Nevada's two female senators explain their support for bill ending shutdown

(The Center Square) - Progress on Affordable Care Act tax credits was enough to convince U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, to join seven fellow Democrats and one independent to vote to end America's longest federal government shutdown.

The updated continuing resolution passed 60-40 on its 15th vote Sunday night. It's the first of the bills needed to reopen the government, and the revised legislation will need to go back to the U.S. House for its vote.

Republicans have 53 seats in the Senate, but 60 were required because of the chamber’s filibuster rule. Eight votes from Democrats and independents were needed because one Republican, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against the measure. The GOP secured the remaining votes it needed from Rosen, and four other Democrats: Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, both of New Hampshire; Tim Kaine of Virginia and Dick Durbin of Illinois.

Also voting for the bill were those who previously supported it: Democrats Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and an independent, Angus King of Maine.

Rosen, Shaheen, Hassan, Kaine and Durbin decided to vote for the legislation after Republicans over the weekend agreed to guarantee a vote on extending the Affordable Care Act's enhanced Premium Tax Credit and reverse the Trump administration’s layoffs during the shutdown. It also blocks any additional layoffs from happening while the continuing resolution remains in effect, as reported earlier by The Center Square.

The tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, expire Dec. 31, and supporters say Americans' insurance costs will skyrocket without them.

“The concession we’ve been able to extract to get closer to extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits is a vote on a bill drafted and negotiated by Senate Democrats,” Rosen said in a statement Monday.

“For the last 40 days, I’ve been fighting tooth and nail to hold President Trump and my Republican colleagues accountable and make sure Congress takes action to prevent a massive spike in health care costs for millions of hardworking families who will be financially devastated by these increases,” Rosen said. “Unfortunately, it’s become clear as we go deeper into the second month of this Republican government shutdown that President Trump and Washington Republicans are weaponizing their power in alarming ways to inflict unimaginable pain and suffering on working people, like fully withholding SNAP benefits and gutting our tourism industry by grinding air travel to a halt.”

The Center Square reached out Monday to Rosen’s and Cortez Masto’s offices, but did not get a response by press time.

Like Rosen, Cortez Masto issued a statement on her website.

Unlike Rosen, Cortez Masto has voted for the continuing resolution all 15 times.

“I have consistently voted against shutting down the government because I know the pain it is causing working families, from TSA [Transportation Security Administration] agents to government contractors,” Cortez Masto said in her statement. “We must extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits, but that can’t come at the expense of the millions of Americans across our country impacted by a shutdown.”

Cortez Masto said Congress can now work on restoring funding that President Donald Trump cut and deliver millions of dollars of federal funding for Nevada.

She added she sees the upcoming vote on tax credits as a way to put Republicans on the record on the Affordable Care Act.

“If Republicans want to join us in lowering costs for working families, they have the chance to do so,” Cortez Masto said. “And if they do not come to the table, they will own the premium increases they cause.”