On September 19th, House Republicans voted to keep the government open and spending flat. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats made the choice to shut down the federal government.
While the political blame game plays out on national television, the facts are clear:
- Senate Democrats are pushing an alternative funding bill that includes $200 billion in healthcare coverage for illegal immigrants (which can be found on page 57, section 2141 of their proposal).
- They also want to roll back $50 billion in direct rural healthcare investments and redirect $400 billion in subsidies that go directly to insurance companies.
Keep in mind—these insurance subsidies are set to expire at the end of this year. Democrats are holding critical programs for working families hostage over a provision that doesn’t even take effect for months.
Meanwhile, our troops are serving without pay, federal law enforcement officers are risking their lives uncertain of their next paycheck, and millions of women and children who rely on WIC are seeing their nutritional benefits run dry.
This reckless shutdown is hurting everyday Americans and putting livelihoods in jeopardy. It’s time for Senate Democrats to stop playing politics and join House Republicans in passing a clean, bipartisan funding extension—the same bill they’ve supported four times before.
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How We Got Here
A shutdown happens when Congress fails to pass appropriations bills or a continuing resolution to keep government open. According to the Council of Economic Advisors (CEA), shutdowns ripple through the economy, lowering growth, raising unemployment, and disrupting vital programs like Social Security, SNAP, and WIC.
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Economic Impact in Florida
Reduced Growth & Higher Unemployment:
- Each week the government is shut down, Florida’s economy loses an estimated $911 million, or nearly $4 billion per month.
- That means about 2,900 Floridians could lose work in just the first month.
Federal Workforce:
- Florida is home to roughly 155,000 federal employees—1.6% of the state workforce—who are furloughed or forced to work without pay.
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Impacts on Families & Seniors
SNAP Benefits:
- Roughly 2.9 million Floridians, including 1.1 million children, depend on SNAP. Those benefits last only about 30 days into a shutdown.
Social Security:
- Seniors who receive benefits by paper check—around 24,700 Floridians—could face delays.
WIC Nutrition:
- With 421,000 Florida moms and children relying on WIC, funding halts immediately.
- Local reserves will run out at the end of the week if Democrats keep the government shut down.
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Small Businesses & Contractors
SBA Loans:
- Small businesses face frozen loan distributions—worth about $296 million in Florida over a month.
Federal Contracts:
- A one-month shutdown could cut $826 million in contract spending statewide.
Lost Consumer Spending:
- When federal employees go unpaid, Florida families spend less—costing nearly $1.7 billion each month the shutdown drags on.
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House Republicans have done our job to fund the government and protect Florida families. Democrats must stop playing games with your hard-earned tax dollars and work with us on real solutions.
As always, it is my greatest honor to represent you in Congress and to hear about the issues that matter most. As always, you can stay up to date by visiting our website, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
For the Republic,
Congresswoman Kat Cammack
Proudly Representing Florida’s Third Congressional District
