CHN’s Meredith Dodson with Anna Aurilio, Senior Director of Campaigns at the Economic Security Project, one of CHN’s newest members.

At an interfaith event held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church near the U.S. Capitol on October 9, lay and clergy faith leaders called on Congress to end the federal government shutdown by coming to swift agreement to keep health insurance affordable for millions of people and to protect other basic needs programs from reckless cutbacks.

Speakers including Laura Peralta-Schulte of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and the Rev. Dr. Leslie Copland-Tune of the National Council of Churches welcomed prominent House members, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and several others, who voiced their determination to demand that a vote to end the shutdown include extension of the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credit. They made the point that the need for action now is urgent, since open enrollment begins November 1 in nearly all states, and if people do not think they will have help to pay rising rates, they will drop out and become uninsured. If Congress fails to act, people losing the current enhanced premium tax credit will see their premiums double in most states.

Leader Jeffries called on Congress to stand up for the “health care of every single American, and not for the rich and corporations.” Speaker Emerita Pelosi, in urging the continued fight for affordable health care, called on us to be inspired by the words of a young person she had recently heard: “hope is our resistance.” Rep. DeLauro spoke passionately of her responsibility as a woman of faith, to move Congress to act to “welcome the stranger, feed the hungry, heal the sick.”

House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)

Underscoring the urgency of Congress’ need to act, one speaker described multiple health conditions she and her husband suffered, leading to reduced earnings and high health care costs. The ACA insurance is vital to them, but if they have to pay the increase that would be caused by the enhanced premium tax credit expiring, she didn’t know how they could afford it.

Despite all this, House Speaker Johnson (R-LA) has not only refused to negotiate; he has refused to call the House back from its recess. As the shutdown continues, he won’t even bring the House of Representatives back to work. There is some bipartisan support for continuing the ACA enhanced premium tax credits, including some positive statements from President Trump. At the same time, the Trump administration is not attempting to moderate the harm of the shutdown for all of those being harmed – instead, they are weaponizing it, inflicting more harm on those they identify as their enemies. That includes federal workers. The administration announced multiple attacks, both threatening not to pay back pay for furloughed workers after the shutdown, which is required by law, and announcing the firing of about 4,000 federal workers, about half of those in the Departments of Health and Human Services and Treasury. The HHS firings initially included about 1,300 staff from the Centers for Disease Control, but about 700 of those firings were deemed mistaken and were reversed. Labor unions AFGE and AFSCME are suing to stop the layoffs, noting they too are illegal.

Since taking office, the Trump administration has routinely ignored and broken the law, canceling funding appropriated by Congress, firing workers, and closing programs it doesn’t like. Sometimes it terminates programs that have bipartisan support, such as its shutdown firings of Department of Education staff who administer school programs for children with disabilities. While the administration says it will continue providing $15 billion in special education funding, it has apparently fired all staff who actually administer the program and monitor proper implementation by school departments.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Congress and the Trump administration need to do their jobs. Speaker Johnson must bring his caucus back to Washington and get the House back to work. House and Senate must engage in bipartisan negotiations to meet our nation’s needs: stop the termination of health care benefits and reopen government with assurances that the Trump administration will start following the laws, including appropriations, that Congress enacts.

Thinking about the words from a young person quoted by Speaker Emerita Pelosi: “hope is our resistance” – yes, that is true, and it’s heartening to hear young people say it. But also true: “resistance is our hope.” Every action we take together – attending public events, contacting Congress, sending letters to the press, social media – will strengthen the opposition to harmful and needless cuts.

Individuals can send a message to Congress urging the extension of the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits as part of reopening government: click here. You can also participate in the Lower Health Care Costs Now week of action (October 14-17, co-led by Families USA and Community Catalyst), and join in the October 18 No Kings Day events.