Washington has once again ground the people’s business to a halt while the elites bicker — a government shutdown that began in October has been driven straight into the teeth of a bitter fight over health care. At the center of the storm are the temporary, pandemic-era premium subsidies that Democrats want to extend without meaningful reform, and Republicans who rightly warn that papering over the problem is not a solution.
Conservative senators like Markwayne Mullin have been blunt: reopen the government first, then talk policy — no hostage-taking, no ransom demands. That’s the right instinct; Washington cannot be allowed to be held at the mercy of a partisan giveaway every time Democrats want to spend more or paper over failed policy.
Democrats insist that keeping those enhanced Affordable Care Act credits in place is the only way to avoid sticker shock for millions of Americans, and they’ve tied that demand to any funding bill. But we all know where that road leads — permanent expansion without accountability and no serious effort to root out the fraud and waste that have ballooned costs for taxpayers.
Republicans in Congress have been shouting from the rooftops that a “clean” continuing resolution is the proper first step, and many conservatives are right to push for reopening the government before negotiating long-term solutions. The swamp’s theatrics cannot be rewarded with trillions more in open-ended subsidies; instead, Congress should force a sober debate on reforming the bloated, vulnerable Obamacare framework.
What happens next is a test of conservative resolve: will Republicans bend and give Democrats a blank check, or will they insist on reforms, fraud protections, and a path to market-driven affordability? Lawmakers across the aisle are whispering about short-term extensions, phased approaches, and bipartisan principles, but the real measure will be whether Republicans use any deal to claw back waste and protect taxpayers.
Hardworking Americans deserve answers and leadership, not games. Conservatives should celebrate lawmakers who stand firm, demand transparency on spending, and insist that any negotiation protect the American worker, cut fraud, and restore common-sense incentives to the health-care system.
If Republicans buckle and hand over another entitlement expansion without reform, they’ll own the inflation, higher premiums, and the next crisis that follows. Now is the time for citizens to call their offices, tell Washington to reopen the doors, and demand a real, conservative plan that brings down costs without surrendering fiscal responsibility.
