MLive: Michigan Republican leader lobbies Sens. Slotkin, Peters to end federal shutdown impasse
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October 9, 2025
After several national news appearances last week to criticize budget vote opposition, U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain is now calling directly on Michigan’s two Democrat senators to help end the government shutdown.
As House Republican Conference chair, McClain, R-Bruce Township, is charged with heading GOP messaging. In a letter sent Oct. 8, she called on Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly and Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, to vote for a resolution, which has failed multiple times, that would fund the federal government for seven weeks.
A Peters spokesperson initially directed MLive to a Sept. 30 statement.
He later said, “If our Republican house colleagues are serious about reopening the government, they need to come back to Washington and work with us on a bipartisan agreement.
Both he and Slotkin previously shared that their reasons for voting no on the resolution were due to a lack of Republican negotiation on the budget, specifically on healthcare subsidies set to expire
They said Republicans - who control the White House, House and Senate - had not sought Democrat input on the temporary funding measure.
In a statement shared today with MLive, Slotkin said, “Since the government shutdown on October 1, the House has been on vacation. I’m in D.C. working, and my door is open to anyone who wants to open the government.
She said if Republicans want her vote, they have to “first, get in a room and negotiate and second, be ready to talk about health care.”
Both parties have assigned blame to the other side for the federal government shutdown and the lack of movement on a budget proposal.
The letter, sent Wednesday, Oct. 8, was signed by Michigan U.S. Reps. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton; Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet; John Moolenaar, R-Caledonia; Bill Huizenga, R-Holland Township; Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte and John James, R-Shelby Township.
“Our goal in passing this bill was quite simple,” they wrote of the resolution, “keep the government functioning for the American people.”
As of 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 1, Congress was unable to meet the deadline for funding the federal government, and a partial shutdown began with no clear end in sight.
You may read the full article from MLive here: https://www.mlive.com/politics/2025/10/michigan-republican-leader-lobbies-sens-slotkin-peters-to-end-federal-shutdown-impasse.html.