Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn says Senate Democrats need to drop their objections to the bill he and other House Republicans approved in mid-September — so the federal government doesn’t shut down October 1.
“Let’s be very specific about who’s going to be hurt by a Schumer-led shut down,” Nunn said. “SNAP benefits at risk for more than 240,000 Iowans who rely on it and will face delays in processing and being able to just eat…VA claim services could be delayed or cancelled or put into perpetuity particularly for somebody that needs to have an immediate medical procedure…15,000 Iowa Guardsmen are not going to get paid.”
That includes 2000 Iowa National Guard soldiers who are currently deployed in the Middle East. “No one on the firing line should find folks in D.C. cutting their paychecks because they can’t come to the table and have a decent conversation,” Nunn said.
Nunn has said he’ll refuse to accept his congressional pay during a shutdown, if there is one. Senate Democrats have been pressing to add an extension of the federal subsidies for insurance policies purchased on the Affordable Care Act marketplace. During a news conference today in Des Moines, Nunn told reporters it’s an issue congress should consider — later. “Absolutely. I think we should have that conversation going forward,” Nunn said. “Let’s not entwine the two and think that we’re actually having a conversation about ACA extension by shutting down the government, though.”
Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart said there will be a “health care crisis” if those tax credits expire on December 31.
“Tens of thousands of Iowans will be forced to pay nearly double in health care premiums or they could lose their entire coverage,” Hart said. Nick Larson, a farmer from Walker, gets insurance through the Affordable Care Act for himself, his wife and three children.
“The current ACA law provisions expire at the end of 2025. Our family will realize an immediate tax increase of at least $3000 per year. Since our current income is near what’s called the ‘ACA cliff,’ our taxes could increase over $15,000 per year,” he said. “The ACA is good public policy that makes health insurance accessible to millions of self-employed people like me and millions of other Americans.”
Larson spoke during an online news conference organized by the Iowa Democratic Party.