Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) made clear Democrats are not backing down from their health care demands, as the U.S. government enters its second week of a shutdown.
In a heavily produced video posted to social platform X, the Democratic leader blamed his opponents for the shutdown and outlined the reasons his party is insisting on a deal to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies — which are set to expire at the end of the year, resulting in rising insurance premiums — before they support the GOP proposal to reopen the government.
“So now we’re a government shutdown. And you may be asking yourself, ‘How the hell did we get here?’ Schumer said in the opening of the video, which was posted Tuesday evening.
“Donald Trump and the Republican Party are hellbent on taking health care away from 16 million people — closing community clinics, rural hospitals, nursing homes — all so they can keep giving tax breaks to their billionaire friends. It’s a disgrace,” he continued.
“So Democrats have three words for this: No f‑‑‑ing way,” Schumer said. “It’s literally life or death. We will not let Republicans blow up our health care system.”
The government entered Day 8 of the shutdown Wednesday, as Democrats and Republicans dig in on their funding demands and appear no closer to a deal to reopen the federal government.
Democrats insist an extension of the ACA subsidies be part of any short-term government funding legislation, but GOP leaders have argued those discussions can wait until later in the year and should be separate from funding the government.
Without action, enhanced tax credits passed during the COVID-19 pandemic to help people afford coverage will expire at the end of the year. If they expire, premiums for ACA enrollees will increase more than 75 percent on average, according to health policy research group KFF.
Schumer suggested Democrats are on the side of the American people and would not cave in the funding standoff.
“Bottom line: Donald Trump and the Republicans have chosen to shut down the government rather than work with us to defuse the ticking time bomb that will blow up health care for millions of Americans,” Schumer said in the video. “Congressional Democrats are on the side of the American people, and together, we will fight to make this right.”
Updated at 12:50 p.m.
