[1]National Nurses United



The federal government is still shut down, and things are about to get a
lot worse if Republicans in Congress don’t change course before midnight
tonight.

Democrats in Congress are standing strong in opposing any federal budget
that does not include an extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.
Right now, as it stands, more than 20 million patients will see their
health insurance premiums increase as open enrollment for the ACA
marketplace begins tomorrow. And if Trump and the Republicans refuse to
act by the end of the year, these costs are set to [ [link removed] ]more than double.

To make matters even worse, the Trump administration has chosen to cut off
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits that keep
42 million people — 60 percent of whom are children and seniors — from
starvation starting tomorrow, November 1st.

Under previous administrations, the USDA has continued to administer SNAP
even during government shutdowns. Trump would rather interrupt SNAP for
the first time in its 60-year history in an attempt to blame Democrats for
the shutdown instead of ensuring food aid gets to the millions of people
who rely on it.

There’s still time to stop this. Make a call to your representative and
senators now using the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and tell
them to oppose any federal budget that fails to protect our health care!

Feel free to use this script:

Hi, my name is _______. I am a constituent, and I’m a nurse/other health
care worker/patient/Medicaid recipient/ally. With SNAP benefits for 42
million people at risk of being cut tomorrow, on the same day that health
care marketplace premiums will skyrocket for more than 20 million
patients, the United States is on the verge of a public health emergency.
Republicans and the Trump administration could stop this, but instead,
they’re using this government shutdown to bully Democrats into choosing
between funding for health care and food. I urge you to vote for a budget
package like H.R. 5450/S. 2882, that protects our public health, and
oppose any budget that fails to do so. Thank you.

As National Nurses United (NNU) President Mary Turner, RN, said, “This is
a five-alarm fire. No parent should ever have to choose between paying for
food, health care, or housing for their family just because Republicans
have decided to use our patients as pawns.”

Nurses across the country are clear that opening the government now
without a health care deal will leave patients scrambling to figure out
how to afford their health insurance, and they know the Trump
administration could act immediately to ensure SNAP recipients receive
their much-needed benefits while Congress works to pass a fair funding
bill.

Nurses also know that, even once this immediate crisis is behind us, we
must continue to fight for a true solution to our broken health care
system that continuously puts so many people at risk – and that solution
is Medicare for All.

Please call (202) 224-3121 TODAY to make your voice heard on this
critically important issue. Thank you.

In solidarity,

National Nurses United



You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]