John,

When Congress passed a stopgap spending bill at the end of September to avert a government shutdown, they only provided funding to keep the government running through November 17th. That means we’re less than two weeks away from another potential government shutdown.

With a MAGA Speaker of the House who, in his first legislative order of business, passed legislation to cut IRS funding, you can only imagine what’s next.

Extremists in the House want to slash funding for education, housing, public health, and much more, including:[1]

• A reduction of about 220,000 teachers or other key K-12 staff in schools serving low-income students

• Up to 82,000 children losing access to Head Start

• Half a million fewer people getting job training or employment services

• 20,000 low-income households denied rental housing vouchers, dramatically increasing their housing costs

• Deep cuts to the monthly allotments for fresh fruits and vegetables for young children and mothers in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program

• Cuts of $564 million to programs that reduce lead poisoning and other hazards in housing, threatening 78,000 children

We know that when the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share of taxes, we can afford critical investments in working people and families.

Send a message to your senators and representative now and demand Congress pass a bipartisan funding bill now that averts a government shutdown and that rejects cuts that harm working people.

Shutdowns harm people. Here are just some of the effects:[2]

• 10,000 or more children could be turned away from Head Start and WIC within weeks, with additional thousands more losing access if a shutdown lasts more than a month.

• Immigration court hearings will be canceled, affecting tens of thousands of migrants and adding to the backlog.

• No new Social Security cards will be processed and—depending how long a potential shutdown lasts—customer service for the Social Security Administration could be significantly disrupted.

• While all Veterans Affairs medical facilities and clinics will remain open, their call centers and hotlines will close.

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspections would stop.

• The National Labor Relations Board’s ability to mediate labor disputes would stop.

• The Environmental Protection Agency’s inspections of drinking water systems, hazardous waste sites, and others would stop.

• The Food and Drug Administration would be unable to carry out most of its food inspection responsibilities.

Take action today and demand Congress avert a government shutdown while rejecting cuts to public services that are critical to millions of working people nationwide.

Congress needs to know that we can’t cut our way to prosperity. Instead, it’s time to make the rich and corporations pay their fair share in taxes so we can invest in our future.

Thank you,

Maura Quint
Campaign Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund

[1] House Republicans’ Appropriations Bills Would Devastate the American People - and Break the Bipartisan Budget Agreement
[2] Impacts of Government Shutdown