John,

I wanted to make sure you saw Deborah’s email from yesterday.

Currently, Congress’ refusal to enact policies to help people, along with Trump’s autocratic cuts and horrid attacks on our neighbors¹, are tearing at the very fabric of our communities—hurting the people and places we love most. As these policies move forward, we cannot stay silent.

We must raise our voices together so that it’s impossible for Congress and decision makers to ignore.

This is why, on Tuesday, October 7th, we’re bringing folks together for an important shutdown webinar where we’ll hear from the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees union (AFSCME) and other experts on early impacts, and a polling expert from Groundwork Collaborative to discuss 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 7 at 4:00 pm ET for our webinar:
The Shutdown: What’s Happening, Who’s Affected, and How to End It the Right Way

REGISTER HERE

In addition to hosting our webinar, we’re also sending hundreds of thousands of messages to Capitol Hill² and collecting stories from people in impacted communities to share how the shutdown, Big Brutal Bill, upcoming increases in health premiums³, and funding freezes affect them.

Encourage others in your networks to share their experiences, and we’ll share their stories with policymakers. The more examples we have, the stronger our collective advocacy will be, ensuring Congress understands the real and widespread consequences of these funding decisions.

To fill out the form and share how the current policies in Washington, DC are impacting you and your family or others in your community, 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.

None of this critical advocacy is possible without your support. Can you rush a donation today to power our campaign demanding a government that works for the people, not billionaires and corporations?

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Thank you for all you do to hold Congress and the White House accountable to us, the people.

Meredith Dodson
Senior Public Policy Director, Coalition on Human Needs

¹ Chicago ABC News 7, via Letters from an American
² Tell Congress: Reject a government funding bill that doesn't address our health crisis or hold the Trump administration accountable.
³ How Much More Would People Pay in Premiums if the ACA’s Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire?

-- DEBORAH'S EMAIL --

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

REGISTER HERE

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.