‘No Way To Govern:’ Gillen To Vote Against Ending Shutdown

WASHINGTON, D.C. — United States Representative Laura Gillen announced Tuesday night that she intended to vote against a bill that could reopen the federal government and end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

Congress has not been in legislative session since Sept. 19, and the federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1. Americans’ travel plans and grocery budgets have both been thrown into flux during the shutdown, but a Tuesday approval by the Senate cleared a major hurdle for the funding bill that could reopen the government.

The Senate approved the funding bill after eight Democrats crossed party lines to vote in its favor, sending it to the House of Representatives for approval. The bill has drawn objections from some Democrats, who say its lack of guarantees that Affordable Care Act tax subsidies will be extended beyond this year is a nonstarter.

Among those Democrats objecting to the bill’s omission of healthcare subsidies is Gillen, whose 4th congressional district covers much of southern Nassau County, including Five Towns, Long Beach, Merrick, Rockville Centre and part of the Town of Hempstead.

In a Tuesday night statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Gillen said she would be voting against the bill, due to the impact it could have on healthcare premiums.

“It’s shameful that Republicans in Washington continue to ignore the financial pain Americans are facing and have turned their backs on them once again, as health care premiums skyrocket,” Gillen said in the statement. “This is no way to govern, and I will not support this betrayal of Nassau County families. If this bill comes before the House in its current form, I will vote no.”

CNN reported that the vote to end the shutdown would begin in the 5 p.m. hour Wednesday, after Speaker of the House Mike Johnson gave representatives a 36-hour notice to return to Washington. Republicans currently hold a two-seat majority in the House.

For Gillen, the vote comes just eight days after Republicans won big in elections in her home county. County Executive Bruce Blakeman and District Attorney Anne Donnelly both won reelection, while all three town supervisor races in the county, including Gillen's former seat as Hempstead Town Supervisor, were also won by Republicans.