Indian-American Congressman Blames House Republicans for Shutdown Disruptions
WASHINGTON — Indian-American Rep. Suhas Subramanyam on Sunday blamed House Republicans for prolonging a government shutdown crisis that has disrupted air travel nationwide, saying a bipartisan Senate deal could have eased the situation if it had been brought to a vote.
Subramanyam, a Democrat from Virginia, said the Senate proposal had unanimous Republican support in that chamber and backing from House Democrats, but was blocked by Republican leadership in the House.
“It was a deal that the Senate Republicans passed unanimously, with House Democrats willing to support it,” Subramanyam said. “House Republicans are the only thing standing in the way of ending this airport chaos right now.”
He pushed back on claims that the Senate bill failed to fund key immigration and border agencies, saying it included major operational support.
“That’s not how I read it. It funded everything about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), basically, and part of Customs and Border Protection (CBP),” he said.
The shutdown has led to long lines at airports across the country, as Transportation Security Administration workers go unpaid and Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel have been deployed to help manage operations.
Subramanyam said the disruption could have been avoided if House lawmakers had been allowed to vote on the Senate measure.
“We didn’t get to vote on the Senate proposal at all,” he said. “If we had actually voted on it in the House, it would have passed.”
He argued that the impasse reflects internal divisions within the Republican Party rather than a lack of bipartisan agreement.
“That’s what leadership decided to do in the Republican Party,” he said.
Subramanyam also pointed to growing public frustration with the shutdown’s impact on travel, particularly during the busy spring break season.
“For the average American traveler… they’re looking at all this going, am I going to be able to make it to spring break?” he said.
He added that protests held across the country signal broader concerns about government policies. “I went to six,” Subramanyam said, referring to “No Kings” rallies. “There’s so much excitement. There’s so much energy.”
On foreign policy, Subramanyam called for greater congressional oversight of any potential deployment of U.S. troops abroad.
“This President (Donald Trump) should be coming to Congress now,” he said, adding that Americans “deserve to have a say through their Congress.” (Source: IANS)
