Merkley: Voting No with Every Fiber of My Being

Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement announcing he is voting against the bill that funds the government but does not extend the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits:

"The vote tonight to reopen the government with no deal on health care is a brutal blow to all those who have stood together to save affordable health care for more than 20 million Americans.

"I strived to stop this outcome. I will vote 'NO' tonight with every fiber of my being.

"To be sure, the real villain is Trump and Congressional Republicans, who shut down the federal government because they refused to restore health care after they savaged it in their Big Ugly Betrayal of a bill - all to fund tax breaks for billionaires.

"And in a fit of cruelty unparalleled in recent American history, Trump inflicted maximum pain on Americans by withholding SNAP benefits, canceling thousands of flights, and illegally firing federal workers.

"Using hungry kids and our most vulnerable families as bargaining chips casts shame on the entire Republican Party.

"Trump's authoritarian tyranny is dismantling our democracy before our eyes.

"The only way to stop him is to stand up to him. I will redouble my efforts, in partnership with grassroots champions organizing across this great land, to do everything I can to stop him.

"Let's save our Republic!"

###