BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The candidates in next year's Lehigh Valley congressional race cast blame on the opposing party as the federal government ground to a halt early this morning.
Elected leaders in Washington failed to reach a compromise on a short-term spending package to prevent a government shutdown.
While Republicans control all three branches of government, their majority in the U.S. Senate is too narrow to reach the super-majority needed to approve the measure.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania, was among just two Democrats who voted in favor of keeping the government operating Tuesday night.
But nearly all Democrats have withheld their support — demanding Republicans either walk back cuts to Medicaid approved in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act or continue tax subsidies for the Affordable Care Act.
Republican leadership has balked, insisting Democrats must first vote to keep the government open before they would consider any deals.
It's unclear how long the shutdown may last, but there are few signs of a breakthrough. Congressional leaders held no negotiations Tuesday.
A meeting Monday between President Donald Trump and congressional leaders failed to turn up a deal. Trump canceled a similar meeting Tuesday, saying it would be unproductive.
While the average American may not immediately notice the effects of a shutdown, shutdowns can be devastating to federal workers and the economy.
About 750,000 federal employees are expected to go on furlough and millions more are expected to work without pay.
They include air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration agents and some members of the military.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has paused research into diseases while the National Institutes of Health has stopped enrolling sick patients into experimental treatments.
Patients already enrolled will continue their treatments.
Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare payments should continue, though there may be delay in checks being sent.
The longest shutdown in American history occurred during the first Trump administration, lasting 35 days. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that shutdown permanently eliminated $3 billion of economic activity.
'Gamesmanship'
U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, in a statement released Tuesday afternoon blamed Democrats for the shutdown.
He accused the minority party of political gamesmanship, noting that Democratic leaders acknowledged the consequences of a shutdown when they approved the last short-term spending plan six months ago.
“The calculated effort by some Democrats to shut down the government and deprive the American people of essential salaries and benefits is irresponsible and unnecessary,” Mackenzie said in the release.
Two weeks ago, I voted to fund the government. Last night, as a result of partisan games, we entered a government shutdown. This doesn’t mean that we will stop working for the people of the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos, my offices remain OPEN and ready to serve you. Visit our… pic.twitter.com/q6268QqIvV
— U.S. Congressman Ryan Mackenzie (@RepMackenzie) October 1, 2025
Mackenzie joined nearly every Republican in the House in favor of the "clean" spending bill that did not include any compromises. It passed the House on Sept. 19 with all but one Democrat opposed and all but two Republicans in favor.
He noted that about 5,000 federal workers in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District will go without pay for the length of the shutdown.
The district represents Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties as well as a sliver of Monroe County.
The shutdown will be particularly harsh on low-income women who are either pregnant or have young children, he said.
WIC, the nutrition program that provides them food vouchers, is expected to quickly burn through its funding. In the release, Mackenzie said he supports bills that would continue to pay ICE agents, members of the military and the Coast Guard through shutdowns.
Democratic candidates support shutdown
Meanwhile, the five candidates seeking the Democratic nomination in next year's midterm election were quick to lay the blame on Mackenzie and other Republicans.
All five said that if they were in office right now, they would not vote to keep the government open unless Republicans agreed to healthcare concessions.
Bob Brooks, president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association and a former Bethlehem firefighter, and Ryan Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor, said in interviews they would not vote in favor of the opening the government unless Republicans scaled back cuts to Medicaid from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Trump's signature legislation added work requirements for able-bodied adults. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that 11.8 million Americans would lose their health insurance as a result.
Brooks called the shutdown a "lose-lose" situation that he blamed on Washington's broken partisan mindset.
"With my presence down there right now, we would be able to create that bipartisan support," Brooks said.
'Not just a shutdown hurts people'
Crosswell said that by insisting on a clean deal, Republicans are forcing Democrats to chose between hurting Americans with a shutdown or hurting them with rising medical costs.
"They have the power and, quite frankly, they’ve been shutting down the government since the inauguration," he said.
He was referring to the mass layoffs Trump has approved since taking office. Trump has threatened to speed up permanent layoffs over the lockdown.
Carol Obando-Derstine, an energy engineer, appeared to lay out a similar argument in a prepared statement in which she criticized Mackenzie for voting to cut healthcare subsidies.
"If elected, I will expand affordable healthcare for our families — and keep the government funded — hard stop," Obando-Derstine said.
Meanwhile, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure said he would only support ending the shutdown if Republicans agreed to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act.
Unless an extension is approved, many Americans buying the health insurance through the federal marketplace would see their monthly premiums more than double in 2026, according to KFF, a healthcare research group.
He accused Mackenzie and other Republicans of negotiating in bad faith by demanding Democrats just give them what they want with nothing in return.
"Why would you vote for legislation that doesn't prioritize any of your values?" McClure said.
Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley said Democrats should hold out for even more concessions.
Along with extending ACA subsidies and demanding the restoration of Medicaid, Pinsley said he would insist on creating more judges to hear the backlog of immigration hearings; restoring cuts to SNAP, also known as food stamps; and something in writing that would ensure the changes cannot be walked back.
This year, Trump has blocked congressionally approved spending, and the Republican majority approved federal clawbacks of previously approved funding.
The vote infuriated some Democrats who questioned why they should negotiate with Republicans if they would turn around and eliminate the deals after the fact.
"Everyday people are being hurt right now. It's not just a shutdown that hurts people," Pinsley said.
