“They don’t solve anything”: Nevada Rep Mark Amodei slams shutdown strategy

By Brittany Sheehan  

Nevada News and Views

The federal government shut down this week, and Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei isn’t happy about it. But he’s not just pointing fingers at one side. He’s calling out what he sees as a broken system that hurts regular Americans.

During a press call with reporters Friday, Amodei made his position clear.

“I voted for three shutdowns in my early years, and they don’t solve anything,” he said.

“So you can say this is about healthcare, or this is the border wall or whatever. Nothing in the time that I’ve been here, when the government has been shut down, has changed from when it was shut down to when it started back up.”

That’s a lesson learned the hard way.

What’s Behind This Shutdown

Here’s what happened. Senate Democrats voted against a Republican bill that would have kept the government running at current spending levels. Most Democrats said no. They want something else included first.

What do they want? They’re fighting to extend subsidies for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

Read NN&V prior coverage, here: Obamacare Subsidies at Center of Government Shutdown Standoff

These subsidies help people pay for insurance through Obamacare. Without an extension, those subsidies expire. That means health insurance costs go up for millions of Americans.

Only two Senate Democrats crossed party lines to vote yes on keeping the government open. One of them was Nevada’s own Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. Amodei said she was “right” to do so.

Why This Matters to Conservatives

For people who believe in limited government, this shutdown highlights a bigger problem. The federal government keeps growing. Spending keeps rising. And now we’re in a situation where Democrats are demanding more spending on health care programs as a condition for keeping the lights on.

Amodei put it bluntly: “We’re gonna become a health insurance company as the federal government with the Department of Defense attached. Is that really what we need a federal government for?”

That question hits at the heart of conservative principles. Should the federal government be spending billions on health insurance subsidies? Or should it focus on its core duties like national defense and protecting our borders?

The federal deficit keeps climbing. We’re spending money we don’t have. Adding more health care spending on top of that worries fiscal conservatives who believe in balanced budgets and living within our means.

Who Gets Hurt

Right here in Nevada, about 22,000 federal workers are feeling the pain. Some are furloughed. Others are working without getting paid. That includes military members, TSA agents, air traffic controllers, and law enforcement officers.

These are people with bills to pay and families to feed. They show up to work or stay home, but either way, they’re not getting a paycheck during the shutdown.

Essential services continue. Your flight still takes off. Border patrol agents still guard the border. But nobody’s getting paid to do it until Congress figures this out.

The Other Side

Democrats argue the health care subsidies are critical. Without them, insurance premiums could jump significantly for middle-class families. They say Republicans are playing politics with people’s health care.

Some Democrats claim they’re standing up for millions of Americans who would lose affordable coverage. They point out that the subsidies help working families afford insurance they otherwise couldn’t pay for.

Critics of Amodei’s position might say he’s being hypocritical since he admits voting for shutdowns himself in the past. But he says he learned those don’t work.

What Happens Next

Congress will eventually pass something. They always do. The question is how long it takes and what gets included.

Will Republicans agree to extend the health care subsidies? Will Democrats back down? Or will they find some middle ground?

The shutdown could last days or weeks. History shows these standoffs usually end with a compromise that makes nobody happy.

What Conservatives Can Do

If you believe in limited government and fiscal responsibility, now’s the time to speak up. Call your representatives. Tell them you want the government open, but you also want spending under control.

Support when lawmakers like Cortez Masto vote to keep the government running, even when it means breaking with their party. Reward politicians who put practical governing ahead of political leverage.

And pay attention to how your tax dollars get spent. Health care subsidies might help some families, but they also add to the national debt that our kids and grandkids will have to pay back.

The bigger question remains: What should the federal government actually do? And what should it leave to states, communities, and individuals?

That’s a conversation worth having, even if Washington can’t seem to have it without shutting everything down first.

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Brittany Sheehan is a Las Vegas-based mother, policy advocate and grassroots leader. She is active in local politics, successful in campaign work and passionate about liberty.