News Photo by Reagan Voetberg The sign in front of the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center stating "closed until further notice" is seen on Thursday afternoon in Alpena.

ALPENA — As elected officials point fingers as to who is to blame for the current shutdown of the federal government, local federal employees are now furloughed and have to go without paychecks until a budget deal is reached or a continuing resolution is approved by both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

The House already passed a Continuing Resolution, which would have kept the government open at its current spending level, but it failed in the Senate, which paved the way for the shutdown.

In Alpena, employees for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife office in Alpena and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) workers at the The Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center have been sent home until politicians in Washington, D.C. can agree on a funding deal. The employees will not receive paychecks while out of work, but, when a deal is reached, they should receive backpay. Staff and military personnel that are considered essential at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents at the Alpena County Regional Airport will continue to work and train, but not be paid until a deal is reached and then they should receive back pay, too.

Health care is one of the primary sticking points that is preventing a budget deal from getting done.

Democrats insist on an extension of health insurance tax credits for the Affordable Care Act that were implemented during the COVID-10 pandemic and help millions afford coverage. The increased credits are slated to expire and Democrats say it will lead to a hike in health care costs.

The Republicans are resisting the move because they claim the Democrats seek an increase to provide free health care for illegal immigrants.

U.S. law prohibits unauthorized immigrants from gaining any federally subsidized health care coverage — through Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, the Children’s Health Insurance Program or otherwise.

U.S. Senator for Michigan Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, said the Affordable Care Act has helped lower insurance costs and saved lives since it was established under President Barack Obama.

“I fought tooth-and-nail to pass the Affordable Care Act to ensure that families across Michigan could get access to quality, affordable health care coverage,” Peters said in a press release. “In the years since it was signed, that law has literally saved lives by ensuring Michiganders can access the care they need, regardless of preexisting health conditions or economic status. We must take action to ensure families can continue to afford their health care”

Congressman Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, said that he voted several weeks ago to support a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open and Democrats agreed just earlier this month that a short-term, nonpartisan bill was the right path forward. He said now they have decided instead to close the government, which will harm many Americans. Bergman added that if federal employees are going to miss paychecks during the shutdown, then so should the lawmakers who caused it.

“Democrats in the Senate rejected it — demanding Chuck Schumer’s $1.5 trillion left-wing wishlist instead,” Bergman said. “If Congress can’t do its job and fund the government, there’s no reason Members of Congress should keep getting paychecks. That’s why I joined Rep. Ralph Norman to introduce an amendment to end Member pay during shutdowns — with no back pay.”

Bergman continued, “I’ve also cosponsored Rep. Jen Kiggans’ Pay Our Troops Act to guarantee Servicemembers receive their pay and benefits, no matter what. Republicans in the House and Senate don’t want a shutdown. President Trump doesn’t want a shutdown. The American people don’t want a shutdown. It’s time to put our country first, end this chaos, and keep the government open.”

In his press release, Peters indicated he would continue to fight for the health care credits, but is willing to discuss budgetary issues across the aisle.

“No one wants a government shutdown, but health care premiums are estimated to double, and this Administration has already shown they don’t care if costs go up for hardworking families,” Peters said. “Michiganders elected me to fight for them. I stand ready to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reach a bipartisan deal that prevents health care costs from rising even more and meets the needs of all of our communities.”

On Tuesday, the Trump Administration announced it struck a deal with Pfizer to lower drug costs for Americans. Pfizer is a world leading pharmaceutical manufacturer and Trump claims the new deal will allow all their medications to be covered by Medicaid.

The deal will also lower costs for their pharmaceuticals, and invest $70 billion in domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing and research.

Bergman told The News on Tuesday that the Pfizer deal is “a win” for Americans.

“President Trump’s announcement is welcome news for those of us who have long advocated for bringing production and manufacturing back to the U.S. and making life-saving prescriptions more affordable for seniors and families,” Bergman said. “Anytime we can lower drug costs while creating jobs at home and ending reliance on foreign manufacturing, that’s a win. If other companies follow Pfizer’s lead, it could create a ripple effect that not only makes critical medications more accessible but also delivers real, meaningful savings for the families who rely on them.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.