WITH HOLIDAYS APPROACHING, LOUISIANA FAMILIES LEFT WITH NOTHING BUT COAL IN THEIR STOCKINGS AS REPUBLICANS THREATEN SHUTDOWN AND FAIL TO DELIVER ESSENTIAL FUNDING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2024
CONTACT: ldpcommunications@lademo.org

WITH HOLIDAYS APPROACHING, LOUISIANA FAMILIES LEFT WITH NOTHING BUT COAL IN THEIR STOCKINGS AS REPUBLICANS THREATEN SHUTDOWN AND FAIL TO DELIVER ESSENTIAL FUNDING

Chair Gaines: “Democrats will be working to hold our leaders accountable, make progress, and deliver critical funding for our families and workers”

BATON ROUGE, LA — As we get ready for the holidays, Republicans in Washington are planning a disastrous government shutdown that would bring anything but holiday cheer to Louisiana families. 

In June 2023, President Joe Biden and then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached a bipartisan deal to suspend the debt ceiling until early 2025, with caps on discretionary spending and a commitment to avoid any shutdown chaos. However, now-Speaker Mike Johnson’s recent introduction of a massive spending bill just days before the congressional holiday break has caused major rifts — effectively pulling out of the previous deal and putting all bipartisan efforts into jeopardy.

The spending bill extends government funding through March 2025 and includes $110 billion for disaster relief, healthcare policy extensions, and a pay raise for Congress. However, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and other extreme Republicans have publicly eviscerated the bill, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise declared the bill “dead” yesterday, throwing the debt ceiling crisis back into play.

Louisiana families, regularly reeling from natural disasters, now face the loss of $575 million in federal disaster relief and $258 million in agricultural disaster assistance if the bipartisan deal collapses. These funds are crucial for rebuilding communities, restoring economies, and helping farmers recover from crop losses.

Meanwhile, over 1.5 million Louisianans rely on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for health coverage. Any cuts to these programs would severely impact one-third of our state’s population, including children, seniors, and veterans.

With this extremist Republican government shutdown looming, Louisiana families are left with nothing but uncertainty about the future and the vital assistance they need to recover.

Louisiana Democratic Party Chair Randal Gaines released the following statement:

“Unfortunately for us, it’s no surprise that Republicans — including Mike Johnson & Steve Scalise, who are supposed to be leading their members — are now turning their backs on Louisiana families and workers. This is the time of the year when our families, farmers, seniors, and children should be spending time visiting with loved ones and enjoying the magic of the holidays, not worrying about critical disaster relief funds and essential healthcare needs. 

“Louisianans deserve leaders who can work together and deliver solutions, instead of more harm to those who are struggling to make ends meet and recover from misfortunes. Here at the Louisiana Democratic Party, we will be working with Rep. Troy Carter, Rep.-Elect Cleo Fields, and national Democrats to hold our leaders accountable, make progress, and deliver critical funding for our families and workers — it’s what we deserve, not just for the holidays, but every day of the year.”

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