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WASHINGTON — Congressional Progressive Caucus Deputy Chair Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) issued the following statement following the House vote on the Senate spending deal to reopen the government:

“Today, my Progressive Caucus colleagues and I unanimously voted against the Senate deal on government funding today, just as we unanimously opposed the partisan House bill in September. Progressives were clear from the beginning of this fight: the American people need Congressional Democrats to demand real relief, not empty promises. 

“This deal does nothing to stop healthcare premiums from doubling for tens of millions of Americans or stop 4 million people from losing their coverage. It allows Trump to continue violating the law and withhold funds that Congress already approved. And in an egregious last-minute maneuver, this bill attached language that allows eight Senate Republicans to extract millions of dollars from taxpayers by suing the government for investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

“The public rightly recognizes that Trump and Congressional Republicans are to blame for the longest government shutdown in history, exploding healthcare costs, and the cruel and needless punishment of 42 million Americans receiving nutrition support. And the American people stood with Democrats as we stood firm and fought for Americans’ right to healthcare. Over the past two months, Progressive Caucus members sounded the alarm on behalf of Americans in districts across the country who won’t be able to afford their insulin or chemotherapy due to the Republicans’ healthcare crisis. As this shutdown ends, we are more committed than ever to the fight for health care as a human right.”