John,
The current government shutdown fight is the Democrats’ critical leverage point to win back healthcare and support for ordinary Americans after Trump’s GOP passed their devastating “Big Ugly Budget” bill.
Trump and his Congressional allies shut down the government because Democrats refused to rubber-stamp the Republicans’ bill that transferred huge amounts of wealth upward, from workers to the wealthy.
Now, Democrats face a critical choice: hold this moment of leverage to win real gains for the American people -- or give it away to protect the wealthy few. So far, so good -- mostly.
Unfortunately, three Senate Democrats -- Catherine Cortez Masto, John Fetterman, and Angus King (an independent who caucuses with the Democrats) -- have already sided with Trump and the Republicans. We must work to make sure no other Democrat joins them. Everyday Americans are already paying the price of that bill -- struggling to afford groceries, rent, and medical care.
Meanwhile, Trump and his allies are demanding that Democrats end the shutdown without addressing the harm their policies will cause. That would mean surrendering the only real leverage Democrats have to protect what Trump’s GOP has stolen from working families.
The bottom line is simple: Democrats must not cave. Encourage Democrats to stay united in demanding any agreement to reopen the government must reverse Trump’s cruel Medicaid cuts, extend ACA subsidies, lower costs, and protect healthcare for all.
If the shutdown ends on Trump’s terms, here’s what stays in place:
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$1 trillion in Medicaid cuts -- the largest in U.S. history -- that will push millions off their health coverage in the coming decade.
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The expiration of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, which could raise insurance costs by as much as 75% next year and leave 2.2 million Americans uninsured in the first year alone.
Such a failure of negotiation is nothing more than abject surrender. And surrender means deeper inequality, more suffering, and more power for those who already have too much.
This shutdown isn’t just about keeping the government open. It’s about who our government works for -- the people, or the powerful.
Democrats must stand united, using this single point of leverage to restore Medicaid funding, extend ACA subsidies, and deliver tangible relief for the people they represent. Anything less would betray the voters who gave them their mandate.
Democrats: Don't cave to Republican extremism! Protect our families and our health care!
This is the moment to fight -- and to win something that truly matters.
-DFA AF Team
