Blames Trump, GOP for refusing to extend Obamacare
By Guy Page
The U.S. Senate advanced the possible beginning of the end of the government shutdown last night, thanks to three Democrat senators from Northern New England but no thanks to Vermont Senator Peter Welch.
The Senate reached the coveted 60 vote threshold last night when several shutdown-weary Democrats crossed the Progressive-led party line and voted to extend government funding through January in exchange for Sen. Majority Leader John Thune’s promise that a vote would be held next month on Democrat’s current sticking point: continued funding of Obamacare subsides.
The Democrat senators willing to work with Thune included Jean Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Angus King of Maine.
Welch reportedly was in on the negotiations of this deal. He has been vocal about the shutdown on the Senate floor. He and Sen. Bernie Sanders had a deal right in front of them to open the government, keep the planes flying safely and the hungry fed.
Vermont’s two senators said no, and Welch blamed Donald Trump. He said on X last night:
“President Trump and Republicans refused to work with us to extend health care tax credits—now, millions of hardworking Americans will face higher premiums or lose coverage altogether.
“I voted no tonight.”
Before the vote Welch said, “Vermonters are being forced to make impossible decisions if Congress doesn’t extend the ACA credits. One family in Vermont is scrambling to figure out how to pay $40,000 more a year. One farmer in Vermont told me he’ll be forced to go without coverage entirely.”
The Republicans in the Senate and his northern New England Democrat peers held out the olive branch of negotiation and meeting in the middle and pledging to let the will of the people be done on Obamacare. Peter Welch said no.
On the food benefit front, Vermonters are receiving their benefits due to last-minute action by the Legislature. Nevertheless, traffic at food shelves is up. “We’re seeing people we’ve never seen before,” a worker at a Washington County food shelf told VDC yesterday. However, food donations are holding strong and there’s still food to give away – for now.
So it looks like the government shutdown dam has broken, or at least is breaking up. That’s good news. Because the federal employees keeping the planes from falling out the air – they are starting to break up. Here’s FAA Administrator Shawn Duffy, Cut 1
Welch, a former member of the Commerce Committee which has FAA oversight, is probably more aware of the dangers of air-traffic controller understaffing than most senators. He helped appoint former FAA administrator Michael Whitaker, and in June 2024 questioned Whitaker closely about whether Burlington International Airport had sufficient air traffic controller coverage.
VDC will stay on top of the government shutdown and what our members’ of Congress do to extend or resolve it.