Dear John,
The government shutdown continued this week, as Democrats and Republicans remained locked in a stalemate. Democrats are fighting to keep the tax credits for the Affordable Care Act that make private health insurance plans more affordable, and restore funding for Medicaid that was gutted in the Republican budget bill this summer.
With open enrollment beginning soon, the ACA tax credit issue will have immediate consequences for the American public. If the tax credits expire, the average enrollee will pay more than double their usual premium next year, according to the nonpartisan health research organization KFF.
Americans want the shutdown to end—but not if it comes at the cost of affordable healthcare, according to polling from Navigator. Which only makes sense: across polls and years, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act are overwhelmingly popular among voters. No matter how much they claim to be acting in Americans’ best interests, Trump and the Republican party are by no means making a popular decision in axing the credits and decimating Medicaid. And they may very well suffer for it, come midterm elections, with polling showing that more Americans blame Trump and the Republicans for the shutdown over Democrats.
The Supreme Court began its new term this week. On Tuesday, the Court heard arguments in Kaley Chiles v. Patty Salazar, a case challenging Colorado’s law that bans conversion therapy for minors—a long-discredited practice that causes lasting harm and increases suicide risk among LGBTQ+ youth. In the arguments, a number of justices worryingly expressed concern that the laws restrict free speech, and signaled skepticism towards state-level bans.
And in Louisiana v. Callais, a case challenging the congressional map that Louisiana adopted in 2024, the Voting Rights Act’s crucial protections are once again under attack. The case, which was first heard last term but remained undecided, will be re-argued this coming week, on the 15th. If you’re in D.C., make your voice heard—join a rally for the VRA in front of the Supreme Court as the Court hears oral arguments.
Chiles v. Salazar and Louisiana v. Callais are far from the only concerning cases on the docket this term—to say nothing of the “shadow docket,” which the Court has used liberally to wreak all sorts of havoc over its summer recess. For more analysis of what’s coming up at the Supreme Court, Steve Vladeck joins Michele Goodwin on the latest On the Issues—you can listen here.
From the debates raging on Capitol Hill over vital programs that keep millions of Americans healthy, to the ICE raids terrorizing the streets of Chicago and beyond, it’s no time for us to be staying silent. We hope you’ll join us for the next No Kings Day on October 18—click here to find a rally near you. Far too much is on the line for us to stay indoors.
For equality,
