Iowa Republicans, Democrats clash over blame as federal government shuts down

Iowa’s elected leaders and political parties are pointing fingers in Washington’s latest funding crisis, as a partisan stalemate triggered the first partial federal government shutdown in nearly seven years.

Republicans in Iowa’s congressional delegation accused Democrats of blocking a short-term spending bill and prioritizing what they called a “partisan wish list,” while Democrats countered that Republicans walked away from negotiations and are risking steep health care cost hikes for thousands of Iowans.

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What to expect during a federal government shutdown

Hinson: ‘This is the Schumer shutdown’

U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Marion, and the rest of Iowa’s all-Republican U.S. House members, sent letters to the Chief Administrative Officer of the House requesting their pay be withheld until full government funding is restored.

“This is the Schumer shutdown. I voted to keep the government open and ensure our troops, border patrol agents, and other first responders are paid — while Democrats, led by (Senate Minority Leader) Chuck Schumer, are forcing this shutdown and abdicating their most basic job to score points with their far-Left base,” Hinson said in a statement. “Iowans deserve better than this chaos and dysfunction, and I urge my Democratic colleagues to work with us and stop demanding a hyper-partisan wish list, including giving illegal aliens taxpayer-funded benefits, to keep the government open.”

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Hinson highlighted legislation she supports to guarantee pay for military service members and homeland security personnel during the shutdown.

On social media, Hinson said her congressional offices remain open to assist constituents during the funding lapse.

Feenstra: ‘Wrong and shameful’

Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, said he too is backing measures to ensure military and border patrol workers receive pay uninterrupted during the shutdown.

“Almost two weeks ago, alongside my Republican colleagues, I voted to keep the government open so that we could continue the appropriations process and eliminate wasteful spending,” Feenstra said in a statement. “But Democrats have recklessly shut down the government because their unserious demands of $1.5 trillion in new spending and free health care for illegal immigrants were not met. This unnecessary stunt prevents our troops and border patrol agents from being paid. It’s wrong and shameful.”

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Though many Republican leaders have asserted that Democrats are shutting down the government to fund free health care for unauthorized immigrants, under current federal law, undocumented immigrants are largely barred from federally funded health care programs.

They cannot buy health care plans on government exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act and therefore cannot receive any subsidies, The New York Times reported. They are also ineligible for Medicaid, Medicare and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The Democrats’ budget proposal does not make them eligible for these programs.

Republicans appear to be pointing to recent changes in federal law that altered which immigrant groups qualify for federally funded health coverage. Under the new tax and domestic policy law, some categories of immigrants considered “lawfully present” are no longer eligible. Democrats want to reverse that change and reinstate coverage.

The term “lawfully present” has no single definition but is used by federal and state programs to determine eligibility for health and social services, according to health policy organization KFF. It generally applies to immigrants with legal status, such as refugees or asylum recipients.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects that the new eligibility limits on federally funded health coverage will leave roughly 1.4 million lawfully present immigrants without insurance. By 2034, the change is expected to cut federal spending by about $131 billion and boost federal revenues by an estimated $4.8 billion.

Miller-Meeks: Iowans deserve better than ‘political theater’

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Ottumwa, echoed her colleagues’ arguments, accusing Democrats of preferring to fund benefits for immigrants rather than “protect Iowa families, farmers, seniors and veterans.”

“The House has already passed a bipartisan, clean continuing resolution to responsibly fund the government,” voted down by Senate Democrats, Miller-Meeks said in a statement. “... That is unacceptable. Iowans deserve a government that puts our military, veterans, seniors, farmers, and families first, not political theater.”

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Her office also posted detailed guidance on what federal services are likely to be affected. She said her Washington and district offices remain open but cautioned that agency casework may face delays.

Iowa GOP: ‘Absolute disgrace’

Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann put the blame squarely on Senate Democrats.

“It’s an absolute disgrace that Chuck Schumer and Congressional Democrats, who voted for a clean CR 13 times under Biden, chose to shut down the government because they want their $1.5 trillion far-left wishlist,” Kaufmann said.

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“ … They’ll throw soldiers, seniors, veterans, law enforcement, and families under the bus if it means funding their radical agenda and taking a cheap shot at President Trump. It’s shameful, extreme, and shows just how far-left they’ve gone to appease their radical base.”

Democrats: Republicans have refused to compromise

Democrats, meanwhile, argued Republicans have refused to compromise to extend expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits, which lower monthly premiums for more than 110,000 Iowans.

“Democrats put a plan on the table that would prevent the biggest health care premium price hikes in 15 years by extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies,” the Iowa Democratic Party said in a news release. “Republicans have clearly shown they do not intend to compromise. Instead they're lying about undocumented immigrants magically being able to access health care benefits through the ACA, which is a joke.”

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart pointed to Iowans like Lori Hunt, a breast cancer survivor from Des Moines who relies on premium tax credits to keep her health coverage affordable. With subsidies, Hunt pays $8 a month. Without them, she said her premiums would skyrocket to between $650 and $750.

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“I could not afford it. I could not. I would have to cancel it,” Hunt told The Gazette of her coverage, which paid for screenings that helped her catch cancer early.

Hart added: “Republicans own this shutdown. Feenstra, Hinson, Miller-Meeks, and Nunn all fled D.C. after refusing to negotiate with their colleagues and voting for a bad spending bill that includes the largest price hike of health insurance premiums in 15 years.”

Wahls: ‘Pure and utter D.C. bull****’

State Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in 2026, also blamed Republicans for the shutdown and called out Hinson by name.

“This was completely avoidable. Republicans hold the White House and both chambers of Congress. Ashley Hinson and Republicans could keep the government (open) if they wanted to,” Wahls said.

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“Instead, they are shutting down the government because they don’t care if Americans can afford their health care or not. They would rather give tax cuts to their wealthy and well-connected buddies.

“It’s pure and utter D.C. bull****. People will suffer because of this GOP shutdown — including hundreds of thousands of federal employees, veterans, and countless Iowa families."

Bohannan: Miller-Meeks siding with party over constituents

Christina Bohannan, an Iowa City Democrat running to challenge Miller-Meeks in 2026, accused Miller-Meeks of siding with party leadership over constituents.

Bohannan, in a statement, called out Miller-Meeks for “digging in her heels on a budget that doubles Iowans’ health insurance premiums and guts Medicaid — all to ensure the largest billionaire tax giveaway in American history.”

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Insurance commissioner warns of steep ACA costs

Amid the shutdown fight, Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen urged Iowans to prepare for the upcoming open enrollment period for Affordable Care Act coverage while warning that expiring federal subsidies will drive steep premium increases in 2026.

“Now is the time for Iowans to be thinking about health insurance coverage for next year,” Ommen said in a statement. “… The enhanced subsidies in the American Rescue Plan Act and the Inflation Reduction Act that Congress used to mask these problems are expiring at the end of 2025, and the true cost of the ACA coverage will once again be exposed.”

Ommen said carriers have filed rate increases between 12.6 percent and more than 25 percent for 2026. A family of four making about $64,000 would see monthly premiums jump from about $101 this year to $345 next year. A couple in their mid-50s making about $95,000 would lose subsidies entirely, with premiums rising from $651 to more than $1,650 a month.

Six insurers will offer ACA-compliant coverage in Iowa for 2026, with Medica and Wellmark available statewide. Open enrollment begins Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 15, with coverage starting Jan. 1 or Feb. 1, depending on when consumers enroll.

Ommen argued that pouring more money into the system will not solve the Affordable Care Act’s underlying issues. He said the law’s structure is fundamentally flawed and risks failing the very groups it was meant to support — including farmers, small business owners and early retirees who rely on the individual market. As an example, he noted that an Iowa couple paying full price could face nearly $20,000 a year for a silver plan, a cost he called unsustainable.

“Iowa needs a functional individual health insurance market and the ACA is not sustainable in its current form,” Ommen said. “Congress must step in. We cannot expect Iowa families to shoulder impossible costs, nor can taxpayers continue to subsidize hundreds of billions on a broken structure. We need reform that creates affordability, sustainability, and a market that actually functions like insurance.”

House GOP campaign arm launches ads

The National Republican Congressional Committee also moved quickly to capitalize, launching attack ads in 42 battleground districts — including two in Iowa — within hours of the shutdown.

“Democrats refused to fund the government. So now military troops, police and Border Patrol lose their paychecks. Because of Democrats, veterans, farmers, small businesses lose critical funding. Disaster relief, cut off,” the NRCC ad states. “Democrats are grinding America to a halt in order to give illegal immigrants free health care. Tell Democrats: Stop the shutdown.”

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NRCC Spokeswoman Emily Tuttle said in a statement Miller-Meeks, Nunn and Republicans “are focused on keeping the government working for Iowans.”

“The contrast couldn’t be clearer, and Iowans know they have a fighter with Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn,” she said.

What’s next

The shutdown began just after midnight Wednesday when Senate Democrats refused to advance a short-term funding extension passed by the House.

On Wednesday, a vote to end the government shutdown hours after it began failed as Senate Democrats held firm to demands to fund health care subsidies that Trump and Republicans refuse to provide.

With no compromise in sight, hundreds of thousands of federal employees are expected to be furloughed or work without pay, while key programs such as Social Security and Medicare will continue operating.

The Office of Management and Budget has warned agencies to prepare for potential layoffs if the impasse drags on.

For now, both parties are betting that public opinion will force the other to yield.

How the shutdown affects Iowans

While the political blame game continues in Washington, Iowans are left wondering what services will continue and what will be delayed. Here’s what to know:

Social Security & Medicare

• Benefits continue uninterrupted.
• New applications and some customer services may face delays.

Medicare, Medicaid & Disability Insurance

• Benefits continue for current recipients.
• A shutdown of less than three months should not affect payments.

SNAP & WIC

• Food assistance programs remain operational, though future delays are possible if the shutdown drags on.

Veterans

• All VA hospitals and clinics remain open.
• Benefits processing continues, but some backlogs may develop.

Federal Employees & Military

• “Excepted” workers, including active-duty military and federal law enforcement, must work without pay until the shutdown ends.
• “Not excepted” workers are furloughed. All employees are guaranteed back pay when the shutdown ends.

Mail Delivery

• The U.S. Postal Service is not affected.

Air Travel

• TSA officers, air traffic controllers, and CBP agents remain on the job but without pay until funding is restored.
• Past shutdowns saw longer wait times at airports.
• Approximately 61,000 of TSA’s 64,000 employees are considered “excepted” or exempt, and TSA will continue operations to keep the traveling public safe. Remaining employees will be temporarily furloughed.
• While TSA is prepared to continue screening about 2.5 million passengers a day, an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports. “We kindly ask for our passengers’ patience during this time. Despite this challenge, we will remain vigilant and focused on performing our vital security mission on behalf of the American people,” a TSA spokesperson said.

Small Businesses

• SBA halts processing of most new loans, though disaster loan programs continue.

Housing & Agriculture

• FHA, HUD and USDA stop processing most new home and farm loans.
• VA continues to guarantee home loans.

Student Loans

• Pell Grants and federal loans continue for now, but a prolonged shutdown could lead to funding shortages for school districts, colleges, and universities.

Passports & Immigration

• Visa and passport services generally continue since they are fee-funded.
• Immigration court cases for detained individuals proceed; others are delayed.

National Parks

• Closures determined site by site.
• Visitors should expect limited services. Many services and facilities could be impacted — including visitor centers, educational programs, restrooms, trash collection and road maintenance — even at open parks.

Disaster Relief & Food Safety

• FEMA responds to immediate emergencies but may delay long-term projects.
• Some routine FDA food inspections could be postponed.

Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com