ALFREDO ORTIZ: Democrats Sacrifice Small Businesses At Health Insurance Industry Altar

Friday marks the end of a 12-year streak of on-time monthly jobs reports. That might be the smallest casualty of the Schumer shutdown. Basic government operations and the small businesses that depend on them are stalled indefinitely. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the cost of the shutdown is roughly $400 million a day in furloughs alone.

The reason for this shutdown pain: Senate Democrats want to extend elevated taxpayer payoffs to their health insurance industry donors.

The pandemic-era boost to Affordable Care Act subsidies that expands benefits above the 400% of the poverty line ceiling is finally set to expire. Yet nothing is as permanent as a temporary government program, and Democrats are shutting down the government in an effort to make this corporate welfare permanent.

Expanded ACA subsidies aren’t needed. Approximately 40% of those in fully subsidized ACA plans had zero claims in 2024. That means taxpayers are paying premiums for healthy individuals who don’t require care. Most of the expansion population who do need care could get insurance through their employer. Families earning $500,000 a year shouldn’t demand their neighbor pay for their coverage.

So why are Democrats going to the extraordinary step of shutting down the government? Because the insurance companies writing campaign checks are demanding it to keep the taxpayer spigot open.

In the last election cycle alone, Democrats received tens of millions