Sen. Van Hollen’s Stand on Government Funding
Senator Chris Van Hollen, representing Maryland, expressed that Democrats will not “write a blank check” to the Trump administration to prevent government shutdowns.
During an appearance on CNN’s “Unionalized Nations,” Van Hollen reiterated the party’s strong opposition to the GOP-supported continuing resolution (CR), insisting that funding for health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act—set to expire this year—must be included.
“The president is seeking a blank check. This president operates outside the law. He’s withholding funds illegally. He promised to lower costs on day one, yet they’ve only increased,” Van Hollen stated. He emphasized the need to address the “time bomb” Republicans have left in place.
“So far, the president has indicated he’d rather shut down the government than stop these rising medical costs,” he added. “I’m glad we finally could chat. We’ll see how this unfolds.”
Trump is set to meet with Congress’ top four leaders on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, a shift after he canceled a previous meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakem Jeffries.
Van Hollen expressed his opposition to a government shutdown but pointed fingers at Trump and Capitol Hill Republicans for steering the situation that way. “They’ve neglected their constitutional responsibilities concerning Trump,” he remarked.
“Every time I speak with Senate Republicans, it’s clear they’ll provide the president with a blank check for his unlawful withholding of funds, many of which, aided by Elon Musk, are misguided, yet they hesitate to confront him,” he said. “We won’t issue blank checks. Our focus is on curbing the steep increase in healthcare costs.”
The White House countered Van Hollen’s comments, asserting that the administration had backed the same proposals the Democrats supported months earlier to maintain government funding.
“However, radical Democrats are threatening a government shutdown unless they receive a nearly $1.5 trillion list of demands, including free healthcare for illegal immigrants. The public rejected this radical agenda at the polls last year,” the statement read.
