RICHMOND, Va. — Late in the evening Sunday night, the U.S. Senate, including Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, made significant moves to end the government shutdown. The deal, rejected by many Senate Democrats, abandons millions of Americans whose health care is at risk. 300,000 Virginians remain at risk of losing access to affordable health care, whether or not this deal to reopen the government is passed.
Freedom Virginia co-Executive Director Rhena Hicks released the following statement:
“The deal brought forth by the Senate is embarrassing, and after 40 days, for the Senate to turn its back on the American people is a disgrace. The shutdown is an unfortunate symptom of a reckless Republican controlled Congress and Presidency. Americans and Virginians are looking to Senate Democrats to continue to hold strong against the Republicans’ assault on health care coverage.
“We’re thankful to Senator Warner for standing up for the nearly 300,000 Virginians who will lose their health insurance when the ACA tax credits expire and their premiums skyrocket by up to 90%. While Senator Kaine affirmed his commitment to over 100,000 Virginia federal workers in his statement on Sunday, we want to know where his commitment to those 300,000 has disappeared to in the last 40 days.
“Despite a shutdown, Virginians sent a loud signal Tuesday that they want their elected officials to fight for affordability and stand up to the antics of the federal government. We believed the message to Congress was clear: keep fighting to ensure Virginians keep their access to affordable health care. While we wait to see where the Senate deal will go, we hope that Virginia’s Senators will listen to their own constituents and hold Republicans accountable to address the health care crisis in our country.”
