Springfield U.S. Representative Richard Neal said Monday he will be voting "no" on a deal to reopen the federal government.
Most Democrats had been pushing for a reversal of cuts to Affordable Care Act subsidies as a condition of agreeing to a compromise, but eight Democratic senators crossed the aisle on Sunday to join with Republicans to begin the process of passing the spending plan.
Neal blamed President Donald Trump for not negotiating in good faith.
"He never really engaged other than to post from time-to-time on Truth Social a position that was largely untenable, Republicans and Democrats both understood that," Neal said. "But the fact that he never really engaged with us in a real, meaningful negotiation means that I'm a hard no."
The deal calls for a vote in the Senate on the health care subsidies in the Senate, but Neal says that as of now, there's no such guarantee from House Speaker Mike Johnson for similar action in his chamber.
"A lot of his members who are in purple districts, they will be forced to have to vote for them or if they vote against them, to explain back home why they chose to deny 24-million Americans consumer opportunity with affordable health care," Neal said.
Caught up in the government shutdown is food assistance payments under the SNAP program. The Trump Administration has been losing legal decisions regarding its refusal to release the funds during the government shutdown and has gone to the Supreme Court to fight the lower court rulings.
The shutdown deal would provide SNAP funding through the end of Fiscal Year 2026, making Trump’s appeal to the Supreme Court moot. Still, Neal said all of the confusion around food assistance during the shutdown lies on Trump’s shoulders.
"The President, who has a predilection...to double down when he's wrong, then try to change the subject afterwards, he clearly bears responsibility for the SNAP benefit debacle that we have now," Neal said.
For more with Neal on the government shutdown and other issues from Washington, visit the link above.
