Friends,

We’re now days into a government shutdown — all because Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress would rather burn the whole thing down than work with Democrats to make health care affordable.

Unless Congress acts, millions of Americans will see their health insurance premiums more than double next year. Certain Affordable Care Act subsidies that Democrats expanded in 2021 are set to expire — but when we fought to renew them, the White House’s response was literally — and I’m not joking — “go f*ck yourself.”

Earlier this week, after refusing to swear in Congresswoman-elect Grijalva and shutting down the House, Speaker Mike Johnson said he “quite literally [has] nothing to negotiate” with Democrats.

That tells you everything you need to know about whether they’re negotiating in good faith.

Meanwhile, Trump is threatening mass firings and promising to cut so-called “Democrat agencies” — which seems to mean any agency that actually helps people??

So instead of making health care more affordable and keeping the government open, here’s what Trump chose instead:

— No food safety checks on what’s in your fridge

— Longer TSA lines and fewer air traffic controllers on duty

— National parks locked up or piling up trash

— Passports and visas stuck in limbo

— Farmers and small businesses cut off from federal loans

— Cancer trials and disease research on hold

— Disaster relief delayed when Americans need it most

— Service members, FBI agents, and border patrol working without pay

— Outbreak monitoring slowed

All because Trump and Republicans would rather shut down the government than do their jobs working for the American people. Republicans would rather sabotage basic services than support working families. And while they walk away from the negotiating table and hide from their constituents, Democrats are still fighting — to protect your care, your benefits, and Congress’ constitutional power of the purse.

It might seem like there’s not much you can do right now, but the truth is there’s actually a lot! We need to turn up the pressure and make it impossible for Republicans and this administration to ignore us.

So, call your elected officials and keep calling until this shutdown ends. If your representative is a Democrat, tell them you support what they’re doing. If your representative is a Republican, demand they come to the negotiating table. Join a peaceful protest near you. Volunteer your time in your community. Help a local candidate knock on doors in your community before Election Day.

And if you’re able, chip in to my campaign so I can continue my work holding Trump and Republicans accountable, and flip the House next year.

The louder our voices, the harder it will be for Trump and his allies to keep putting extremist politics over people’s lives.

Thanks for speaking out.

—Sara