Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) delivered a sharp critique of the ongoing government shutdown on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis, forcefully accusing Democrats of holding the government “hostage” and using “disingenuous” political leverage at the expense of everyday Americans.
Senator Britt, who has committed to withholding her own Senate paycheck during the shutdown, detailed heartbreaking discussions with Alabamians struggling under the financial strain. “I talked to people who had been furloughed. I talked to small business owners who said, look, we can’t make it one more week,” she stated.
The Senator emphasized the imminent threat to vital assistance programs, saying, “money is running out and people will go without their SNAP benefits as soon as the end of this month or the very beginning of the next month.” She urged her Democratic colleagues to “open the government today, vote on a clean CR.”
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ACA Subsidies: A ‘Problem of Their Own Making’
A key part of the discussion focused on Democrats’ use of expiring “Un-Affordable Care Act” enhanced subsidies as leverage. Senator Britt called this tactic hypocritical, asserting that the looming expiration date for these COVID-era subsidies was, in fact, set by Democrats themselves back in 2025.
“This is a problem of their own making,” Senator Britt declared. She highlighted constituent concerns about “fraud” and “abuse” in the program, stressing the need for reforms before any continuation. “What Democrats are showing here is they know the system that they created is absolutely broken,” she concluded.
Leading by Example
Senator Britt underscored the urgency, citing the risk to paychecks for federal workers, FAA staff, and even the military. She challenged her Democratic counterparts, saying, “I would hope that every one of my Democratic colleagues who continue to vote no on these CRs to open back up the government… will withhold their pay as well.”
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Her message was clear: the shutdown is inflicting “real issues” due to “the politics that Democrats are playing,” and the only priority should be the American people.
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