Democrats were in D.C. until midnight on September 30 trying to get a deal to avoid the damage Trump and Republicans are doing and keep the government open. My Republican colleagues, on the other hand, fled town and refused to come to the negotiating table. Their position is that we should do nothing to address the health care crisis and a struggling economy.

Prices are up, the economy is down, and now Republicans in Congress have shut down the government to double down on the health care crisis they created.

On the first day of the government shutdown, I met with Washington Health Benefit Exchange leaders and other state health care groups to hear about the local impacts of President Trump and my Republican colleagues gutting Medicaid and letting essential health care tax credits expire.

Northwest Washington cannot afford skyrocketing health care costs. Because of the Trump administration, hard-working families are facing the prospect of having to choose between paying rent, buying groceries, or going to the doctor.

I, alongside House Democrats, am holding fast and will continue to fight to lower the cost of health care and the cost of living.

More soon,

Rick