Xavier Carrigan is a Democratic candidate in Iowa’s third Congressional district.

Picture a hostage tied to the tracks. The train is coming. The kidnappers demand a ransom, and the so-called heroes in Washington hand them the keys to the vault.

That’s what happened this fall. After 43 days of a federal government shutdown, Congress reopened the government but left millions of working Americans still bound to the rails. The funding bill keeps programs like SNAP food assistance running, restores federal pay, and prevents layoffs. Those things matter. But what didn’t make it into the deal will hurt far longer than any shutdown: the failure to extend the enhanced premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act.

According to KFF, if those credits expire at the end of 2025, average premiums could more than double from $888 to $1,904 per year. That is a 114 percent increase. Insurers are already preparing for hikes near 18 percent in 2026. These aren’t just numbers. They’re groceries you can’t buy, prescriptions you can’t fill, or heat you can’t afford this winter.

Eight U.S. senators who caucus with Democrats broke ranks to advance a deal that gave political insiders time and leverage. January 30, 2026, is the next cliff. Another train is already rumbling down the tracks.

Official statements called the deal “a bipartisan step forward.” But for millions of Americans, it’s another lurch backward. A deal that protects investors while leaving the working class paying the ransom—again.

Every handshake in Washington carves out another pound of flesh from people who can’t afford to lose more. That is not governance. That is cannibalism disguised as pragmatism.

Political insiders know exactly what they’re doing. They’ll take your health care, your stability, and your hope and feed it to those with influence. And just after the public sees the wreckage, they’ll tie you right back to the tracks, waiting for more handovers of the keys. Same play. Same pain.

The problem isn’t just compromise. It’s careerism. Career politicians negotiate from comfort. They don’t miss rent. They don’t face hunger. They trade away your security because they never feel the hunger their deals create.

We can’t keep electing caretakers for a dying system. We need gardeners; people who grow something lasting, who build from the soil up.

Which is why this crisis also underscores the necessity for a single-payer system, like Medicare for All. Premiums would no longer be a lottery; health care would no longer be held hostage. Instead, we would leverage the collective power of 350 million Americans to negotiate fair, universal pricing. Coverage wouldn’t depend on the whims of political insiders or the marketplace. Rather, it would be a right, guaranteed for everyone.

That’s why I’m running. I’m not planting a career; I’m planting a movement rooted in working-class strength and accountability. Plant seeds, not careers.

Because the next time someone ties us to the tracks, we won’t wait for Washington to hand over the keys. We’ll cut the rope ourselves.

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Top image of train tracks is by Fotoworkshop4you, public domain and available through Good Free Photos.