Government Shutdown: Anti-Shutdown Rhetoric During 44-Day Standoff

Government Operations Source: Multiple statements CONTRADICTION

Why This Matters for NY-23

During the 44-day shutdown, 151,000 NY-23 households on SNAP faced benefit disruptions. Military families went unpaid. Eight of twelve local hospitals were already financially stressed — and letting ACA subsidies lapse would increase uncompensated care costs. When a congressman says “responsible leadership” means “keeping the lights on” but then participates in the longest shutdown in U.S. history over policy priorities, the gap between rhetoric and action directly harms constituents.

Statement

Source: Public statements, September-November 2025 Reported by: WLEA New York, WSKG Public Radio

On avoiding shutdowns:

“Shutting down the government is not the solution. We must ensure critical services continue and our military families don’t miss a paycheck.”

On responsible governance:

“Governing means putting your country first…you keep the lights on in the government…that’s what responsible leadership looks like.”

Rep. Langworthy emphasized his commitment to “securing funding for the federal government” and voted for short-term continuing resolutions in 2023 to avoid shutdowns.

Congressional Record

October-November 2025: 44-Day Government Shutdown

  • Duration: Longest government shutdown in U.S. history
  • Langworthy’s role: Voted against funding bill that included ACA subsidy extensions, contributing to the impasse
  • Impact on constituents:
    • Military service members went unpaid for weeks
    • 151,000 NY-23 households on SNAP faced benefit disruptions
    • New York State spent $65 million emergency funding for food banks
    • 24 million Americans faced health premium spikes averaging 113%

September 2025: “Clean” Spending Bill

  • Langworthy vote: YES
  • Action: Passed GOP spending bill that omitted ACA subsidy extension
  • Result: Democrats rejected it, leading to shutdown when deadline passed
  • Source: WSKG Public Radio, Gray DC News

December 2025: ACA Subsidy Extension Vote

  • Langworthy vote: NO (did not sign discharge petition)
  • Action: Bipartisan plan to extend health credits failed by one vote
  • Impact: Family of four earning $80K would see insurance costs jump from $263/month to $560/month without subsidies
  • Source: Gray DC News, WSKG

November 14, 2025: Shutdown Ends

  • Langworthy vote: YES (to reopen government)
  • Terms: Senate Democrats secured promise of separate vote on ACA credits
  • Source: WSKG Public Radio

Context

Local Impact in NY-23

SNAP (Food Assistance)

  • 151,000 households in district rely on SNAP
  • Program nearly ran out of funding during shutdown
  • New York declared emergency, spent $65 million on food banks

Healthcare

  • Eight of twelve hospitals in NY-23 were financially stressed
  • Letting ACA subsidies lapse would increase uncompensated care burden
  • Constituents faced potential 113% premium increases

Military Families

  • Service members missed paychecks for weeks
  • VA operations strained
  • Contradicts Langworthy’s promise to ensure “military families don’t miss a paycheck”

What Langworthy Said About Blame

He blamed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democrats for “turning governing into political theater,” despite House Republicans refusing to compromise on health funding.

The Timeline

  1. Sept 2025: Langworthy votes for GOP spending bill without ACA subsidies
  2. Sept-Oct 2025: Democrats reject bill; government shuts down at deadline
  3. Oct-Nov 2025: 44 days of shutdown (longest in history)
    • Military unpaid
    • SNAP threatened
    • Health insurance crisis looming
  4. Dec 2025: Langworthy votes against bipartisan ACA fix (fails by 1 vote)
  5. Nov 14, 2025: Finally votes to reopen government after extracting concessions

Statements vs. Actions

StatementAction
“Shutting down government is not the solution”Participated in 44-day shutdown over party priorities
“Military families don’t miss a paycheck”Shutdown delayed military pay for weeks
“Keep the lights on…responsible leadership”Rejected compromise that would have avoided shutdown
“Putting your country first”Held out on ACA subsidies affecting 24M Americans

Sources

  • WLEA New York (Hornell): “GOP Rep. Langworthy Voted For Continuing Appropriations Bills” (Sept 29, 2023)
  • WSKG Public Radio: Natalie Abruzzo, “‘Governing means putting your country first’ — Langworthy on longest shutdown” (Nov 14, 2025)
  • Gray DC News: Molly Martinez, “House stumbles on health care votes” (Dec 17, 2025)
  • Associated Press / WSKG: Impact of Shutdown on SNAP and ACA credits (Nov 2025)
  • New York State emergency food assistance reports

Note: This entry documents publicly available information from official congressional records and news reports. Readers may draw their own conclusions.

In Plain Language

“Shutting down the government is not the solution,” Langworthy said. “We must ensure military families don’t miss a paycheck.”

Then the government shut down for 44 days. Military families missed paychecks. 151,000 NY-23 households on SNAP faced benefit disruptions. The shutdown was the longest in U.S. history.

What happened?

  1. House Republicans passed a spending bill without ACA subsidy extensions
  2. Democrats rejected it
  3. Shutdown began
  4. Langworthy voted against a bipartisan ACA fix that failed by one vote
  5. After 44 days, he finally voted to reopen

Who did he blame? Democrats, for “turning governing into political theater.” But the Republican Speaker controlled the floor schedule and could have brought compromise legislation to a vote at any time.

Last updated: December 21, 2025