Dear John,

Democrats must reject the GOP funding bill, even if it means the government shuts down. Democrats must use their leverage to reverse some of the devastating cuts Republicans enacted earlier this year.

At midnight on September 30th, if Republicans fail to win the votes of seven Democratic senators, the federal government will shut down.

This is a crucial test for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who was widely seen as caving in last March when he supported the Republicans’ Continuing Resolution to keep the government open with zero concessions. Democrats must show that they stand for something, starting with rejecting Republicans’ devastating cuts to Medicaid and refusal to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies.

Democrats must stand firm to demand the restoration of Medicaid and extension of critical ACA subsidies. Anything less would be an abdication of their responsibility to the American people.

Send a message to Congress: Reject any funding bill that doesn't protect healthcare. Demand a budget that restores Medicaid funding and extends ACA premium tax credits.

Here’s what’s at stake if Democrats cave:

• The $1 trillion in cuts Republicans and Trump made to Medicaid – the largest in history – will remain in place, kicking millions of Americans off their health coverage over the next decade.

• Health insurance premiums will skyrocket for families. By allowing ACA premium tax credits to expire, premium costs are expected to rise by as much as 75% next year. The Congressional Budget Office warns that as many as 2.2 million people could lose their insurance in the first year alone.

This is Democrats’ best chance to fight back against the brutal cuts Republicans enacted earlier this year. Their big, ugly bill entrenches a system that funnels wealth and power upward, while stripping healthcare, food assistance, and basic security from those who have the greatest need. It deepens the inequality between a billionaire class that draws wealth to itself and working families struggling to afford groceries, housing, and healthcare.

Democrats must use this moment to reverse some of that damage and put working people over billionaires.

Tell Congress to vote against any government funding bill that allows vulnerable communities to continue to suffer.

Thank you for encouraging the Senate, and especially Senate Democrats, to stand strong.

Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action