WASHINGTON- Twenty-two days after the government shutdown, California Rep. Kevin Kiley spent an hour of his morning in Washington leading a group of Grass Valley high school students through the empty hallways of the U.S. Capitol.
Normally, one of his staff members would have led the tour. But the Capitol is closed to all tours during the shutdown unless the elected member is present. So schoolchildren at Lyman Gilmore High School ended up with Kiley, a Rocklin Republican, as their personal tour guide.
“I would have visited these kids anyway,” Kiley said in his office after the event. “But I actually got to do the whole tour of the Capitol with them, too.”
Kiley's impromptu tour is an example of how members of California's congressional delegation are improvising their routines as the shutdown drags on and much of Washington remains at a standstill.
Some are in Washington in case negotiations resume, others are back in their districts, meeting with federal workers who are laid off or working without pay, giving interviews or visiting community health centers that rely on central tax credits for budget negotiations. One member attended the inauguration of a flood control project in his district. Others travel from one place to another.
“I've had to fly back to Washington for caucus meetings, while the opposition, the Republicans, don't even meet,” Rep. Maxine Waters, a longtime Los Angeles Democrat, said in an interview. “We will meet anytime, anywhere, anywhere, with [House Speaker Mike] Johnson, with the president, with the Senate, to do everything we can to open the government. “We are absolutely united on that.”
The closure is being felt throughout California, which has the most federal workers outside the District of Columbia. Food assistance benefits for millions of low-income Californians could will soon be delayed. And millions of Californians could see their health care premiums rise dramatically if Affordable Care Act subsidies are allowed to expire.
For the California delegation, the consequences at home have become impossible to ignore. However, the shutdown is in its fourth week and there is no end in sight.
In the House, Johnson has refused to call members back together and has prevented them from doing legislative work. Many California lawmakers, including Kiley, one of the few Republican lawmakers to openly criticize him, have been dismayed by the impasse.
“I've certainly emphasized the point that the House needs to be in session, and that canceling the month-long session is not a good thing for the House or the country,” Kiley said, noting that he had met privately with Johnson.
Kiley, who represented parts of suburban Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, faces political uncertainty as California voters weigh whether to approve Proposition 50 on Nov. 4. The measure would redraw the state's congressional districts to better favor Democrats, leaving Kiley at risk, although the Republican says he believes he could still win if his right-leaning district is redrawn.
The Senate has been more active, holding a series of floor votes and congressional hearings with the prosecutor. General Pam Bondi and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. However, the chamber has been unable to reach an agreement to reopen the government. On Thursday, the 23rd day of the shutdown, the Senate failed to advance competing measures that would have paid federal employees who have been working without compensation.
The Republicans' plan would have paid active-duty military members and some federal workers during the shutdown. Democrats backed a bill that would have paid all federal workers and prohibited the Trump administration from laying off more federal employees.
“California has one of the largest federal workforces in the country, and no federal worker or service member should lose their paychecks because Donald Trump and Republicans refused to come to the table to protect Americans' health care,” Sen. Alex Padilla said in a statement.
Working conditions are getting tougher
The pressure on federal employees (including those working for the 54-member California delegation) is starting to become more evident.
Dozens of them have been working full-time without pay. Their jobs include answering phone calls and requests from constituents, setting schedules for elected officials, writing policy memos and handling messages for their offices.
House Speaker Mike Johnson talks about the shutdown at a news conference Thursday with other Republican House members.
(Eric Lee/Getty Images)
By the end of October, House staffers, who are paid monthly, are not expected to receive their first paycheck.
Some have been quietly told to consider borrowing money from the U.S. Senate Federal Credit Union, which is offering a “government shutdown relief loan program” that includes an interest-free loan of up to $5,000 that will be repaid in full after 90 days.
The mundane has also been disrupted. Some of the cafes and coffee carts that are normally open to staff are closed. The lines to enter office buildings are long because there are fewer entrances open.
The hallways leading to the offices of California's elected officials are silent, except for the occasional faint sound of elevators. Many of their doors are adorned with signs showing who they blame for the government shutdown.
“Trump and the Republicans shut down the government,” reads a sign posted on the door leading to the office of Rep. Norma Torres (D-Pomona). “Our office is OPEN – WORKING for the American people.”
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, posted a similar sign outside his office.
A sign is posted outside the office of Rep. Ted Lieu, a California Democrat, in Washington on Wednesday.
(Ana Ceballos/Los Angeles Times)
Rep. Vince Fong, a Republican who represents the Central Valley, has been traveling between Washington and his district. Two weeks after the shutdown, he met with veterans from the Central Valley Honor Flight and the Kern County Honor Flight to ensure the planned tour of the Capitol would not be interrupted by the shutdown. Like Kiley's tour with the schoolchildren, an elected member needed to be present for the tour to continue.
“His presence ensured that the tour could continue as planned,” Fong's office said.
During the tour, veterans also got to see Johnson, his office said.
Shutdown highlights deep divisions
California's congressional delegation reflects the broader stalemate in Washington, where entrenched positions have kept both sides at an impasse in negotiations.
Democrats remain steadfast in their position that they will not agree to a deal unless Republicans extend Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire at the end of the year, while Republicans accuse Democrats of failing to reopen the government for political gain.
Kiley is one of the few Republicans who has called on Johnson to negotiate with Democrats on health care. Kiley said he believes there is “a lot of room to negotiate” because there is concern on both sides of the aisle if the tax credits expire.
“If people see a massive increase in their premiums… that's not a good thing,” he said. “Especially in California, where the cost of living is already very high and suddenly you have to pay a lot more for health care.”
Rep. Robert Garcia, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, at a press event Wednesday with five other California Democrats spoke about the need to fight for health care credits.
Garcia, of Long Beach, said he recently visited a health care facility in San Bernardino County that serves seniors with disabilities. He said the cuts would be “devastating” and would result in the center closing.
“That's why we're doing everything in our power to negotiate a deal that reopens the federal government and saves health care,” he said.
As the shutdown continues, many Democrats are holding firm on the issue.
At an Oct. 3 event outside Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, for example, Rep. Laura Friedman held a news conference with nurses and hospital staff and said she would not vote for a bill to reopen the government unless there was a deal on health care.
Last week, the Glendale Democrat said her position has not changed.
“I will not support a shutdown deal that strips tens of thousands of my constituents of health care,” he said.
