WASHINGTON — Democrats are still casting about for a plan on how to avoid a potential government shutdown later this month, but some key senators are already naming a price President Donald Trump must pay in return for their vote to avert a shutdown — and it centers on the cost of health care.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Democrats should demand Republicans undo recent Medicaid cuts and prevent a coming lapse of tax credits for buying health insurance.
“The Republicans have put in place a storm that’s about to overtake American families: Fifteen million Americans will lose their health care coverage, and millions more will see the costs go up for their private insurance, and rural hospitals will close,” the progressive senator told HuffPost. “Democrats are out here fighting to try to get more health care coverage for Americans, and this is the moment to fight for it.”
And she’s not the only one. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), a freshman centrist, said Trump should reverse his Medicaid cuts as well as agree to extend the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that are due to expire this year. She also wants the Trump administration to release billions of dollars in funding they have frozen for critical health research.
