Davis shares government shutdown concerns

U.S. Rep. Don Davis visited Goldsboro Tuesday to call for an end to the U.S. government shutdown and to help eastern North Carolinian families get the flood insurance and health care benefits they need.

Davis, a Democrat who represents the 1st Congressional District, held a press conference at his Goldsboro office, at 2803 Cashwell Drive, to call on the nation's leaders to end the government shutdown.

During the press conference, Davis outlined several concerns given by eastern North Carolinian families, including those from Goldsboro, that he has heard since the federal government shut down on Oct. 1.

One of those concerns was Social Security payments, how the shutdown will affect them, and whether they will continue. Davis said they will continue.

According to the Social Security Administration, in the event of a federal government shutdown due to a lapse in funding, payments to Social Security beneficiaries and (Supplemental Security Income) recipients will continue with no change in payment dates.

"Many seniors rely on Social Security," Davis said. "And they've reached out to us to ensure the government's shutdown is not impacting their Social Security payments."

Davis said due to the shutdown, nearly 6,000 federal employees in the Social Security Administration are being furloughed, meaning they are placed in a temporary, unpaid, non-working status. He said that has affected data from getting to people that informs them on their cost-of-living adjustments for 2026, but those operations through the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will resume once the shutdown ends.

"Because of those furloughs, there's right now a pause on when the announcement will be made surrounding the COLA for next year, for those who own Social Security," Davis said. "After the shutdown ends, the bureau will resume operations and publish this information."

Another topic Davis addressed Tuesday was health care concerns brought up by U.S. citizens, especially people from his district.

On Sept. 19, the House passed House Resolution 5371, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act 2026, which is designed to continue funding federal agencies through Nov. 21.

The bill passed with a slim 217-212 margin, with Davis joining 209 other Democrats and two Republicans, Rep. Victoria Spartz and Rep. Thomas Massie, in voting against it, according to congress.gov.

Afterward, the Senate has tried and failed to pass the bill five different times from Sept. 19 through Monday, leading to the government shutting down for the first time since the 35-day shutdown during President Donald Trump's first term in office, from Dec. 22, 2018, to Jan. 25, 2019.

Davis said he voted against H.R. 5371 due to no extensions of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, which nearly 70,000 families in his district depend on, being added into the bill, and due to concerns raised by families in his district, especially in rural areas, about their health care status.

Since 2021, American citizens have received extra savings, or enhanced premium tax credits, from the federal government to offset the cost of their marketplace health plans, Davis said.

Davis said the extra savings will expire by 2026 and may lead to residents either seeing their monthly health care costs go up, not getting as much health care assistance as before, or not being able to qualify for any at all.

"Many hard-working families in eastern North Carolina are reaching out to us," Davis said. "These are American citizens who are reaching out to us out of concern about their health care. These are small business owners. These are our neighbors, people that we know are hard-working, ordinary people across the east.

"One resident said to me, quote, 'I need my health care. I use healthcare.gov as a single mother and hairstylist. I'm not a billionaire. I need my insurance. Neither Congress nor the White House is on our side at this point.' "

Davis said he also wanted to clarify any concerns made by Americans and Republican leaders about the prospect of health care benefits being given to illegal immigrants.

When the federal government shut down on Oct. 1, Vice President J.D. Vance claimed that Democrats threatened to shut down the federal government "because they want to give hundreds of billions of dollars of health care benefits to illegal aliens."

Davis said he believes any illegal immigrants, or anyone who is in the U.S. illegally, should not receive taxpayer-funded health care.

"If again, the argument is it's not happening, then let's just make sure we're able to clarify this," he said. "So, I believe, equally, there needs to be clarity. That a deal is a deal. I think there are points right here in which we need to come to an agreement and a deal."

Davis also raised concerns about how the shutdown affects the National Flood Insurance Program, which provides more than $1.3 trillion in coverage to 4.7 million policyholders nationwide.

In North Carolina's 1st Congressional District, an estimated 11,614 National Flood Insurance Program policies are in force, representing roughly $3.22 billion in insured value, Davis said.

Due to the shutdown, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's authority to issue and renew National Flood Insurance Program policies expired at midnight on Sept. 30. While existing policies remain active, FEMA cannot issue new or renewal flood-insurance policies, placing property transactions and families at immediate risk, Davis said.

"Many of the communities across eastern North Carolina are rural, lower income, or relying even more so on the National Flood Insurance Program," he said. "We have to make sure that we reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program, and that is so important for eastern North Carolina."

Davis said Congress must work quickly to address those matters and other issues, such as a new Farm Bill to help farmers who grow soybeans and tobacco in North Carolina. He said it is now time for the nation's leaders to come together, get an agreement done and end the government shutdown.

"We need to be in Washington, D.C., going to work with the people," he said. "Let's get the government up and running. We want to help, and we want to make sure we're doing everything to connect you with resources.

"To the families of eastern North Carolina, we're listening to you. We're working for you."

Davis said he has also requested his pay to be withheld during the shutdown.

"As a member of Congress, I felt compelled to make sure I'm not receiving pay," he said. "That's the minimum that I believe that we should do. Lead with compassion and fight passionately here."