle-class families is wholly inappropriate. Once the government opens, I am willing to negotiate with both sides of the aisle to come up with a commonsense plan, with appropriate reforms, to help those who rely on the ACA as their form of healthcare. I believe reasonable Republicans and Democrats can come together on this, but unfortunately this shutdown has set us back. We now have a lot of time to make up. "

Rep. Kiggans concluded, "This shutdown isn't over. The Senate bill will now make its way back to the House. I urge my House colleagues to put the needs of the American people first and vote to open the government. No partisan political priorities are more important than paying our troops and federal workers, keeping our skies safe, and providing SNAP benefits to those in need."