The federal government shut down Wednesday after Congress failed to pass funding legislation, with Republicans and Democrats at a stalemate over restoring health care funding cut by the GOP over the summer.
Some of the effects in Colorado will be felt immediately. There are nearly 55,000 federal workers in the state, some of whom will be furloughed and others, like those employed by the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration, who will have to work without pay.
Other impacts will take longer to notice, as services get pared back at national parks and staffing for social safety net programs is limited.
We caught up with U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat, on Tuesday before the shutdown began to find out what it will take to end the impasse, the political implications of the closure and who is to blame.
The following has been edited for length and clarity.
The Colorado Sun: You’ve said you’re unwilling to vote for a funding bill unless it also restores the enhanced premium tax credits for insurance plans offered under the Affordable Care Act, reverses some of the Medicaid cuts made in Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and makes some tweaks to the Trump administration’s tariff policies. But obviously all of those have been rejected by Republicans. Given that fact, is there a minimum concession from Republicans you’d be willing to accept to get your vote to end the shutdown?
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper: What we’re fighting for really here is health care. When you remove the enhanced premium tax credit subsidy — you know the health care insurance exchanges are for people that don’t work for a big enough company. Four million people are going to have to be forced off the exchanges. They will not have health insurance anymore, and because they leave, that means that everyone else is going to have to pay more. So people’s premiums, you watch after Nov. 1, are going to be going up 25%, 40% — in many cases doubling. So people will be spending $1,000 a month more for their insurance premiums. If we could negotiate back the subsidies so we don’t kick those 4 million people off and therefore don’t dramatically increase everyone’s premiums, and if we were able to figure out some way of restoring some significant amount of the Medicaid cuts — I think a relatively small minority of people in the House really drove these extreme cuts.
The Sun: Politically speaking, Republicans are calling this a Democratic shutdown. Democrats are saying it’s Republicans’ fault. Do you feel like Democrats are gambling a bit with whom voters believe is to blame?
Hickenlooper: I’m not worried about that. I am fighting for people’s health care. It doesn’t mean I’m not willing to compromise. I certainly don’t feel like I’m shutting down the government. I’m trying to protect people’s quality of life to make sure they can get a health care package they can afford.
The Sun: There have been many showdowns between Democrats and the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress since Trump took office in January. But this feels like the biggest one. You’ve heard it from voters — they feel like Democrats aren’t pushing back enough. Is this one way that Democrats feel like you can show Democratic voters that you’re fighting hard? Is this a line that you’re drawing in the sand to kind of meet the moment?
Hickenlooper: I drew this line in the sand ages ago when the big, bad betrayal act first came along. I don’t feel like I’m trying to prove myself or prove the Democratic Party to anybody. President Trump came in with a vision of what he wanted to do. But I don’t think, for a lot of people, they imagined that this country would be in this place. It’s a rough time out there. And so it’s not just health care. It’s not just right now. This has been building for a long time.
The Sun: Any predictions on how this is going to end?
Hickenlooper: I’m hopeful that we’ll get down to negotiating — hopefully in a week or two. Shutting down the government’s a bad idea for everybody, and totally I will do everything I can to get to a compromise where we can.
The Sun: Last question. Would you be open to a seven- or 10-day funding bill to prevent the shut down and allow for negotiations to continue?
Hickenlooper: No one’s talked to me about a stopgap. That rumor is out there. What I’m open to is getting some relief for these ridiculous increases in health care costs.
Editor’s note: Colorado’s other senator, Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, was not made available for an interview this week. But in a written statement Tuesday he said: “If President Trump and Congressional Republicans allow the Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire, rural families in Colorado will see premiums soar by more than 300%. In total, more than 24 million Americans could see their health insurance premiums double. At a time when Coloradans already are struggling to afford healthcare, as well as rent and groceries, the last thing people need is a Republican budget that makes their families’ lives harder. That’s why I voted against the Republican budget bill.”