I asked people last week if you had any questions about the government shutdown. We got hundreds of responses, and I’d like to share answers to the most frequently asked questions we received.

Here we go:

“How can we ask the Republican controlled Congress to come to the negotiating table and still hold fast to our values?” — Philip from New York

By continuing to tell our health care stories and make our voices heard. An overwhelming majority of Americans want Congress to restore health care funding and ensure premium costs don’t go through the roof. We’ve got to make clear to Republicans that when Americans get those notices that their premiums are going up, or that they’re losing their Medicaid coverage, they’ll know who’s responsible.

Democrats will keep holding the line for health care. What can you do? Your stories are one of the most effective tools we have to get Republicans to the negotiating table. If you can, please share your health care story with me and my team here and I’ll carry it with me as I fight my heart out to restore funding.

“I've been wondering where the Republican members of Congress have gone? Feels like they've disappeared. Yes, the immediate question is healthcare; the larger question is if we still have a functioning government to work with.” — Nancy from Utah

Nancy, it’s a great question. Despite it being day 16 of the shutdown, Speaker Johnson has sent House Members home rather than work toward a solution. And Senate Republicans still refuse to sit down with us to negotiate reopening the government.

To be frank — and as your question mentions — Donald Trump has been trying to shut down our government ever since he took office. He has canceled funding that he doesn’t like, fired federal workers that he doesn’t like, and dismantled agencies that he doesn’t like. He is even using the shutdown as an excuse to fire even more workers. And where have Republicans been? It appears they’ve had their spines removed. That’s not a functioning government.

This was illegal when Trump did it before the shutdown and it’s illegal now. I'm going to keep holding the line and fighting for our government to serve the people. If you’re also not happy with how your Republican representatives have enabled this, keep calling them at (202) 224-3121 and let them know. They need to hear from their constituents on this.

“Is my Social Security check in jeopardy because of the shutdown?” — Robert from Ohio

Good question, Robert. No, during a government shutdown you should be receiving your Social Security check in the mail as normal. But I have to say, Donald Trump is literally doing everything he can to make it harder for people to get their Social Security checks. I’m keeping an eye on this issue.

“Will Medicare bills be paid during shutdown?” — Ann from Massachusetts

Yes. Medicare is still running, even during a government shutdown. But it’s a great question because this government shutdown fight is really about health care costs for Americans all across the country. And thinking about your Medicare bill is a pretty good way to have some perspective on this fight.

Imagine if you lost your health care. That could be life shattering for you and your family. Now that’s the experience of the 15 million Americans across the country who Trump and Republicans are trying to rip health care away from. That’s why Democrats are in the fight to restore health care.

“Will furloughed federal workers ever receive the wages they're losing during the shutdown?” — Lesley from Minnesota

open and what closes during a shutdown. To put it simply, some things that are deemed essential keep running — the post office delivers mail, Social Security checks go out, Medicare keeps running.

But a few things don’t happen during a government shutdown, including federal workers getting their paychecks. They just don’t. And the Trump White House this week put out an announcement that made it seem like those workers won’t even get back pay for the time missed.

Make no mistake: workers will be paid. This is nothing more than Trump fearmongering.

There’s actually a law on the books that says that federal workers will get back pay after a shutdown. And wait for it— guess who signed that law? Donald Trump.

So furloughed workers will receive their wages back after the shutdown. And I’m staying in this fight to make sure Trump follows the law and pays these workers.

“Many who work in the arts and entertainment industry rely on the ACA and Medicaid for affordable and comprehensive health insurance. Will lack of access to affordable care discourage working as a small business/freelancer or in the arts and entertainment industry as a whole?” — Angela in New York

Thank you for this question, it’s a good one. Here’s the thing: millions and millions of people rely on the ACA and Medicaid to cover their health insurance. And you’re right — lots of small businesses and freelance workers rely on the Affordable Care Act to pay for their health care bills.

But one thing I always think about is how many people are on Medicaid or the ACA and don’t even know it! It’s often called something different in each state. In Massachusetts it’s called MassHealth. In Oklahoma it’s called SoonerCare.

So millions of people are covered by these programs.

But it doesn’t stop there. Everyone — I mean everyone — will feel the impacts of the health care cuts that Republicans put in place. Because when we take that much money out of the health care industry, you’re looking at rural hospitals closing, and health care costs across the board going up, for everyone.

That’s what this fight is all about. And it’s why Democrats won’t give up on saving health care for millions and millions of Americans.

“How dare Trump offer to send $20 billion to Argentina? That money could be used to cover medical programs for Americans.” — Maryellen from California

It’s deeply shocking. For those of you who just read that question and thought, what the heck is she talking about? Here’s what’s going on. Right now, the Republicans and Donald Trump are working to make sure that Argentina gets a $20 billion bailout from American taxpayers.

Why? Because he’s trying to help out one of his Wall Street buddies. You heard that right. So while Trump is turning his back on tens of millions of Americans who are saying they cannot afford increases in their health insurance, he’s throwing $20 billion of your money to Argentina.

And I think that says it all. For Donald Trump and the Republicans, this isn’t about doing what’s right for Americans. No. If it were, they’d work with Democrats to lower health care costs and reopen the government. Instead, these Republicans have held zero negotiations with Democrats. Zero.

They own this shutdown. They own the consequences. And make no mistake: Democrats are going to keep pushing through their chaos to lower costs and save health care for millions of Americans.

I really appreciate each of you for submitting these questions. And I hope that these answers were helpful. Please keep submitting your questions here if you have them.

Thanks for being a part of this,

Elizabeth