2025 House Resolution 214

Whereas, The federal government shutdown has now stretched beyond 35 days, bringing hardship to millions of Michiganders and marking the longest shutdown in United States history; and

Whereas, While Michigan families are tightening their belts, Senate Democrats in Washington are tightening their grip on gridlock. The government shutdown, now dragging into its second month, isn’t just a headline. It’s a punch in the gut to every Michigan worker, every small business owner, and every military family wondering if their next paycheck will come; and

Whereas, The shutdown poses disruptions to critical services such as food assistance programs, impediments to public safety in our airports, and administrative delays with Medicare, Social Security, and Veterans Affairs benefits; and

Whereas, Despite these serious and growing consequences, Michigan Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have failed 14 times to approve a clean continuing resolution that would reopen the government and protect families from further harm. United States Senate rules require a three-fifths supermajority vote to invoke cloture, allowing the chamber to hold a vote on the continuing resolution. To date, the requisite number of Senate Democrats have refused to vote in favor of this motion. The continued inaction of Senate Democrat leadership has unnecessarily prolonged this government shutdown; and

Whereas, The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that the counterproposal authored by Democrats to end the shutdown for one month in exchange for various policy changes would add 1,500,000,000,000 dollars to the national debt over the next decades. This list of demands includes healthcare subsidies for illegal immigrants and certain non-U.S. citizens, allowing able-bodied adults without dependents to receive Medicaid benefits without seeking a job or enrolling in school, and permanently extending COVID-19-era tax credits that are propping up a failing healthcare system that is desperately in need of reform; and

Whereas, While the people of Michigan expect cooperation and problem-solving from their elected officials, partisan grandstanding in Washington has replaced leadership with political theater; and

Whereas, The Michigan Legislature has demonstrated that, even with divided government, it is possible to reach agreement on balanced, responsible budgets that serve the people first, proof that principled compromise and effective governance are achievable when leaders put citizens ahead of radical party politics; and

Whereas, When Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “Every day gets better for us,” he clearly wasn’t talking about the people of Michigan. Every additional day the federal government remains shut down means more missed paychecks, delayed benefits, and uncertainty for families, farmers, service members, and small businesses across Michigan and the nation; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we urge the United States Senate to take immediate bipartisan action to pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the federal government, restore stability to Michigan families, and put an end to this unnecessary hardship; and be it further

Resolved, That, to end the government shutdown and alleviate the pain being felt across our state and our nation, we urge the United States Senate to pursue any and all available pathways to immediately initiate a vote on a clean continuing resolution; and be it further

Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate and United States Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin.