1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

I am writing today as a constituent who has supported you, voted for you, and trusted you to stand firm in defense of the Affordable Care Act and the financial stability of working families. I am deeply disappointed, frustrated, and frankly confused by your vote to end the shutdown without securing any commitment or resolution to extend the ACA premium subsidies that millions of Americans rely on. You know as well as I do that Republicans have demonstrated repeatedly that they cannot be trusted to address this later. We have seen them use delay as a tactic to erode essential programs while claiming they will “deal with it” down the road. There is no reasonable basis to believe that these ACA subsidies will be renewed unless Democrats use their leverage. And yet, you and other Democrats gave that leverage away. The people most harmed by this are not lobbyists, not corporations, not political strategists. It’s people like me and my family — working families who rely on affordable healthcare to remain stable, secure, and healthy. The ACA subsidies are not abstract policy points. They determine whether people can afford to go to the doctor, manage chronic illness, keep their children insured, and avoid financial catastrophe from medical bills. For years, we have been told to trust that Democrats will protect the ACA. I believed that. I have defended you. But this vote has shaken that trust. What was gained here? What was protected? It feels like we conceded on the only point that mattered without obtaining anything in return. It feels as though the well-being of your constituents was treated as a bargaining chip — and then bargained away. I need to understand why this happened. I need to know what the plan is now — not in vague rhetoric, but in concrete, actionable terms. Because from where I sit, the message your vote sent was that the stability of healthcare coverage was not worth fighting for. I want to believe that you are still someone I can trust to defend the interests of Virginians. But right now, that trust has been badly damaged. I am asking you directly to explain your reasoning and to tell me how you intend to ensure that these ACA subsidies are preserved. Not in theory — but in strategy and in action. I look forward to your response.