Tuesday is day 14 of the federal government shutdown.
Before he left for D.C., U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said Congress is nowhere close to an agreement to reopen it.
“Here is the blunt truth: on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at 10:15 a.m., this shutdown is nowhere near ending,” Blumenthal said.
The Senate has repeatedly voted and failed to pass a budget bill.
Democratic Senators have said they won’t vote for a budget that doesn’t extend premium tax credits from the Affordable Care Act.
Republicans want to pass a “clean continuing resolution,” meaning that funding levels would stay the same. GOP leadership has said they’re open to discussing healthcare funding after the government re-opens.
“Republicans say ‘We'll deal with it at some later point, ’ but right now, there is an urgency,” Blumenthal said. “People can't get sick on Donald Trump's timetable. They need to know now whether they'll be able to afford health insurance.”
Open enrollment for the ACA begins on November 1 — a reason, Democrats argue, to get the credits figured out now.
“If these healthcare tax credits are not extended, hundreds of thousands of people in Connecticut will be unable to afford health insurance,” Blumenthal continued. “Premiums will rise by 75% on average. A family of four earning $130,000 will see their premiums rise per month from $500 to more than $1,200.”
