Party of Two: Ossoff and Warnock Stand Alone on Shutdown Vote

The Senate took the first steps to end the longest federal government shutdown in history on Sunday, but prominent Georgia leaders did not support the move.

Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock voted no on the funding bill because they said the proposal would double health insurance premiums for the 1.4 million Georgians who use the state’s online marketplace. The bill will temporarily fund the government through the end of January.

“Premiums are set to double for 1.4 million Georgians and nearly half a million Georgians could lose health insurance altogether. The President refuses to fix it and withholds SNAP benefits while the House has not even to come to work for six weeks,” Sen. Ossoff said in a statement on his official government website. “With health care votes ahead, the question is whether Republicans in Congress will join us to prevent catastrophic increases in health insurance premiums.”

This decision opens up Ossoff to criticism from Republicans as the 2026 election approaches. Ossoff is the only Democratic U.S. Senator on the ballot next year in a state that was won by President Donald Trump in 2024. 

Eight Senate Democrats joined Republicans to pass the temporary measure on Sunday.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp condemned Ossoff’s decision on X.

“Even when members of his own party chose to do the right thing and reopen the government, Sen. Ossoff did what Schumer told him to. Georgians won’t forget next November!” Kemp wrote.

Both Ossoff and Warnock have been fighting for Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. The Senate’s vote on Sunday allows for a later vote to extend ACA tax credits that expire Jan. 1. 

Sen. Ossoff on the continued threats to Georgians' health care and hospitals due to the Trump budget bill. pic.twitter.com/wwINwf5G4j

— Ossoff's Office (@SenOssoff) September 23, 2025