Ciscomani, House Republicans Call for Fiscally Responsible Healthcare Reforms, Not Political Games

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) joined a group of House Republicans in sending a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson supporting his stance that Democrats are solely responsible for the ongoing federal government shutdown. The letter underscores that Senate Democrats have chosen to block responsible funding bills and hold essential government operations hostage to push unrelated partisan demands. These 13 House Republicans reaffirmed that Congress’s first duty is to keep the government working for the American people - not to use shutdowns as leverage for political gain - and that responsible reforms, such as with healthcare, must move forward on its own merits, through regular order, as soon as the Democrat-caused federal government shutdown ends.

Alongside Rep. Van Drew (NJ-02), Ciscomani joined Representatives Valadao (CA-22), Lawler (NY-17), Kiggans (VA-02), Gimenez (FL-28), De La Cruz (TX-15), and Bresnahan (PA-08), Kean (NJ-07), Kim (CA-40), Mackenzie (PA-07), Fitzpatrick (PA-01), and Hurd (CO-03) in a letter sent today, October 21, 2025 – on day 21 of the Senate Democrat-led federal government shutdown.

“Democrats are using the American people during a government shutdown as political leverage for unrelated policy changes they know have no chance at becoming law. Democrats created this healthcare cliff and now want to use the shutdown to force Republicans to bail them out of their own mess, on their own terms,” said Ciscomani. “I won’t play that game. Re-open the federal government and we can discuss solutions, as we had been doing before they forced this shut down, to deliver real relief for working families without turning troops, border agents, or veterans into political bargaining chips.”

In part, the members wrote:

“That said, once the government is reopened, we must immediately turn our focus to the growing crisis of healthcare affordability and the looming expiration of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits. Millions of Americans are facing drastic premium increases due to short-sighted Democratic policymaking. While we did not create this crisis, we now have both the responsibility and the opportunity to solve it.

“Allowing these tax credits to lapse without a clear path forward is not an option. We must chart a conservative path that protects working families in our districts across the country who rely on these credits.”

The letter makes clear that while reforms are needed to ensure families who currently rely on these credits for premium assistance aren’t facing a fiscal cliff, reform also needs to be implemented to ensure the program is targeted to the people who need it most. Republicans should continue to show why the American people entrusted them to lead, and that will be even more apparent when we move forward with constructive solutions rather than the type of political brinkmanship used by Democrats.

Ciscomani, a cosponsor of the Bipartisan Premium Tax Credit Extension Act (H.R. 5145) — legislation that protects families, seniors, and small business owners from health insurance premium increases — reiterated that Republicans can lower costs and stabilize the healthcare market without threatening paychecks or services for frontline workers.

“Healthcare costs are crushing Arizona families,” Ciscomani continued. “I’m focused on delivering reforms that protect taxpayers, protect families, and lower costs the right way, not through shutdown standoffs that only hurt the very people we were elected to represent.”

The full letter can be found HERE.

You may also click HERE to read a Fox News article on the letter.

Ranked as the most effective member of Arizona’s congressional delegation, Ciscomani reaffirmed his commitment to governing through solutions, not showdowns. Every time Congress has faced the choice between keeping the government open or playing politics to force a shutdown — under both Presidents Biden and Trump — Ciscomani has voted to keep the government open, ensure our troops are paid, protect essential services, and deliver for the people of Arizona’s 6th congressional district.

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