Rep. Diana DeGette, who has represented Colorado’s 1st district in the U.S. Congress since 1997, used her social media platform this week to criticize Congressional Republicans and former President Donald Trump over ongoing debates about health care costs and a potential government shutdown.
On September 29, DeGette questioned Republican leaders’ positions on health care policy, posting: “Congressional Republicans are ‘split’ on whether or not to raise health care costs by thousands of dollars? Extending support for ACA premiums is a no-brainer, but clearly, Republican leaders are fine with letting health care costs skyrocket.”
Later that day, she addressed actions by Donald Trump in relation to federal spending and the looming threat of a government shutdown. In her post, DeGette wrote: “Donald Trump is bragging about the quality of gold decorations in the Oval Office and sending $20 billion to Argentina while he is about to shut down the government, strip necessary services away from low-income families, and cause health care costs to skyrocket.”
On September 30, as negotiations continued in Washington regarding funding legislation, DeGette posted another statement criticizing her Republican colleagues’ absence from Capitol Hill: “I’m here with my Democratic colleagues ready to keep the government open, but Congressional Republicans are on vacation. They won’t even be in Washington tonight when they shut the government down. It’s shameful.”
DeGette has been an active member of Congress since succeeding Pat Schroeder in 1997. Before her tenure in Congress, she served in the Colorado House of Representatives from 1993 to 1997. Born in Tachikawa, Japan in 1957 and currently residing in Denver at age 65, DeGette holds a BA from Colorado College (1979) and a JD from New York University (1982).
