Stanton: Democrats remain firm in health care demands during government shutdown threat

U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona said Democrats in Congress will remain firm in their efforts to roll back GOP-approved changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act as the threat of a government shutdown looms over Washington, D.C.

Yesterday, Stanton criticized President Donald Trump for abruptly cancelling a planned meeting at the White House with top congressional Democratic leaders.

The maneuver exacerbates an impasse in Congress that could lead to a government shutdown on Oct. 1.

“We do not want a government shutdown. It would be unfortunate if we end up with a government shutdown,” Stanton said Tuesday. “But it’s not going to change, from the Democratic side, our priorities.”

Late last week, the House narrowly approved a bill to extend current federal funding levels through mid-November. But as Stanton noted, Republicans alone don’t have the 60 votes necessary to advance that proposal in the U.S. Senate.

“In Congress, it takes both parties coming together to get to a resolution,” Stanton said. “Obviously, Democrats have made it clear that our priority is to protect health care for the American people.”

Democrats are trying to negotiate a rollback of Medicaid changes adopted earlier this year in the president’s signature tax and immigration bill. They also want to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits.

Trump has called those proposals a nonstarter.