The Democrats’ intraparty feud is making its way to the House, where members of the caucus are hoping to soundly reject the deal moderate Senate Democrats reached with Republicans to reopen the government during a vote later this week.
Navigating the party’s shutdown strategy will be particularly delicate for the 13 Democrats in seats that went for President Donald Trump last year. At a time when the party base has lambasted Senate Democrats, who have been accused of “caving” to end the weekslong shutdown, most of those to speak out have rejected the Senate deal.
The deal to end the shutdown would fund the government through the end of January and offer a reprieve from layoffs for federal workers. Under the agreement, the Senate plans to vote on legislation to extend the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits, Democrats’ main funding priority. The deal does not, however, guarantee a vote will happen in the House, which has become the main sticking point for Democrats.
“If we knew we were going to get a vote in the House, I’d probably support this deal,” New York Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, whose district went for Trump by 5 points last year, said during a radio interview with Brian Lehrer on Monday.
House Democratic leadership is encouraging members to vote against the Senate deal, CNN has reported, and one centrist coalition within the party also opposes the agreement. The moderate New Democrat Coalition on Tuesday came out against the deal, a position that required approval from two-thirds of the group’s 116 members. Ten of the 13 Democrats in Trump districts are members of the group.
Here’s what the 13 crossover district Democrats — based on lines drawn before this year’s redistricting battles — have said about the deal to end the government shutdown:
Harder said he is a “hell no” on the deal in an X video his office posted Monday.
“This isn’t a deal at all,” he said. “It’s a surrender that is doing absolutely nothing to lower health care costs and premiums for millions of Californians.”
Harder blasted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Senate Democrats who voted for the deal, calling it an “unacceptable” capitulation to the Trump administration, and said he would push to stop it in the House. Schumer publicly opposed the deal and voted against it.
Suozzi told WNYC on Monday he wasn’t ready to endorse the Senate deal because it doesn’t guarantee a vote in the House to address the expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits. Like many Democrats opposed to the funding bill, Suozzi said he was worried the Senate might pass a measure to address the expiring tax credits, only for the House not to take it up.
“That would be a real kick in the head,” he said.
Pou called the agreement a “bad deal” in a statement on X and said she would oppose any measure that doesn’t extend the premium tax credits.
“I will be voting no to any so-called government funding package that will not stop Republican price hikes on health care premiums,” Pou said.
McDonald Rivet said she’s opposed to the deal.
“We urgently need a bipartisan budget with real solutions to fix these costs and open the government,” she said in a statement on X. “I remain ready to work on it, but caving without health care solutions would fail countless working families who are struggling to get by.”
The Ohio lawmaker told Spectrum News that she will not vote for the measure.
“What’s at stake are the health insurance bills and the cost of health insurance for millions and millions of Americans and their families, and we cannot take their benefits away,” she said.
Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina wrote on X that he is reviewing the deal and is focused on “ending the government shutdown responsibly and addressing the high cost of living families are facing.”
Rep. Gabe Vasquez, a New Mexico Democrat, expressed concerns about the funding bill to a local ABC affiliate, saying the deal “doesn’t get anywhere close” to resolving premium increases.
“It doesn’t help to fix the health care crisis that we are facing, not just in New Mexico but across the country,” Vasquez said.
CNN has reached out to spokespeople for Reps. Adam Gray of California, Susie Lee of Nevada, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, and Jared Golden of Maine for comment.
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