Congressmember John Mannion is trying to help Central New Yorkers navigate the impact of the ongoing government shutdown. He tried to reassure residents worried about health care and other services during a recent telephone town hall.
Mannion said addressing the fallout from the shutdown and reopening the government is his main priority. He said Democrats are ready to talk, but Speaker Mike Johnson is uninterested.
“So not only is he refusing to negotiate to end the shutdown," Mannion said. "He's keeping Congress out of session to protect his members and the president from having to take a vote on the Epstein files.”
Mannion said the victims deserve justice, and the country deserves transparency. Meanwhile, he said federal agencies are affected differently by the shutdown. Social Security offices, for example, remain open with reduced services, but others are closed.
“An agency like the IRS, their funding has been basically stopped at this point," Mannion said. "Congressional offices like mine can communicate with those offices, but sometimes the communication back is delayed or doesn't happen at all.”
Mannion said during the shutdown he’s refusing a paycheck and his staff is not getting paid.
Democrats like Mannion are insisting on extending subsidies under the Affordable Care Act as part of spending bill negotiations. He said they’re popular…and essential.
“A 60-year-old couple earning $80,000 a year, their premiums would go up by $9,000, a 134% increase with the expiration of these tax credits.”
Mannion said Democrats also want to restore Medicaid cuts included in the previous Republican spending bill.
GOP house members like Claudia Tenney blame Democrats for the shutdown and its impact on families, businesses, and the economy.
Mannion said his offices in Syracuse, Utica, and Washington remain open and fully staffed. Constituents can reach out to his office if they have questions or need help. His phone number is (315) 233-4333.
