As the federal government shutdown enters its fourth week — now the second-longest in U.S. history — Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) finds himself at the center of a political storm that could end up deciding not only Georgia’s fate but control of the U.S. Senate.
Ossoff, who has to run for re-election in 2026 in a state Donald Trump carried in 2024, is the only Democratic senator up for re-election in such a politically challenging environment. His win — or loss — could very likely determine whether Democrats regain the Senate in 2026.
At the heart of the stalemate are Democrats’ demands to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that are set to lapse at the end of the year. If they are not extended, millions of Americans — roughly 1.5 million Georgians — would lose affordable health insurance, according to federal projections.
“Georgians don’t want their health insurance premiums to go up, and they want the federal government reopened,” Ossoff said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday. “It’s in everybody’s interest to achieve those goals.”
Shutdown Politics Become Personal in Georgia
Republicans have utilized the crisis to attack Ossoff, branding the standoff the “Schumer-Ossoff Shutdown.” GOP challengers Rep. Mike Collins, former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, and Rep. Buddy Carter have all staged campaign events outside Ossoff’s Atlanta office, with Collins going as far as to deliver a mock “pink slip” to symbolize firing the senator.
Carter accused Democrats of “holding hostage our troops and federal workers,” and Dooley criticized Ossoff for “waiting until the eleventh hour” to secure health care subsidies.
Ossoff, however, has sought to portray himself as a moderate. He voted with Republicans last week to pay federal workers and contractors who are going unpaid, along with fellow Georgia Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock.
“The political situation in Washington is so poisonous that it’s rendering it very difficult,” Ossoff stated, calling for “high-level involvement” by President Trump and for the House to be recalled into session.
Health Care Crisis Looms Over Georgia
Georgia’s health care system is balancing on a knife’s edge. Georgia is one of 10 states that have refused to expand Medicaid, which makes more residents than ever dependent on the ACA marketplace for coverage. Some 1.5 million Georgians are on those plans — and 340,000 would lose coverage if the federal subsidies expire, reports Georgians for a Healthy Future, a nonprofit that advocates for wider access to care.
“Because so many low-income Georgians are enrolled in marketplace coverage, even modest rate increases would push them out of the insurance pool,” said the group’s executive director, Laura Colbert.
Already, next year’s premiums are soaring. Kirk Lyman-Barner, an insurance agent in Americus, said new quotes are up to ten times higher for some low-income clients — from as little as $10 a month to $140–$160. Middle-income families are also feeling the pinch, with some seeing their monthly costs inflate from $900 to nearly $2,000.
“To date, everything is as bad or worse than they anticipated,” Lyman-Barner said. “It’s too late to repair it for 2026. Many individuals will drop out.”
Republicans Split Over Way Forward
As Republican candidates in Georgia beat up on Ossoff, not all GOP members are reading from the same script. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a Trump ally, broke ranks this week to condemn her party’s inability to come up with an alternative health care proposal.
“Is it too much to ask what my party’s off-ramp off Obamacare is?” Greene posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Nov. 1 is open enrollment — and premiums are already skyrocketing.”
Despite her resistance to the ACA, Greene’s remarks refer to growing tension among Republicans as voters are infuriated by inflated medical bills and the prolonged shutdown.
Shutdown Fallout Escalates Nationwide
As political negotiations stall, the actual consequences are piling up.
SNAP food assistance (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) runs out after Friday.
Head Start pre-kindergarten programs are slated for budget cuts, affecting thousands of low-income families.
Flight delays are increasing as TSA employees and air traffic controllers work without getting paid.
Democrats contend that the Trump White House could utilize $5 billion in reserve funding to continue benefits on a temporary basis, but the White House has given no suggestion that it would do that.
High Stakes for Ossoff — and the Senate
For Ossoff, the shutdown could define his re-election campaign. Democrats are betting that voter outrage over higher premiums will lead voters to blame Republicans. Polls show most Americans — including many Southerners — support extending ACA subsidies.
But if the shutdown drags on and economic pain grows, voters may be angry at both parties — a risk for Ossoff in a state where partisan margins are tiny.
“Ultimately, if Republicans in Congress and the president simply are not going to act on the staggering increases in health care costs for the American public,” Ossoff said, “perhaps the only recourse the public will have is next year’s election.”
As Georgia returns to being a national political battleground, Ossoff’s fate — and perhaps the balance of the Senate — could rest on how quickly Washington can determine how to cut through the stalemate and protect Americans from out-of-control health costs.
