GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The federal government entered its first shutdown since 2018 after Congress failed to pass a budget by Tuesday night's deadline, forcing the closure of federal buildings including the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids.
While Michigan state government remains fully operational, the federal shutdown has left Washington lawmakers at an impasse with no clear plan for compromise emerging.
West Michigan Representatives Hillary Scholten and Bill Huizenga offered different perspectives on the budget standoff during interviews Wednesday, highlighting the partisan divide preventing resolution.
Scholten criticized Republicans for refusing to negotiate and called for compromise on issues including Affordable Care Act tax credits, which she said would affect 35,000 people in her district.
"We told them all along, what we need are some concessions on health care. The American people are suffering in this area, and I have heard from countless West Michiganders that they want me to fight for them in this area. And we're doing just that, and we're asking [republicans] to come back to the table to work something out," Scholten said.
Representative Bill Huizenga said the current short-term budget negotiations are not the appropriate venue for permanent policy changes.
"They're wanting to make that a permanent change, all within the bounds of a temporary spending bill. That's the wrong place to do that. I think this is more about politics than the policy behind it," Huizenga said.
Scholten stressed the urgency of resolving the shutdown, noting the detrimental effects on constituents and calling for leadership from the GOP. She criticized Republicans for canceling votes and not remaining in Washington to negotiate.
"They canceled votes. They weren't in Washington, you know, apparently on vacation all around the district, not all around the country, not doing their jobs that they were elected to do. It's deeply disrespectful of the taxpayers dollars. And, you know, we really need folks to come back to the table and be willing to negotiate," Scholten said.
Huizenga defended his work while still in Washington, arguing the House has fulfilled its responsibility by passing a bill.
"I saw a couple of posts on that, hitting me for for not being at work. Okay [pointing at the capitol behind him], I don't know where you want me to be. The House of Representatives has done its job by passing a bill. We're not going to renegotiate against ourselves, because the Senate has to pass a bill. They haven't done so yet, so pass something," Huizenga said.
Huizenga expressed hope for a resolution by mid-October to avoid payroll processing delays. He expects the Republican-led Senate to put their bill up for a vote again when they return Friday, though they still need 60 votes for passage.
Democrats continue criticizing Republicans for not returning to negotiations to find common ground on the budget impasse.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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