Black US senators explain why they voted ‘no’ on government shutdown deal

“Promises don’t make premiums go down. My Republican colleagues in the Senate and House Republican leadership have shown no evidence that they can be trusted,” said U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester.

The Democratic Party is divided after eight Democrats in the U.S. Senate voted with Republicans to reopen the government after a historic 40-day shutdown that left millions of families without SNAP benefits and thousands of federal workers without pay.

Despite the economic harm caused by the shutdown, Democrats were initially in lockstep in demanding that Republicans strike a deal with them to restore health care subsidies under Obamacare, as premiums are set to skyrocket in 2026. However, the eight moderate Democrats who broke away from that plan instead struck a deal that would allow the Senate to vote on the Obamacare tax credits at a later date in December.

The U.S. Senate’s Black senators all voted against the deal on Sunday.

“As I’ve always said, I will not support a government funding bill that continues to raise our costs, jeopardizes our health care, and hurts the people of my state,” said U.S. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey.

“I’m urging my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand up for Americans who are counting on us to lower their costs, and address the urgent, and–in too many cases–dire challenges people are facing in our country. I will not let up in this fight.”

U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia said in a statement that he voted no on the bipartisan deal because it “doesn’t provide relief to the 1.2 million Georgians who are about to see their health care premiums double or more.” The pastor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta added, “People cannot afford that.”

According to KFF, Obamacare premiums under the Affordable Care Act (passed in 2010) are expected to increase by as much as 114%, potentially doubling or even tripling the costs for insurance holders.

“Each day, Americans must choose between carrying health care coverage and affording the exceptionally high cost of living. That is why it is up to Congress to prioritize and act on the affordability crisis facing our constituents,” said U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, who was elected in 2024.

“We have an opportunity to do that by extending the ACA tax credit, giving families a lifeline to keep their care at a reasonable rate. This deal falls significantly short of that objective.”

The Democrats who voted with Republicans to fund the government in a budget bill known as a continuing resolution were under pressure to strike a deal, given the pain the shutdown was having on households and markets, such as the airline industry.

The Black U.S. senators acknowledged the harms of the shutdown, which they said were only exacerbated by the Trump White House.

Senator Warnock slammed President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress for the pain they “inflicted” on his constituents and millions of Americans across the country, including “needlessly” firing federal workers during the shutdown and “forcing some of our most vulnerable families and children to go hungry by eliminating SNAP benefits.”

As theGrio previously reported, the Trump administration repeatedly fought a court ruling to fully fund SNAP for November, citing the federal government’s limited funding during the shutdown despite having emergency funds.

“Choosing between making health care affordable and stopping the endless chaos and damage of this President, including starving hungry children and seniors, should never be a decision we have to make in the United States,” said Warnock. “But this is Donald Trump’s terrifying vision of America. That’s why we must continue the fight for healthcare, no matter the outcome of this vote, and we must hold the President accountable.”

Senator Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland said the first 11 months of the Trump administration have been “a disaster,” and that Maryland residents are “struggling to pay their bills because of energy costs and grocery prices.”

“Patriotic civil servants have been fired after years of dedicated service. Our economy has been wrecked by chaotic tariffs. And after all that, Republicans have put forth a CR today that does absolutely nothing to help struggling Marylanders afford health care,” said Alsobrooks, who noted that the CR approved on Sunday includes language she championed to reverse “draconian” reduction-in-force, or RIFs, executed by Trump during the shutdown.

Blunt Rochester said, while she is pleased to see the end of the shutdown and relief finally come to those who need it, the “significant pain and suffering” they endured could have “been avoided with good-faith negotiations.” The Delaware senator is skeptical that Republicans would vote to extend the Obamacare tax credits.

“Promises don’t make premiums go down. My Republican colleagues in the Senate and House Republican leadership have shown no evidence that they can be trusted, nor do they share our commitment to urgently address this crisis,” she said. “While I’m ultimately disappointed in this deal, I’m more focused than ever on holding Republicans accountable to their commitment to fix the health care crisis they created.”

Calling out President Trump for being “responsible for two of the longest shutdowns in American history,” Blunt Rochester said it further illustrates “his inability to effectively govern.”

She added, “History will show that Republicans were willing to let Americans go hungry during this shutdown. They chose to prioritize tax breaks for their billionaire donors over tax credits for the American people’s health care.”