1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

The federal government is shut down, and every day of delay damages our economy, our credibility, and the lives of ordinary Americans. Federal employees are missing paychecks, small businesses are losing contracts, and millions of families are caught in uncertainty while the House remains paralyzed. The Constitution gives Congress — not any one Speaker — the duty to keep the government funded and functioning. Yet Speaker Mike Johnson has canceled regular sessions and refused to swear in Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, duly chosen by the voters of Arizona more than six weeks ago. That denial of representation harms not only her district but the entire country, because the House cannot complete the appropriations process or negotiate a budget while one seat remains willfully empty. This shutdown can be resolved only through a comprehensive funding package that meets real national needs — including an extension of the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced tax credits, which keep health insurance affordable for more than 15 million Americans. Allowing those credits to lapse in January would raise premiums for working families by hundreds of dollars each month and deepen the economic strain caused by the shutdown itself. I urge you to: 1. Demand Adelita Grijalva’s immediate swearing-in so Arizona’s voters regain their representation and the House can return to legislative work. 2. Reconvene the House immediately to complete the twelve appropriations bills required to fund the government and end the shutdown. 3. Include in those negotiations an extension of the ACA tax credits to maintain affordable health coverage for millions of Americans. This is a moment for leadership, not loyalty to dysfunction. The American people need a functioning Congress — one that restores government operations, safeguards affordable health care, and stands for transparency and justice.