As the federal government shutdown stretches into another week, Maryland Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) is sounding the alarm over its growing economic and human toll — and warning that millions could soon lose access to affordable health care.
Appearing on The Politics Hour, Alsobrooks condemned the Trump administration’s continued layoffs of federal employees and its threats to terminate thousands more. She joined members of Maryland’s and Virginia’s congressional delegations this week in urging the White House to halt the cuts and end the shutdown.
Democrats, Alsobrooks said, are refusing to pass a spending bill unless it includes a permanent extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits. Those credits, which lower monthly health insurance premiums, are set to expire at the end of the year.
“We do not have time because those escalating costs are taking place beginning now,” Alsobrooks said. “People are beginning to see increases in their premiums, and many will soon get notices about the hikes that will happen next year.”
Enrollment for 2026 ACA coverage opens November 1, leaving little time for Congress to act. Alsobrooks warned that without an extension, health insurance premiums could nearly double for millions of Americans, while four million more could lose coverage entirely.
Beyond the health care debate, the shutdown’s broader economic effects are being felt across the Washington region. Clark Mercer, who heads the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, said the halt in federal operations is already straining local budgets and threatening jobs tied to federal contracts.
“This doesn’t take an economist,” Mercer said. “When the biggest company in town starts cutting tens, if not hundreds of thousands of jobs and contractors, it’s going to have a ripple effect on the economies where that company sits.”
Alsobrooks emphasized that the shutdown is not only a political standoff but a crisis hitting working families hardest. “People need stability — in their paychecks and their health care,” she said. “Ending this shutdown is the first step toward restoring both.”
