Dear John, 

This week, I held a press conference at my District Office in Sacramento urging Speaker Mike Johnson to call Congress back to D.C. and pass a bipartisan agreement to reopen the federal government and extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that are critical to keeping health care affordable for 24 million Americans — including 28,000 people right here in our district.

Covered California’s renewal period begins in just a few days on October 15, and Californians are already receiving notices warning that their premiums will skyrocket if Congress fails to act by the end of the year.

For example, a 60-year-old couple in Sacramento County earning $82,800 a year would see their annual health insurance premiums increase by 628% — a staggering $23,568 more out of pocket. Without congressional action, families like these across the country will face an impossible choice: take on an unsustainable financial burden or go without coverage altogether.

No one should have to make that choice. 

I also talked about how the ongoing government shutdown is hurting everyday Americans — from families planning visits to national parks, to troops and federal workers on the verge of missing a paycheck, to local students whose school trips to Washington, D.C. have been disrupted.

It’s time for Speaker Johnson to come back to the negotiating table. The longer this shutdown drags on, the more harm it does to working families, public servants, and our economy. We need to reopen the government, ensure our troops and federal employees get their paychecks, and get government working again for the American people.

If you haven’t already, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, YouTube, and Twitter/X to get my latest updates. 

Be Well,

Ami Bera, M.D.
Member of Congress