I want to be frank: There are a lot of partisan games and wild claims being thrown around about the Republican government shutdown — and there are also real, serious implications for what this shutdown means for our country’s health care system.

I wanted to take a minute to answer some questions and ask you what you want to know.

Got a question for me about the government shutdown? Do you have a comment or story you want to share as Democrats fight to pass a budget that saves health care? Click here to share with me and my team.

Here are some answers to the questions you may be asking:

Why did the government shut down?

Republicans needed 60 votes to pass their budget and keep the government running by October 1 — and so they needed Democratic votes. Democrats have been trying to negotiate with Republicans to make sure that this budget addresses the millions of people who are about to lose their health care coverage or see their health care costs go way up.

That’s what we do in Congress. We negotiate. We fight to make life better for people. (You would think.)

But Republicans did not negotiate with us. Would-be king Donald Trump said, “We won’t even talk to you.” They expected us to just rubber-stamp any bill they wanted to keep their corrupt government running. That wasn’t going to happen.

Republicans failed to get the Democratic votes they needed to fund their government before the deadline. Now we are in a shutdown.

What are the Republican health care cuts you’re talking about?

Remember the One Big Beautiful Bill Republicans rammed through in July? That bill knocked 15 million Americans off Medicaid to give tax cuts to billionaires and giant corporations. This bill was able to pass even though zero Democrats voted for it.

These cuts mean that new mamas and babies who need check-ups are going to lose their care. Folks in nursing homes with Alzheimer’s will be kicked out onto the street. Rural hospitals will be shutting their doors. This is already happening: Just last week, a couple of rural health clinics in Virginia had to close because they couldn’t afford to lose federal funding.

Democrats are not going to stand by while millions of people lose access to health care.

And what are the insurance premium increases you’re talking about?

People who buy their plans on the Obamacare market could see their costs go up — way up.

That’s because Republicans want to cut subsidies that have kept those insurance costs down for millions of families. If you get your health coverage through Obamacare, your premiums could more than double.

Put that into perspective: If you’re a family of four making $75,000 a year, you’re going to pay $3,368 more for your health care plan next year if Congress passed the Republican budget they proposed.

Republicans are throwing a one-two punch here: Keep the Medicaid cuts from the Big, Ugly Bill — and also cut the Obamacare insurance subsidies that keep insurance costs low.

What are Republicans saying?

Republicans are trying to put the blame anywhere but on them. They have no real response to the health care crisis they caused — so they’re lying instead.

Their claim that this is about undocumented immigrants is false. They know that undocumented immigrants are not eligible for the Obamacare or Medicaid benefits that are being discussed.

They are making false claims and scapegoating vulnerable people to distract from the fact that they’ve kicked 15 million Americans off of their health care and that millions of families are going to see their health care costs get more expensive because of them.

Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House. They own this shutdown and they own this health care crisis.

What are Democrats saying?

There’s a simple way to get out of this shutdown. Republicans can come to the negotiating table and work with us to keep health care available and less expensive for people.

Pretty easy.

What happens during a government shutdown?

Government functions are halted during a shutdown. This means our national parks and museums could close, federal research projects are suspended, and services like passports and visas are stopped. Many federal workers could be furloughed and sent home without pay.

Make no mistake: this Trump shutdown will hurt people.

Children across this country could lose access to childcare through Head Start.

The National Institutes of Health Clinical Center could stop enrolling patients in clinical trials that could be their only shot at treatment.

Air traffic controller hiring could stop — at a time when we’re already dealing with a dangerous shortage.

Democrats are ready to get the government back open and working for the American people. We just need Republicans to get serious with us.

What other questions do you have for me about the shutdown, the health care crisis, or what Democrats are fighting for? Tell me what’s on your mind.

More from me soon — and thanks for being a part of this,

Elizabeth