Stefany Shaheen blasts shutdown deal backed by her mother

Thanksgiving dinner in the Shaheen household might be a little awkward.

Stefany Shaheen, a Democratic candidate for Congress from New Hampshire, said she “cannot support” a deal to end the government shutdown on which the Senate is voting Monday evening. Complicating things is the fact that her mother, Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), supports the proposal. 

The younger Shaheen, in a Monday post on the social platform X, said she would only support a deal to end the record-breaking shutdown if it includes an extension of subsidies offered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The measure, which the elder Shaheen, seven other Democratic conference members and 52 Republicans voted to advance on Sunday, does not include such a provision. 

“We need to both end this shutdown and extend the ACA tax credits,” Stefany Shaheen said. “Otherwise, no deal. It’s essential to ensure people have access to health care and it’s past time to put paychecks back into people’s pockets and food back on families’ tables.”

Stefany Shaheen’s eldest daughter, Elle, nearly lost her life after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of eight, according to her campaign website. Since then, she has advocated for medical research and treatments and raised awareness of chronic disease prevention.

The Hill has reached out to a spokesperson for Jeanne Shaheen for comment.

The proposal to reopen the government would fund military construction, veterans’ affairs, the Department of Agriculture and the legislative branch through September 2026 and the rest of government through Jan. 30. It also would retain more than 4,000 federal workers the Trump administration targeted for layoffs during the shutdown and would prevent the administration from firing additional federal employees until Jan. 30.

The ACA subsidies expire at the end of December, with health insurance premiums set to increase significantly if they are not extended. Jeanne Shaheen, who previously introduced legislation to permanently extend the credits, told CNN’s Kate Bolduan on Monday that reopening the government is an “opportunity” to negotiate with Republicans on extending the credits. 

“Because of this shutdown fight, we’ve had a number of Republicans who have figured out that this is an issue for them,” she said. “This is not a red state issue or a blue state issue; this is about making sure that people can afford their health insurance.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has promised Democrats in the upper chamber a December vote on the expiring subsidies. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), though, has refused to guarantee a House vote on the credits.