Sen. Bennet Says Health Care Compromise Ought to be Easy

This story by Lindsey Toomer appeared on Colorado Newsline on October 9, 2025.

Colorado’s U.S. Senator Michael Bennet said in a press call Thursday that Republicans in Congress are making life harder for working Americans by refusing to negotiate with Democrats on health care.

For the sixth time, Republicans voted down a proposal from Democrats to fund the government and extend enhanced premium tax credits on Wednesday, Bennet said. Insurance providers will send notices of increased premiums to those who purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act in the coming weeks. Bennet said 80% of Americans support extending the credits because of that anticipated increase in cost.

“They understand that without them, many families will lose their health coverage and be forced to make a decision no one should have to make, whether to go to the doctor for care or not,” Bennet, who is running to be Colorado governor in 2026, said. “This fight is critical for families all over our state. The Republicans need to come to the table, and [President] Donald Trump needs to come to the table and negotiate in good faith.”

The enhanced premium tax credits implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic were initially set to expire in 2022, but Congress extended and expanded them with the Inflation Reduction Act. According to KFF, insurance providers have cited the expiration of the tax credits as a reason for premium increases.

Members in the Senate failed to reach an agreement on a short-term government funding measure, known as a continuing resolution, before the end of the fiscal year, meaning many major federal government operations shut down starting Oct. 1. Other Democrats from Colorado in Congress also called on Republicans to negotiate on health care Wednesday.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday he and other GOP lawmakers are willing to talk with Democrats about the tax credits, but only after the government reopens. Colorado Republicans in the House including U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Windsor and U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans of Fort Lupton say the government is shut down because Democrats want to fund health care for people who are in the country without authorization, a notion U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, a Lakewood Democrat, rejected Wednesday.

Back pay for federal workers
Extending the tax credits is an easy compromise, Bennet said, because some Republican senators have told him they don’t want to explain to their constituents why health insurance premiums are doubling or tripling.

“There’s nothing that’s going to change between now and the end of the year except the American people’s lives are going to become much, much harder,” Bennet said. “Let’s settle this now and let’s settle this on a permanent basis, and then let’s give the American people the assurance that they need.”

Federal workers are legally entitled to back pay for their work during a government shutdown, Bennet said, and that is something that “shouldn’t even be up for negotiation.” Trump has said he wants to lay off federal workers and withhold their back pay, and Bennet said the president has shown he is willing to violate the law.

Bennet’s office is still working to address constituent concerns with federal agencies that remain open.

“We need to extend these health care credits, and we need to reopen the government,” Bennet said. “We need to pay our troops. We need to keep our airports running. We need to get federal workers back on the job to process small business loans and housing applications.”