Republican Congressman Zach Nunn says it’s up to a handful of Democrats in the Senate to end the federal government shutdown.
“There is no reason for this shutdown. The only people who have a say in whether they want to come back to open up the government are about six Senate Democrats and we’ve seen them peel off in ones and twos, but here we are at a point now where families are actually deciding if they’re going to fill up their car with gas, be able to fill up their refrigerator with food or whether they’re going to go broke,” Nunn said late this morning. “Nobody here, nobody in Iowa wants to see that — Republican or Democrat.”
Nunn said Republicans are willing to consider a one-year extension of the tax credits for Americans who buy health insurance on the Affordable Care Act Marketplace, but not until the shutdown ends. “What we shouldn’t expect is that one party, in fact six people, take the entire government hostage to deal with something that starts in 2026,” Nunn said, “when we have people for the last 40 days are worried about whether they’re going to get their SNAP benefits, WIC or the assistance that they need from the federal government.”
Nunn used the word “catastrophic” to describe the shutdown. “This is the reason that we’ve seen guys like Senator Fetterman says Democrats can’t get their shit together. It’s the reason that we’ve seen the largest federal unions, whether they’re air traffic controllers or the Teamsters all come out and say: ‘Open up the government, let’s pass a clean C.R. and then let’s get down to the important work of doing policy for the American people.”
Nunn spoke with reporters following a meeting at a farm co-op in Carlisle. Nunn, who lives in Ankeny, represents Iowa’s third congressional district and is seeking reelection in 2026. Former Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, State Senator Sarah Trone-Garriott and Xavier Carrigan, who has worked as a D.J. and educator, are campaigning for the Democratic Party’s nomination in the district.