Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Sunday said he believes it was a mistake for Democrats to reopen the government without including any extensions of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that are set to expire in January and cause sharp increases in health care premiums.
“I thought it was a mistake for Democrats to give up what was real political advantage coming off the elections that could have allowed us to reduce these premiums,” Murphy said on ABC News’s “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos. “In the end, I thought we had a real shot to get a continuing resolution passed that would have lowered prices for people.”
“And I also worry that by capitulating, we have empowered Donald Trump, that Donald Trump is going to act even more brazenly and more lawlessly in the future because of how this vote turned out,” he added.
On Wednesday, President Trump signed a government funding bill to officially end the longest shutdown in history after 43 days. During the signing in the Oval Office, Trump placed blame for the shutdown on Democrats while surrounded by Republican lawmakers and other GOP officials.
Earlier last week, the Senate voted 60-40 to pass a bill to fund military construction, veterans’ affairs, the Department of Agriculture and the legislative branch through Sept. 30, and the rest of the government through Jan. 30. Eight Democratic caucus members joined with 52 Republicans to meet the 60-vote threshold and sent the bill to the House
Throughout the duration of the shutdown Democrats maintained that ACA tax credits, which were set to expire at the end of the year, needed to be extended. While the current appropriations bill says nothing about extending those subsidies, Senate Republicans agreed to hold a vote on extending the subsidies.
“If Republicans don’t vote with us, then it is even more clear to the American public who is responsible for the horror, the horror that is going to happen when millions of people lose their insurance starting in January,” Murphy told Stephanopoulos on Sunday. “That’s a very thin silver lining to me, but I’m going to work very hard to make sure that that vote passes. And if it doesn’t, it holds Republicans accountable.”
Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said Sunday the Trump administration is holding “discussions” on extending ACA subsidies.
“There are discussions around extending the subsidies, if we deal with the fraud, waste and abuse that, right now, is paralyzing the system,” Oz told host Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
