Reject any funding bill that fails to protect health care

As your constituent, I am urging you to vote “no” on any government funding bill that doesn’t extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that will otherwise expire in December, doesn’t reverse the Medicaid cuts that were in the One Big Beautiful Bill, and doesn’t reassert the power of the purse to prevent the Trump administration from illegally freezing and rescinding Congressionally appropriated funds. Already, the administration has frozen or canceled $410 billion in funding for vulnerable communities, the same communities that are being hit by the $1 trillion cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, and the same communities that will see their health insurance premiums skyrocket if the ACA enhanced premium tax credits aren’t extended. The Congressional Budget Office projects that more than 2 million people will lose their health insurance next year due to skyrocketing premiums, and millions more due to Medicaid cuts. Congress must act now to address this health crisis. Health insurance companies on the ACA marketplace are finalizing their premium increases NOW for coverage starting January 1, and families will start to get notices in the next few weeks about increased health costs before open enrollment begins on November 1. 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 percent on average. 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. This is unconscionable and can be avoided if the Congress works in a bipartisan manner to pass a CR that doesn’t leave vulnerable communities behind. Please, reject partisan proposals that ignore these crises and come together to pass a CR that defends access to health care and asserts Congress’ power of the purse.