(NEXSTAR) – As the government shutdown reaches day 28, Nexstar sat down with California Democratic Rep. Josh Harder to weigh in on what he believes it will take to end the shutdown.
Harder says Republicans and Democrats need to negotiate because the shutdown is the longest in history.
“I think it’s pretty easy to come to an agreement and imagine what a solution would look like. What’s missing right now is the political will,” Harder said.
At the heart of the standoff are subsidies related to the Affordable Care Act, which expire at the end of the year. Democrats say Americans’ health care costs would skyrocket without an extension. Republicans say they will negotiate after Democrats vote to reopen the government.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said earlier this month that Republican lawmakers would have these discussions if the government was kept open.
But Harder says it can’t wait.
“I think the idea that you give up all your influence and then hopefully get a good deal is just a silly proposition,” Harder said. “The fact is that it is a crisis right now. People are already receiving notes in the mail telling them how much more they will pay in January.”
While Senate Democrats continue to block Republicans’ funding bill, the House of Representatives has not met for more than a month.
Harder says voters have told him they support what Democrats are doing.
“What I hear from people in my district is that they want this fight, for us to fight,” he said. “But they are also frustrated that they are not seeing a solution as quickly as they would have hoped.”
Harder also commented on the upcoming vote California’s Proposition 50.
It calls on voters to temporarily change the state’s congressional election to gain five more Democratic seats in Congress. This is in response to Texas’ recent congressional plan, which aims to elect five more Republicans.
“I don’t want to have any say in that. I’m kind of removing myself from it because I think it’s like picking which kid you like more, which map you want to represent,” Harder said. “I’ll leave that up to the voters. But I think we would be a much better country, a much better Congress, if voters in every single state had a say.”
But Harder says he’s concerned about gerrymandering efforts that now span multiple states. He added: “The fact that there is this potential race to the bottom is very concerning.”
