Dear John,

It’s been over a week since the government shut down. And despite this crisis, the House of Representatives remains in extended recess. Our leaders in Congress need to come together to make sure people in our country don’t suffer by letting health care insurance premiums skyrocket. No more threats of permanently firing federal employees or threats of no backpay for the 750,000 furloughed government employees from the Trump administration. We need Congress to get to work and do what’s best for their constituents.

We need our elected officials to work together to find a solution that ends the shutdown, funds the government, and keeps costs down for families. They can protect millions of people from astronomical increases in their health care premiums by working to pass a bipartisan funding bill. A bipartisan bill could prevent the expiration of vital Affordable Care Act tax credits, repeal the catastrophic Medicaid cuts passed earlier this year, and put guardrails in place so that President Trump can’t illegally withhold funds from programs like Head Start. If they refuse, millions of Americans will see their health insurance premiums more than double—some seeing costs rise over $1,000 annually.

Some of our elected officials are willing to shut down the government in order to make women and families poorer and sicker so that the rich can get richer. Send a message to Congress now: pass a funding bill that protects women and families from soaring health care costs.

For justice,

Angel Padilla 
he/him 
Vice President for Strategy & Policy 
National Women's Law Center