ICYMI: Shaheen Pens Op-Ed in the Union Leader on Vote to Reopen the Government, Path Forward to Extend Vital ACA Tax Credits
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), author of bicameral legislation that would permanently extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits, wrote an op-ed in the Union Leader about her vote to reopen the federal government and outlining the path forward to extend soon-expiring ACA enhanced premium tax credits that make health care more affordable. Shaheen secured a guaranteed vote by mid-December on legislation to address skyrocketing health care costs. You can read Shaheen’s op-ed in the Union Leader HERE or below:
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen: What happens next will show who’s serious about affordable health care
LAST SUNDAY evening, I walked back to the Senate chamber to cast my vote to end the government shutdown. For six weeks, Democrats had tried to negotiate in good faith and had successfully made our case to the American people about the importance of acting on health care. But it became clear Republicans would not tolerate a direct linkage between the Affordable Care Act and funding the government. And it was clear that President Trump had no qualms about inflicting pain on Americans — even suing to prevent food assistance going out for 42 million people as he focused his attention on building a gold-plated ballroom at the White House.
At the same time, for millions of Americans, the shutdown had reached crisis levels. It wasn’t just missed flights or missed paychecks. Because the Trump administration refused to distribute SNAP benefits, families were missing meals. Air traffic controllers were stretched to exhaustion, safety was at risk, and parents were lining up at food banks. The country was in pain and it wasn’t going to stop until the government reopened.
The choice facing my colleagues and I was clear. Waiting another day, another week, or even another month would not result in further Republican concessions. And Americans would continue to suffer more — wondering whether they’d be able to travel to visit family for the holidays, pay their bills, or even afford to put food on their table.
The deal we struck re-opened the government and relieves that suffering. It means 75,000 Granite Staters on SNAP will be able to feed their families. It restarts paychecks — and guarantees back pay — to the 19,000 federal workers who call our state home. It makes sure that 29,000 state residents will have support to heat their homes as we enter winter. And it delivers real wins for New Hampshire, including tens of millions of dollars in funding for deserving community projects and hundreds of millions more for key economic engines like the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
But even though the government is reopened it doesn’t mean our fight for affordable health care is over.
In 2021, I wrote and passed the premium tax credits that finally lowered health care costs for millions of households. In 2023, I got them extended. No one in this chamber wants to see those tax credits continue more than I do, because I know what it took to get them passed: patience, persistence, and a clear sense of what is important to ensure that Americans can afford health insurance.
That fight took more than 10 years. For those of us deeply committed to keeping coverage affordable, we now have barely five weeks. As part of the agreement to reopen the government, Democrats secured a guarantee of a Senate vote by mid-December on extending the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. By December 15, the Senate will decide whether to extend those subsidies that keep coverage within reach for millions of Americans. More than three-quarters of those who benefit from these tax credits live in states Donald Trump won, proof that affordability is not a partisan issue. Anyone who has ever opened a letter from their insurer knows the moment of dread before you even see the number inside. For millions of people, that’s what the next few weeks hold if Congress fails to act.
My Democratic colleagues and I have been raising the alarm all year about what will happen if these subsidies expire — families priced out of coverage, premiums spiking overnight, millions at risk of losing care. In New Hampshire, families are opening their insurance notices and seeing what’s at stake: one person could pay $1,300 more, a couple $14,000 more next year. These aren’t abstract numbers, they are the real cost of inaction.
Republicans control every branch of government. And they now face a clear choice: work with us in good faith, as they’ve conveyed they’re willing to do both publicly and privately, or refuse and face the political consequences of letting health care costs rise at a moment when voter anger over the cost of living is justifiably sky-high.
I understand the frustration some of my colleagues and supporters feel. I feel it too. None of this is easy. Negotiation never is, especially when you’re the party out of power. But leadership means staying at the table and making tough decisions even when you can’t get everything you want. Democrats may differ on tactics, but we’re united on purpose — to keep coverage within reach for working families.
In the coming weeks, Republicans will have to decide whether to work with us to reach a deal or turn away from the millions of families counting on them. I’ve made my choice and I intend to fight for it. The American people will remember who stood with them and who didn’t.
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