John,
The government shutdown now gripping the country is not an accident. It is the product of deliberate policy choices made by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans. They passed their “Big Ugly” tax law, which gave away $4.5 trillion, mostly to the rich and corporations.[1] They knew it would blow a hole in the budget. They knew it would trigger $500 billion in automatic cuts to Medicare under PAYGO rules. And they knew working families would be forced to pay the price.
Now, instead of reversing course, Republicans are doubling down. In the House, Republicans passed a partisan funding bill that rejects Democrats’ demands to address the healthcare crisis and to put guardrails on the Trump administration―requiring Trump to stop freezing congressionally appropriated funds.[2] They have pushed us into a shutdown that punishes workers, seniors, and parents while insulating their billionaire donors.
Republicans are not seeking compromise. They are rejecting proposals to restore healthcare funding. They are refusing to close the tax loopholes that allow the rich to avoid paying their share. And they are refusing to include explicit instructions on how the administration must spend our tax dollars. Instead, they are holding the government hostage to protect the same billionaires whose tax breaks caused this crisis.
Tell Congress to reject any government funding bill that sacrifices healthcare, Medicare, or essential services for working families to protect billionaire tax cuts.
Republicans exploded the national debt to deliver tax breaks to billionaires. Now they are pretending to care about deficits while demanding cuts to the very programs and services Americans depend on most. They have created a cycle where the rich always win and everyone else pays.
This shutdown is already inflicting harm. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers face furloughs, are forced to work without pay, or face potential mass firings. Families depending on SNAP are being left uncertain about their next meal. Seniors who rely on Medicare face cuts that could total half a trillion dollars. And millions of Americans will soon see higher healthcare costs because Republicans refuse to renew enhanced ACA premium tax credits that have been keeping healthcare more affordable for millions of households.
The American people overwhelmingly oppose this agenda. Majorities across party lines want billionaires and corporations to pay more in taxes, not less. They support protecting Medicare and Medicaid, not gutting them. Yet Republicans are siding with their billionaire donors instead of their own voters.
We cannot allow this to stand. A government shutdown caused by billionaire greed is not acceptable. Congress must pass a budget that serves the people who built this country, not the handful of ultra-wealthy individuals who are tearing it down.
Tell Congress to reject the billionaire shutdown and pass a budget that puts working families first.
Let’s hold the line against billionaire greed and protect healthcare and essential services.
John Foti
Legislative Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund
[1] TRUMP-GOP TAX LAW CLOSEUP: American Workers and Families Will Suffer from Full Extension of Trump Tax Law
[2] ACA cliff may mean ‘huge premium shock’ for 22 million people in 2026, expert says
-- David's email --
John,
The government shutdown crisis was manufactured by Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress. They wrote and passed their “Big Ugly” tax law (OBBBA) that delivered $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, mostly to the rich and corporations.[1] They gutted healthcare, food assistance, and essential services to pay for it. Now they are refusing to negotiate on a bill that Democrats are demanding re-invests in healthcare access and affordability.
This is not a budget fight. It is a political choice to put billionaires first and working Americans last. Republicans knew their tax law would blow a hole in the national debt. They knew it would trigger automatic cuts to Medicare under the PAYGO law. They knew it would raise healthcare costs for millions of families. And they went forward anyway.
The consequences are staggering. Families are facing half a trillion dollars in mandatory cuts to Medicare. ACA healthcare premiums will rise more than 75% on average on January 1st, with over 4 million people expected to lose coverage.[2][3] Federal workers are being furloughed, fired, or forced to work without pay. Families that rely on SNAP are facing food insecurity. Seniors, people with disabilities, and working parents are being sacrificed to protect tax breaks for billionaires and corporations.
Republicans are not seeking compromise. They are holding the entire country hostage in order to protect their wealthy donors. They are blocking any effort to restore healthcare funding. They are rejecting proposals that would roll back even the most damaging parts of their own tax law. And while they play political games in Washington, working families across America pay the price.
Tell Congress to reject any government funding bill that sacrifices working people to protect billionaire tax breaks.
Republicans alone created this crisis. They added $4.6 trillion to the national debt with their tax scam, then they used budget gimmicks to hide the costs. They ignored every warning that PAYGO rules would trigger automatic cuts to Medicare. And now they are insisting that working families cover the cost of their giveaways while billionaires remain untouched.
This is a direct attack on the American people. It is an attack on seniors who count on Medicare and Medicaid. It is an attack on parents who rely on Medicaid and ACA premium tax credits to cover themselves and their children. It is an attack on every worker who depends on the federal government to function and provide the services we all pay for. The only people protected are the billionaires and corporations whose tax cuts created this mess in the first place.
The American people know what is happening. Polls show that large majorities of voters, including many Trump voters, want the wealthy and big corporations to pay more of their fair share in taxes. Instead of listening, Republicans are working for their billionaire donors. They are willing to shut down the government rather than ask billionaires to give up even a fraction of their tax windfall.
This shutdown crisis exposes exactly who Republicans serve. They do not serve the public. They do not serve working families. They serve the billionaires who fund their campaigns and demand tax breaks in return. The shutdown is the bill coming due for the Big Ugly tax law, and Republicans are demanding that working families foot it.
Congress must pass a budget that protects families, not billionaires. Tell Congress to reject any government funding bill that doesn’t address our healthcare crisis.
Let’s stand together to reject the billionaire shutdown and fight for a budget that works for all of us.
David Kass
Executive Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund
[1] TRUMP-GOP TAX LAW CLOSEUP: American Workers and Families Will Suffer from Full Extension of Trump Tax Law
[2] ACA cliff may mean ‘huge premium shock’ for 22 million people in 2026, expert says
[3] Five Key Changes to ACA Marketplaces Amid Uncertainty Over Premium Tax Credit Enhancements
