Rep. James Walkinshaw discusses bipartisan talks, ACA subsidy impacts on Virginians amid government shutdown
Washington, DC,
November 3, 2025
DC News Now’s Tosin Fakile spoke with Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.) about when people can expect to see an end to the shutdown, the impacts on the federal food assistance program SNAP, and what Virginians are now experiencing as open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act is underway in the Commonwealth. “We’re on track for this to break the record of the longest shutdown in history, with the record [that] was established in President Trump’s first term, and it seems like he wants to beat that record. Now I’m very hopeful that it will end soon,” said Walkinshaw. “The Senate will return next week. Unfortunately, the House speaker has established the seventh week of the congressional Republican vacation in the House, but I’m hopeful that next week we’ll start having real bipartisan conversations to address the healthcare crisis and bring the shutdown to an end,” he added. Walkinshaw says there are more conversations along the line of ending the shutdown in the Senate, but unfortunately, there haven’t been serious conversations about a timeline for a vote to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, a real crisis families in Virginia and across the country are facing. “I heard last week from a young father, he and his wife had a newborn child. They’re on the affordable care act exchange…. they logged in to see what their premiums would be next year and it is so expensive that they’ve made the decision that Mom and their baby will be covered with health insurance next year, but dad will go without health insurance, and those are the decisions that families across Virginia, across the country, are making now,” explained Walkinshaw. The congressman also talked about the impact of SNAP and the impact of the shutdown on foodbanks. He is scheduled to tour some food pantries and food banks Monday to assess the situation, and gauge how to provide assistance, he said. |
