Sen. Jeanne Shaheen was a key negotiator on the bipartisan deal that may finally end the government shutdown, but the agreement has sparked bitter backlash from many Democrats.
Among those dissenters is the New Hampshire Democrat’s daughter, Stefany Shaheen, who is currently running for Congress in the state.
“Clearly we had different approaches here,” Stefany Shaheen told The New York Times Monday morning. “I can’t speak for her. I think she did what she believes is right.”
After weeks of stalled negotiations tied to expiring health care subsidies, Sen. Shaheen joined seven other Democratic Caucus members in voting in support of advancing a shutdown deal Sunday night that does not include Democrats’ demand for an extension for the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies.
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Instead, the deal included a package of spending bills to fund the government through the end of January, including funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through the end of 2026 and a promise to hold a vote on a health care bill of Democrats’ choice in December.
In a post to X at midnight on Sunday, Stefany Shaheen said she cannot support the shutdown deal until it includes an extension for the expiring ACA tax credits.
“Improving health care has been the cause of my life. It’s why I am running for congress,” the statement read. “We need to both end this shutdown and extend the ACA tax credits. Otherwise, no deal. It’s essential to ensure people have access to health care and it’s past time to put paychecks back into people’s pockets and food back on families’ tables.”
While the majority of Senate Democrats voted against the deal, Jeanne Shaheen defended her support in a statement to X saying she remains committed to “extending the enhanced premium tax credits to make health care more affordable for millions of Americans.”
“Let’s be clear: This is a major step that was not predetermined. I have spent years as the lead sponsor of this legislation. There is no one in the Senate who wants to see these tax credits extended more than me,” the statement continued. “But weeks of negotiations with Republicans have made clear that they will not address health care as part of shutdown talks — and that waiting longer will only prolong the pain Americans are feeling because of the shutdown.”
The 78-year-old Democratic senator announced her retirement earlier this year, setting off a cascade effect that left open the congressional seat her daughter is now seeking to fill.
Stefany Shaheen is currently running to replace Rep. Chris Pappas, who in turn is running to fill the senior Shaheen’s Senate seat.
While Sen. Shaheen’s office did not respond to a request for comment on her daughter’s opposition, Stefany Shaheen isn’t the only congressional candidate speaking out against the shutdown deal.
Former Rep. Colin Allred, who is running for a Texas Senate seat, called the deal “a joke that sells out working people and their health care,” in an X post.
Josh Turek, an Iowa state House representative who’s running for the Senate, wrote: “Without ACA subsidies, 125,000 Iowans will see their premiums double or triple. No one in the richest country on Earth should have to choose between health care and putting food on the table.”
“No protection for health care, no deal.”
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