Dear Community Members,

As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to highlight those in the 19th Congressional District who are directly impacted by the fallout from the recent federal government shutdown. The refusal to negotiate by this Administration and the Majority in Congress on a way to lower costs and extend the premium tax credits for those who buy insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has affected working families in our communities and across the country.

Rep. Panetta advocated for working families in our 19th Congressional District during the shutdown at a hearing on the looming healthcare crisis. To watch footage of the hearing, click video or HERE.

During the shutdown, I met with constituents who are pained by the astronomical increase they are experiencing in their 2026 health care premiums, families struggling to put food on the table due to the chaos around SNAP benefits, federal employees who were not getting paid, and community leaders concerned about the long-term impacts of the disruption in federal services. It is more important now than ever to be engaged in our community, help our neighbors, and stand together. Fortunately, many of you and many of our local governments and nonprofits stepped up and continue to provide support for those in need. From your support at the local level to our fight at the federal level, together we will continue to push for affordable and accessible healthcare and lower costs for working families in California’s 19th Congressional District.

Rep. Panetta held a listening session with federal workers during the shutdown. To watch local coverage of the session, click video or HERE.

Fallout From the Shutdown

Even though the shutdown is over, we continue to feel its ripple effects. Air travel is still returning to normal capacity, November’s SNAP benefits were delayed in the Administration’s back and forth with the courts, Head Start programs may take weeks to fully restart, servicemembers weren’t sure they’d receive paychecks, and 1.25 million federal workers nationwide missed an estimated $16 billion in wages.

Additionally, several federal agencies are still working through backlogs of questions and open cases as furloughed employees return to work. If you are having any issues getting in contact with a federal agency in the wake of the government reopening, please reach out to one of my offices and we can help.

Rep. Panetta visited a local food bank as they experienced increased demand during the shutdown.

Need For Negotiations to Reduce Costs

In my limited time in Congress, I’ve been through 29 continuing resolutions (CR) for the budget, all of which have been the result of direct negotiations, agreements, or deals by the Republican and Democratic leadership of the House and the Senate. During the recent government shutdown, the Republicans who are in charge of the House, Senate, and White House refused to negotiate with the Democrats. To gain leverage during the shutdown, the Trump administration ordered flights to be cute back at airports, and repeatedly tried to cut off funding for SNAP, which provides over 40 million people across the country with food aid. The Administration also fired federal employees and cut off federal funding that was already slated for local projects in Democrat-run cities and states.

After the longest government shutdown in history, a few Democratic Senators decided to vote for and help Republicans pass a CR to reopen the government. Even with some positive funding provisions and protections for federal workers in the bill, there were no negotiations, no agreements, and no deals with any members of the House of Representatives on this CR. Although the Senators who voted for the CR were assured of a subsequent vote around an extension of the ACA tax credits, there were absolutely no promises made by Speaker Mike Johnson for the same vote on the same type of issue to occur in the House of Representatives.

This President has made numerous attempts to abolish the ACA, his Administration has made rescissions and impoundments of previously legislated and agreed upon federal funding, and the compliant Majority in the House and Senate voted for the largest reduction of Medicaid in history earlier this year. Speaker Mike Johnson still refuses to entertain any negotiations in the House to protect healthcare. That is why we cannot solely rely on the deal made in the Senate without any negotiations, agreements, or deals in the House.

Rep. Panetta met with a constituent to discuss his skyrocketing healthcare insurance premiums.  To watch a summary of their discussion, click video or HERE.

Where We Go From Here

That Republican refusal, unfortunately, has consequences, as people are seeing increases in their healthcare premiums. If the subsidies expire, premiums will skyrocket for millions of Americans on the healthcare exchanges, and an estimated four million people across the country will no longer be able to afford health insurance and become uninsured. That is why there is a lot to negotiate when it comes to finding a bipartisan path forward to protect healthcare and reduce prices for working families.

Now that the government is open again, the real work must begin. Affordability remains the number one issue for so many constituents in California’s 19th Congressional District, and it’s our responsibility to work together to bring down costs. A short-term fix to extend subsidy premiums for the ACA is the priority and why I signed a discharge petition for a three-year extension of the subsidies. However, major healthcare reform is necessary to reduce overall prices and secure our economy. The United States spends twice as much per capita on healthcare as the United Kingdom, even though they provide universal healthcare. In order to reach that type of goal of universal healthcare, we should be talking about steps to get there, including a public option to buy into Medicare to start, and ways to shore up Medicare, including my bipartisan Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act. Nevertheless, we should be working together to tackle such an important issue like affordable and accessible healthcare.

Rep. Panetta stood with his colleagues in D.C. to call for the extension of ACA credits and federal solutions to reduce the cost of healthcare.

I also joined my colleagues in calling on Senate leadership to engage the House in bipartisan negotiations on a stand-alone bill that will lower healthcare costs. The best way to extend healthcare subsidies and engage in meaningful discussions on actual reform of our healthcare system is with bipartisan and bicameral negotiations.

Rep. Panetta joined his colleagues in calling on Senate leadership to engage the House in negotiations for reduced costs in healthcare

Preventing Future Shutdowns

As we recover from the impacts of the shutdown, I am focused on the future. To prevent further government shutdowns like the one we just experienced, I recently co-authored and introduced the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2025. This bipartisan bill would prevent future government shutdowns and force Congress to stay in Washington, D.C. until they reach an agreement on a budget. Additionally, I continue to author and introduce legislation that would increase affordable housing, shore up Medicare and Social Security, reform our immigration system, shrink our debt and deficit, and reduce prices for working families.

Rep. Panetta authored the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act as detailed in a local newspaper. Press HERE to read the article.

Thank you for your support and sense of community. Your partnership is vital as we stand together in our fight for the people and values of California's 19th Congressional District and our country.

Sincerely,

Jimmy Panetta
United States Representative
19th Congressional District, California