Arizona congressman calls for end to government shutdown

By Chris Woodward
The Center Square

U.S. Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Arizona, wants Democrats to “come to their senses” and end the government shutdown.

Hamadeh told The Center Square that Democrats’ reasons for the federal shutdown keep changing. That includes Democrats representing Arizona on Capitol Hill.

“Senator Mark Kelly’s and Senator Ruben Gallego’s attack on Speaker Mike Johnson was embarrassing, and the attacks on our Republican members in the hallways are shameful,” Hamadeh said in an email. “Kelly and Gallego are engaging in desperate stunts to get attention and avoid the work before them.”

Democrats want more from Republicans in the way of health care spending, but the Trump administration has said numerous times that Democrats are holding out for things such as health care for illegal immigrants. Republicans in Congress have made similar claims.

“Democrats own this shutdown,” U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, said in an Oct. 1 post on X.

Meanwhile, Hamadeh said Republicans have done their job to keep the government open.

“We passed a clean continuing resolution (CR),” Hamadeh told The Center Square. “Our job is to pass a budget, and we did that.”

The longer this shutdown lasts, the more it harms Arizonans, especially those who are federal employees, the congressman said.

According to 2024 data on Congress.gov, 34,460 people in Arizona work for the federal government.

Hamadeh said the federal employees are furloughed or working without pay. That, he added, “will impact all of our Arizona families” as this shutdown continues.

“It doesn’t have to drag out if the Democrats come to their senses and realize that this political charade has real-world effects,” said Hamadeh. “As a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee and the Armed Services Committee, I have been dedicated to advancing the welfare of our veterans and service members, and now, they are going to get hit hard by this hostage taking, and there isn’t a Democrat who will ever be able to say credibly again that our veterans and service members are a top priority for them if they keep the shutdown going.”

The Center Square reached out to Kelly and Gallego for comment but did not receive a response.

However, in an Oct. 8 letter to the Arizona Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, the senators urged them to return to Washington, D.C., and work with Democrats to end what the senators call health care cost spikes.

“If we do not act, Arizonans will see sharp premium spikes when they go to purchase a new plan on November 1,” wrote the senators. “Many of them will need to pay hundreds of dollars more per month.”

Kelly made similar comments this week during a speech on the Senate floor.

“If we don’t work together to extend the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credits, millions of families will see their health insurance costs skyrocket overnight,” said Kelly. “Last year alone, 309,000 Arizonans used these tax credits, saving them an average of more than $400.00 per month.”

Without these tax credits, Kelly noted, some people could see their health care costs more than double.

“That is money that a lot of families simply do not have” at this time, he said.

“That means cutting groceries, skipping a car payment, or saying no to the next time that their kid asks to join a school activity,” said Kelly. “So, now these families are going to be one accident or one illness away from financial ruin.”

The senators added people who will be hit by this are hardworking people, including small business owners who must purchase their own health insurance plans. The senators are also concerned about older Arizonans who are not yet age-eligible for Medicare.

“We believe thousands of Arizonans will see their health care prices spike,” wrote the senators. “We’re talking to our Republican and Democratic colleagues about how to fix this and reopen the federal government.”