John,

We’re in a partial federal government shutdown and political leaders in Washington are using it to inflict pain on real people, along with ignoring the very real struggles that families are facing to afford health care and other basic needs.

Government workers are among the first to be hurt by the federal government shutdown. After spending the majority of the year navigating haphazard and ridiculous firings, fighting back against brutal cuts that gutted agencies, and standing up to Donald Trump’s union-busting, federal workers are now navigating a shutdown being implemented by an executive branch whose mission is cruelty, not compassion―and the administration is using them as political pawns in their partisan games instead of coming together to craft a bipartisan plan to end the shutdown.¹

Furloughed federal workers mean some services will be delayed, such as processing new applications for benefits including Social Security. But this shutdown is unpredictable, since President Trump has clearly stated he wants to use it as an excuse to do more of what he’s already been doing: firing workers and shutting down programs he doesn’t like.

To keep you updated on the impacts of the shutdown and how we can work together to protect our communities, we’re organizing a webinar next Tuesday, October 7th at 4:00 pm ET. We’ll hear from the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) about how the shutdown is impacting government workers, we’ll get expert overviews of how people who need services are or will be affected, and we’ll hear from polling experts on how the public is reacting to the shutdown―and how to effectively communicate what’s at stake for health care and other basic needs.

Join us on Tuesday, October 7th at 4:00 pm ET for our webinar:
The Shutdown: What’s Happening, Who’s Affected, and How to End It the Right Way

On this call, we’ll learn more about what services and government agencies may shut down and which may remain open, albeit with likely delays.

To show Congress the impact of their policies on our communities, we’re collecting stories from people across the country to hear about the ways the Big Brutal Bill, the freezing of billions in funding, and now the shutdown are impacting them.

Please help us spread the word. Encourage others in your networks to share their experiences so that these stories are not only collected but amplified. The more examples we have, the stronger our collective advocacy will be, ensuring policymakers understand the real and widespread consequences of these funding decisions, and making it impossible for them to hide from those consequences.

To fill out the form, click here. Please note: We will use the information you provide (anonymously, if you choose) to inform policymakers and the public, and encourage more activism.

We can’t do any of this work without your continued support. If you can’t make it to the webinar, donate $5 to fund our fight for vulnerable communities today.

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your secure donation will go through immediately:

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs

¹Unions sue over Trump's 'illegal' plan to fire many federal workers in a shutdown