The federal government is now in the midst of a shutdown.
After passing a partisan government funding bill, Speaker Mike Johnson put the House on recess and has refused to negotiate a bipartisan funding bill. Despite Donald Trump’s claim that Republicans don’t need Democrats to pass the continuing resolution (CR), they failed to get even a majority in the Senate on a partisan CR―and the Senate needs 60 votes to pass spending bills.
We need our allies to stand firm and demand a CR that extends the enhanced ACA premium tax credits, restores Medicaid funding cut in the Big Brutal Bill, and asserts Congress’s power of the purse to prevent the Trump administration from illegally freezing and rescinding funding for our communities.
So far, Donald Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought have cancelled or frozen more than $410 billion in funding for programs, including over $1 billion in substance use and mental health treatment, $250 million for school-based mental health grants (impacting over 200 programs in 30 states), and $500 million from the Emergency Food Assistance Program.
Click here to send a message to your senators and representative today.
Meanwhile, our health crisis demands immediate attention. Health insurance companies on the ACA marketplace are finalizing their premium increases now, which will go into effect January 1st. Families will start to get notices in the next few weeks about increased health costs before open enrollment begins on November 1st. The expiration of premium tax credits that help millions afford health care will drive up costs across the board, with payments expected to rise by over 75% on average, and in a dozen states, costs will more than double. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the number of uninsured people due to these increases could be as many as 2.2 million next year alone.
Tell Congress to vote against any government funding bill that allows vulnerable communities to continue to suffer.
Click here to send a message to your senators and representative today.
Please join The Arc of the United States, Center for American Progress, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, Little Lobbyists, Shriver Center for Poverty Law, and Social Security Works next Tuesday, January 28, from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.. ET for briefing on the Proposed Rule on Continuing Disability Reviews.
January 28, 2020
11:00 am-12:00 pm
385 Russell Senate Office Building
The Trump administration is attacking Social Security and demanding that 2.6 million people with disabilities fill out complex and unnecessary paperwork and cutting benefits. If the administration’s rule is enacted, we’re facing a $2.6 billion cut by 2029 to Social Security benefits for people with disabilities and chronic conditions, including seniors, children, and people with cancer. The administration is increasing the number of onerous continuing disability reviews and resurrecting the playbook of the 1980s when a dramatic increase in random reviews lead to tens of thousands of people losing their lives. These cuts to the Social Security program resulted in a massive outcry from the public and both chambers of Congress and were repealed. As we did back then, we will fight back. Join us to tell the Administration that we will support NO SOCIAL SECURITY CUTS!
Participants: Members of Congress, People with Disabilities, Family Members, Experts on Social Security
The event will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/socialsecurityworks
Please contact rcokley@americanprogress.org with any questions or accessibility needs or concerns.
Promote on Twitter using #NoSocialSecurityCuts
Note from CHN:
You can still comment in opposition to this proposed rule – Deadline: Friday, January 31 at midnight.
Background and simple links to submit comments are here.