By Angelica C. Gualpa
Three key Los Angeles County U.S. House delegation members resisted the GOP majority’s Friday passage of the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026 (H.R. 5371), which extends government funding at current levels through November 21.
U.S. Reps. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Culver City, View Park-Windsor Hills, parts of South LA), Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park, Alhambra, San Gabriel, Pasadena), and Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, Calabasas) all voted against the measure and spoke out against the “clean” Continuing Resolution (CR) bill, meaning it is free from policy riders and largely maintains funding from FY 2025.
The bill, however, also includes $30 million in security assistance for congressional lawmakers and $58 million for the Supreme Court and the executive branch in an increasingly violent and partisan country.
“With the passage of their Big Ugly Bill, Trump and Republicans destroyed health care in this country as we know it. I refuse to be complicit in anything that further denies health care for my constituents. That’s why I voted no on House Republicans’ one-sided, short-term continuing resolution,” said Kamlager-Dove.
“Democrats were crystal clear: we’ll work in good faith to keep the government open–but we won’t rubber-stamp anything that worsens the health care crisis created by Trump and Republicans. Shamefully, instead of working across the aisle, House Republicans chose to ram a partisan spending bill down the throats of the American people and push us closer to the brink of a shutdown,” the lawmaker added.
Chu also slammed House Republicans for doing nothing to stop the health care crisis they created. Fifteen million people are about to be kicked off of their insurance, and 24 million more will face premium hikes of up to 75%—the highest increase in 15 years, she said.
“Just two months ago, Republicans found it possible to permanently extend tax cuts for billionaires, adding trillions to the debt in the process. But now, when it comes to extending the health care benefits that working families rely on, they refuse to act. Their priorities could not be clearer,” said Chu.
“Democrats put forward a responsible plan to protect health care, extend Affordable Care Act tax credits that keep premiums affordable, and put working families first. Republicans, once again, are turning their backs on the American people, choosing to protect billionaires over the health and security of millions of Americans.”
Brownley charged House Republicans with surrendering Congress’s constitutional power of the purse to the Trump administration and pushing through reckless, unconstitutional cuts to Congressionally-approved spending.
“House Republicans have once again failed to negotiate a bipartisan agreement that puts the needs of the American people first. Democrats have been clear that we would support a bipartisan spending plan that strengthens health care, invests in public health, and helps families make ends meet,” said Brownley.
“Today’s partisan resolution fails to fix the health care crisis of their own making. It allows Trump and Kennedy to continue dismantling our health care system by ending life-saving research, including for children battling cancer, and weakening essential public health infrastructure, from disease prevention programs to vaccine distribution,” she added.
The measure needed passage of both chambers to prevent a possible financial shutdown of the federal government on Oct. 1. On the Senate side, a vote on the seven-week stopgap funding later in the day failed to obtain a 60-vote supermajority, meaning Congressional Democrats and Republicans have less than two weeks to agree to avoid a government shutdown.
California U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff voted with their Democratic colleagues against the House stopgap funding measure.
