Tuesday marked the seventh day of the Democrats’ government shutdown. The American people deserve to know the truth on how we got here. House Republicans have already done their job to keep the government open.
On September 19, I voted to pass a clean, non-partisan, short-term funding bill to keep the government fully functioning into November while Congress continues working on the annual appropriations bills. There is nothing in this funding bill that Democrats oppose, and in fact they have voted for a nearly identical bill more than 13 times in recent past.
Here’s the Truth
In the Senate, Democrats have introduced a so-called “government funding bill.” Their proposal is nothing more than a $1.5 trillion wish list of partisan spending demands tacked onto a four-week funding bill. Buried on page 57, Section 2141, the Democrats’ funding bill repeals the Working Families Tax Cut bill’s new safeguards against waste, fraud, and abuse in health care spending. Their proposal would greenlight $200 billions of American taxpayer dollars to subsidize healthcare for illegal aliens.
The Democrats’ proposal would also reverse Republicans’ policies that removed dead individuals from Medicaid rolls and reinstate taxpayer funding for NPR and PBS.
Democrats are also holding the government hostage over COVID-era Affordable Care Act subsidies – subsidies that Democrats created, expanded to include millionaires and designed to expire at the end of 2025. The truth is that re-opening the government by passing Republicans’ clean CR would not raise anyone’s healthcare costs. The existing ACA subsidies remain in place through December 31st. Democrats are using a shutdown to rewrite a policy that they scheduled to sunset at the end of the year.
While Democrats continue to choose brinkmanship over partisan demands to give taxpayer subsidies to illegal immigrants over paying our service members, I remain committed to fighting in Congress on behalf of the American people.
What I’m Doing
I dislike continuing resolutions, but I’ve supported short term ones that would keep the government functioning while we finish negotiating long term bills. I did my job by helping pass the clean, non-partisan, short-term funding bill that Senate Republicans are now trying to pass. And, every year since being elected, I have rolled back my salary, personally returning a check to the U.S. Treasury to set an example and help pay down our national debt. I have also co-introduced H.R. 5401, the Pay our Troops Act of 2026, alongside Rep. Jennifer Kiggans (R-VA) to ensure that all members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including the U.S. Coast Guard and civilian personnel, contractors and active- and non-active reserve members, continue to get paid during a government shutdown.
My team and I are continuing to work, answering your calls, emails, and casework requests. This year, my office has gotten over $3.36 million returned to constituents in payments owed to them by the VA, Social Security Administration, IRS and other federal agencies. Unfortunately, the shutdown is impacting many federal agency functions, but my office is doing what we can on your behalf! If you need assistance with a federal agency, please call my office at (352) 241-9220 or contact my office here.
Tours of the U.S. Capitol, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and FBI remain suspended, and my office is unable to process flag requests during this government shutdown.
Federal Services
Most key services will continue operating. For up-to-date information on what you can expect, please visit my website.
- Social Security: Payments will continue, but processing delays are likely for disability claims and benefit verifications.
- Medicare & Medicaid: Operations will continue normally.
- Veterans Affairs: All VA Medical Centers, Outpatient Clinics, and Vet Centers will be open. VA benefits, including compensation, pension education, and housing benefits will continue to be processed. The Board of Veterans’ Appeals will also continue to operate normally. The VA Contact Center will remain open and can be reached at 1-800-MyVA411. The Veterans Crisis Center is also available 24/7 to help veterans who call 988.
- U.S. Postal Service: Mail delivery will continue without interruption.
- Federal Employee Retirement: retirement payments will continue.
- Farm Service Agency: Emergency and farm loans will still be processed, but more slowly.
- Air Travel: TSA remains on duty, but travelers may face longer waits.
- Passports: Processing already takes 4–6 weeks and delays may increase. Consular services abroad remain open.
- Federal law enforcement, military service and U.S. Coast Guard operations will continue
Congressman Daniel Webster represents The Villages in the U.S. House of Representatives.