I’m relieved that servicemembers did not miss a paycheck this week, but millions of civilian defense employees and other federal workers continue to work without pay. Yet Members of Congress are still getting paid. If our paychecks were on the line too, every Republican would join Democrats in calling on Speaker Johnson to bring us back to Washington so we can get this budget deal done. This week, I introduced the No Budget, No Pay Act to prevent Congress from getting paid unless it passes a budget on time. We need to light a fire under ourselves to end the dysfunction and do our jobs.  

One of the many consequences of the shutdown that I’ve heard about from San Diegans has to do with telehealth care authorization for seniors and people who are disabled on Medicare. The authorization expired on September 30th and because of the shutdown, it has not been extended. Congress was set to extend telehealth flexibilities in December of 2024, but Elon Musk and congressional Republicans decided the bill was too many pages. Now, patients are starting to cancel necessary doctor’s appointments or risk further health problems if they cannot get to their doctor. 

I’m grateful to San Diegans who have shared their experience with Medicare’s telehealth changes so I can advocate for their concerns in Washington. Here’s what they said: 

• A cardiologist in Carmel Valley said, “the uncertainty was frustrating in the last 2-3 days of September, but now it has been replaced by the logistical nightmare of this whole health access situation thanks to the government shutdown, upending our entire health care access overnight.” 

• A gentleman from Rancho Santa Fe told me that, “for me and other seniors with disabilities, telehealth is not a convenience; it is a medical necessity. Little good emerged from the Covid pandemic, but the flexibility of telehealth allowed millions to safely receive medical care from the best physician regardless of geographic proximity.” 

• A primary care physician in Pacific Beach shared that they “had to cancel all of our Medicare care patients who were scheduled for telehealth this week. This is not something that costs any money or needs any money set aside for it. It just needs to have the authorization extended.” 

Americans should not be forced to pay the price for President Trump's refusal to negotiate. I’ll keep doing everything I can to break through the gridlock and reopen the government so we can get back to work serving the people we were elected to represent.  

Find a detailed FAQ on what a shutdown means for essential services and San Diego families here. 

Finally, I aim for this newsletter to be an informative, fact-based recap of what’s happening in Washington and the work I’m doing to address what’s important to San Diego. If you know folks who would appreciate these updates like you do, please feel free to forward this email or encourage them to sign up to receive them here. 

Thanks, and take care.