Washington’s latest shutdown circus had Missouri Rep. Mark Alford calling out the Democrats by name — and rightfully so. Alford slammed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for keeping the government closed in what he called “plain stupidity,” and he urged leaders to stop playing political games and reopen the country. Americans are fed up with elites who weaponize shutdowns while ordinary families pay the price.
Alford didn’t mince words about health-care fear-mongering either, pointing out that Democrats are the ones responsible for the looming collapse of pandemic-era premium tax credits. If they truly wanted the program made permanent, he argued, they would have used reconciliation instead of crying wolf now that the political moment suits them. This is exactly the kind of Washington theater that leaves hardworking Americans scrambling for answers.
Make no mistake: the enhanced premium tax credits are scheduled to expire on December 31, 2025, unless Congress acts — and that cliff will be brutal for millions of families. Independent analyses show the expiration could double average premiums for many enrollees and leave millions uninsured, forcing seniors and middle-income workers to choose between coverage and other necessities. This isn’t abstract policy; it’s a real, immediate hit to household budgets and community health care.
Yet instead of negotiating realistically, Democrats have used the threat of this expiration as a cudgel to fuel panic and score political points while holding the American people hostage. Recent reporting makes plain that the temporary shutdown negotiations have not guaranteed an extension of these subsidies, even as left-leaning leaders threaten calamity to extract concessions. Voters deserve lawmakers who govern, not grandstanders who trade citizens’ well-being for headlines.
Conservatives should be clear-eyed: stand firm for fiscal responsibility but demand the government reopen and Congress vote transparently on any health-care spending. Hospitals and local providers are already warning about the damaging ripple effects if Congress lets these enhancements lapse, and communities can’t afford more Washington dysfunction. It’s time to put politics aside, restore services, and force a clear vote so the American people can see who is governing and who is posturing.
