Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

26 September 2025

Contact: Jin.Choi@mail.house.gov

Congresswoman Barragán Holds Community Discussion To Highlight Devastating Consequences of Current Health Care Crisis

Long Beach, CA — This week, Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (CA-44) held a round table discussion in Long Beach to address the combined impacts of the recent cuts to Medicaid and pending expiration of the health care tax credits that will take affordable, accessible health care away from millions of Americans. She was joined by representatives from major health care networks to discuss how best to support and advocate for the health care needs of the CA-44 communities. 

“Congress must step up to extend the health care tax credits,” said Rep. Barragán. “Millions of Americans will already suffer from the devastating cuts to Medicaid, the largest that were made in our country’s history. The health care tax credits relieve the heavy burden of the increasing out-of-pocket costs and ensure that Americans receive the care they need. If we let the tax credits expire, millions will lose their coverage and this will drive up costs for working families across the country, regardless of whether they rely on the tax credits. Everyone deserves to have affordable health care and Congress must work together to get this done for the American people.” 

“I want to thank Congresswoman Barragán for her leadership to engage with hospital, physician, nurse and community clinic leaders on the importance for renewing the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits,” Barry Arbuckle, PhD, CEO for MemorialCare stated. “ The consequence of Congress not acting now to extend these subsidies, will only put greater strains on the existing healthcare infrastructure throughout our communities. When individuals do not have health coverage, they stop receiving preventive care, making chronic conditions acute and hospital emergency departments the only option for care.”

The event was hosted in collaboration with MemorialCare and had representatives from MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center, Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital Long Beach, MemorialCare Medical Foundation, The Children’s Clinic Family Health, and Harbor Community Health Centers. 

To view photos from the event, click HERE.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Garamendi – Representing California’s 3rd Congressional District

BENICIA, CA – Today, at his 12th annual Women of the Year event, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-08) honored 54 women from California’s 8th Congressional District who are leaders and visionaries in their communities. Each honoree has made a real difference in our community through public service, business, education, and the local economy.

“As a member of Congress, I pride myself on uplifting the outstanding constituents of our district. Every year, I’m honored to celebrate the remarkable women here in California’s 8th District who make up the backbone of our community,” Garamendi said.

“These women come from every part of our district and from diverse backgrounds. They work in many different fields, but each is united by the profound impact they have on our community and the people around them. It is truly an honor to recognize them.”

“Their commitment and passion for service merit this recognition, and through this award, their contributions will be preserved and documented for generations in the official Congressional Record in Washington, D.C.,” Garamendi said.

A video of the event can be found here.  
A legislative update that was shared at the event is available here.

The 2025 Women of the Year Honorees are:

Contra Costa County:

Carolyn Wysinger (El Cerrito)
Cheryl Collier (Richmond)
Eguonor Onofeghara-Omoko (Bay Point)
Lakisha Mitchell-Keith (Richmond)
Lucinda Bazile (Hercules)
Marie Carayanis (El Sobrante)
Miriam Wong (Richmond)
Naomi Williams (Richmond)
Regina Whitney (Richmond)
Rennae Ross (Pittsburg)
Rita Xavier (San Pablo)
Sarah Wally (Richmond)
Sonia Bustamante (El Cerrito)
Tanya Jacobs (El Sobrante)
Tiffany Harris (Richmond)
Trina Jackson-Lincoln (Richmond)
Yvette Williams-Barr (Richmond)

Solano County:

Alize Johnson (Vallejo)
Andrea Sorce (Vallejo)
Annie Frias-Ramos (Vallejo)
Brittney Greer (Fairfield)
Callie Augustson (Fairfield)
Carol Abreu (Benicia)
Charmaine Gandy (Fairfield)
Delphine Metcalf-Foster (Vallejo)
Diane Power Zimmerman (Fairfield)
Dr. Latyna Young (Vallejo)
Dr. Nicola Parr (Fairfield)
Dr. Sheila McCabe (Fairfield)
Fatimah Hanif (Vallejo)
Gloria Malgapo (Vacaville)
Heather Henry (Fairfield)
Jana Modena (Fairfield)
Jennie Mojica (Vallejo)
Joy Bruno (Fairfield)
Judge Terrye Davis (Vallejo)
Kari Birdeye (Benicia)
Katherine Stokes (Fairfield)
Kim Castaneda (Vacaville)
Lisa Nelson Bonnington (Fairfield)
Brenda Strength (Fairfield)
Malaysia Gallon (Vallejo)
Marbeya Ellis (Vacaville)
Maria Stats (Suisun City)
Melissa Nickson (Fairfield)
Michele Myhand (Fairfield)
Rebecca Grasty (Suisun City)
Shelmae Turner (Fairfield)
Salud Asaeli (Fairfield)
Sriya Srinivasan (Fairfield)
Ny Vu (Fairfield)
Vilma Aquino (Vallejo)
Yajaira Rubio Machado (Vallejo)

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

 

BOWIE, MD – Today, Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) and Glenn Ivey (MD-04) hosted a roundtable with federal workers, local labor leaders, and officials from the Moore-Miller Administration to discuss the harmful effects of Republicans’ ongoing shutdown of the federal government. Representatives from the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) participated in the discussion. Federal employees shared stories about the trauma and pain Donald Trump, Russell Vought, and Congressional Republicans have inflicted on the federal workforce not only during the 23 days of the shutdown but throughout the ten months since Trump took office. The Congressmen highlighted their efforts to support federal workers during this challenging time, as well as House Republicans’ continued absence from Washington and refusal to negotiate a deal to reopen the government.

The Congressmen also detailed the consequences Republicans’ inaction will have for Marylanders’ health care costs. According to the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, if Republicans allow the tax credits for the Affordable Care Act to expire, 190,000 Marylanders will see their monthly health premiums go up by an average of 68 percent. Another 110,000 Marylanders would see an average increase of 17 percent.

“I have always said that shutdowns are a stupid, arrogant, and costly policy,” Congressman Hoyer said. “No one understands that dire cost better than our federal workers. For ten months, the Trump Administration has been treating them like ‘villains’ who ought to be ‘put in trauma’ – to borrow Russell Vought’s own words. Trump and Vought aren’t trying to reopen the government; they’re actively working to dismantle it entirely. House Republicans have been missing in action for weeks, preferring to flee Washington than work with Democrats on a bipartisan solution to reopen the government and keep Americans’ health care costs from skyrocketing when the tax credits for the Affordable Care Act expire at the end of this year. Until they choose to govern, I will continue working with the rest of Team Maryland to help our federal workers weather this storm.”

“Congressman Hoyer’s leadership in standing up for federal workers is exactly what Maryland needs right now. Across the D.C. region and specifically in Prince George’s County; thousands of dedicated public servants have been fired, RIF’d, or furloughed through no fault of their own. They deserve real support, retraining, and respect. Joining him here today to champion our civil servants is an important step to help inform the impacted workers and contractors.  We will collaborate with our colleagues on Federal Team Maryland to fight against these job-cuts and strive to keep healthcare costs from breaking the backs of our constituents,” said Congressman Glenn Ivey.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC –  Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) joined Representative Lucy McBath (GA-06) alongside Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), and 117 House Democrats in sending a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought strongly condemning and urging the Trump Administration to rescind their decision to lay off federal employees dedicated to the education and support of students with disabilities and their families. 

The Members are demanding the administration immediately reverse course and rescind the termination notices issued to staff in the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), including employees in the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Rehabilitative Services Administration (RSA), the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE). 

The members write, “Decimating these offices threatens accountability for special education and vocational rehabilitation funds, as well as the civil rights Congress has enshrined in federal law, at a time when schools nationwide are already struggling to meet the needs of students and when people with disabilities continue to face barriers to employment. Federal employees at OSERS play a key role in ensuring that federal dollars are spent appropriately and effectively to support students with disabilities. Without them, there will be no oversight to ensure that physically disabled students, blind/deaf children and teenagers, as well as students with dyslexia, autism, and other disabilities are receiving the free and appropriate public education they are guaranteed under the IDEA.”

The letter continues, “…These reckless terminations are just another in a line of actions by your administration that threaten the rights that individuals with disabilities have fought long and hard for. We urge you to immediately rescind your plans to wrongly fire employees at the agencies listed above so that they can continue working to ensure that every family, no matter where they live or their income, has access to an education that will set them up for a successful future regardless of their child’s disability.”

Signers of the letter include United States Representatives Alma Adams, Gabe Amo, Becca Balint, Joyce Beatty, Donald Beyer, Julia Brownley, Shontel Brown, Nikki Budzinski, Salud Carbajal, André Carson, Troy Carter, Greg Casar, Ed Case, Sean Casten, Joaquin Castro, Judy Chu, Yvette Clarke, Steve Cohen, Joe Courtney, Angie Craig, Danny Davis, Diana DeGette, Suzan DelBene, Christopher Deluzio, Mark DeSaulnier, Debbie Dingell, Lloyd Doggett, Sarah Elfreth, Veronica Escobar, Dwight Evans, Shomari Figures, Lizzie Fletcher, Bill Foster, John Garamendi, Jesús García, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Maggie Goodlander, Josh Gottheimer, Jahana Hayes, James Himes, Jared Huffman, Glenn Ivey, Jonathan Jackson, Sara Jacobs, Pramila Jayapal, Henry Johnson, Julie Johnson, William Keating, Robin Kelly, Timothy Kennedy, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Greg Landsman, Summer Lee, Susie Lee, Ted Lieu, Seth Magaziner, Doris Matsui, Lucy McBath, Sarah McBride, April McClain Delaney, Jennifer McClellan, Betty McCollum, Kristen McDonald Rivet, James McGovern, LaMonica McIver, Robert Menendez, Gwen Moore, Joseph Morelle, Kelly Morrison, Seth Moulton, Kevin Mullin, Eleanor Norton, Ilhan Omar, Jimmy Panetta, Chris Pappas, Scott Peters, Brittany Pettersen, Chellie Pingree, Mark Pocan, Mike Quigley, Delia Ramirez, Emily Randall, Jamie Raskin, Andrea Salinas, Linda Sánchez, Janice Schakowsky, Bradley Schneider, Kim Schrier, Brad Sherman, Lateefah Simon, Adam Smith, Eric Sorensen, Melanie Stansbury, Haley Stevens, Marilyn Strickland, Suhas Subramanyam, Eric Swalwell, Mark Takano, Dina Titus, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Paul Tonko, Norma Torres, Ritchie Torres, Lori Trahan, Derek Tran, Juan Vargas, Gabe Vasquez, Marc Veasey, Nydia Velázquez, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Maxine Waters, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Nikema Williams, and Frederica Wilson.

The letter is endorsed by National Center for Learning Disabilities, All4Ed, National Association of School Psychologists, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, EdTrust, AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education), Advocacy Without Borders, National Association of School Psychologist, Deaf Equality, OT Leaders and Legacies Society, Division of Evaluation and Assessment for Learning, Network of OT Practitioners with Disabilities & Supporters, Touch the Future Inc, National Association of Statewide Independent Living Councils (NASILC), Prevent Blindness, United Spinal Association, Angelman Syndrome Foundation, First Focus on Children, CommunicationFIRST, Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, The Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy, and Innovation, Made for Math, National Association of the Deaf, Educating All Learners Alliance, National Association for College Admission Counseling, Educators for Excellence, American Association of University Women (AAUW), MomsRising, Council of Administrators of Special Education, Diversability, Dicapta, Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE), National Parents Union, American Occupational Therapy Association, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), The Center for Learner Equity, Division of Early Childhood, The Ability Challenge, American Psychological Association, Griffin-Hammis Associates, The Center for Enriched Living, GLSEN, National Education Association, UnidosUS, Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, and Yes! Access.

The full text of the letter can be found here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)

October 24, 2025

Washington, D.C. (Friday, October 24th) – U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL-06) and Juan Vargas (D-CA-52), co-chairs of the Congressional Sustainable Investment Caucus, led 46 House Democrats in calling on the Trump Administration for answers after the Financial Stability Oversight Council disbanded two committees charged with monitoring financial risks brought on by climate change.

Both the Climate-Related Financial Risk Committee and the Climate-Related Financial Risk Advisory Committee played a critical role in informing financial regulators about the increasing threat that climate change poses to our economy.

“It is responsible and prudent risk management to better understand how climate change could destabilize the U.S. economy,” wrote the lawmakers. “Scientific data clearly indicates that we are experiencing increasingly severe weather events, which are likely to continue impacting our economy. Between 2020 and 2024, the U.S. saw $746.7 billion in weather and climate billion-dollar disasters. In January of 2025, Los Angeles experienced one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history, resulting in more than $250 billion in financial losses.”

“The dissolving of these two committees increases the potential that our current economic vulnerabilities to climate-related shocks metastasize into catastrophic events for our financial system,” the lawmakers continued.

The lawmakers sent the letter on International Day of Climate Action, celebrated annually on October 24th, to raise awareness about the urgent need to address climate change.

Read the full letter HERE and below.

Dear Secretary Bessent,

We write to you in your capacity as Chair of the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) to express our concerns regarding the disbandment of two committees focused on monitoring climate-related financial risk. Both the Climate-Related Financial Risk Committee (CFRC), and the Climate-Related Financial Risk Advisory Committee (CFRAC) played key roles in informing FSOC on the increasing threat that climate change poses to our economy.

Following the 2008 financial crisis, the Dodd-Frank Act established FSOC to improve collaboration and coordination between the federal financial regulators and to monitor and address risks that threaten the stability of our financial system. These two committees, consistent with FSOC’s statutory mandate, were doing this exact type of work.

In 2020, under the first Trump Administration, a report commissioned by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) stated that “climate change poses a major risk to the stability of the U.S. financial system…[and] is already impacting or is anticipated to impact nearly every facet of the economy.” In fact, the report recommended that FSOC, of which the CFTC is a member, encourage and coordinate the sharing of best practices for monitoring and managing climate-related risks, as well as build the relevant institutional capacity. This led FSOC under the Biden Administration, in its 2021 report, to reaffirm that climate change presents an emerging and increasing threat to U.S. financial stability and commit to establishing both the CFRC and the CFRAC. There was broad consensus in support of taking steps to ensure that our regulators are prepared to address potentially systemic risks—and this should continue to be the case, regardless of the source of the risk. It is responsible and prudent risk management to better understand how climate change could destabilize the U.S. economy.

The Climate-Related Financial Risk Committee (CFRC) consisted of staff-level representation from all 15 FSOC members, assisted in identifying and mitigating potential vulnerabilities to climate-related risks, and updated the Council on this subject at least twice a year. The CFRC served as an active forum for interagency information sharing, coordination, and capacity building on climate-related issues, playing a critical role in enabling our financial regulators to learn from one another on emerging best practices for managing and addressing related risks. Specifically, the CFRC focused on collecting and analyzing climate-related data, which supported the critical work of the Treasury Department’s Office of Financial Research (OFR) and enables FSOC’s member agencies to jointly analyze these risks. The Advisory Committee enhanced and supplemented this work by bringing together external experts from a diverse range of backgrounds, including climate science experts, non-governmental research institutions, academia, the financial services industry, and government agencies with climate expertise. The Advisory Committee played a key role in keeping our financial regulators informed about potential information gaps and data inconsistencies related to monitoring climate-related risks.

Scientific data clearly indicates that we are experiencing increasingly severe weather events, which are likely to continue impacting our economy. Between 2020 and 2024, the U.S. saw $746.7 billion in weather and climate billion-dollar disasters. In January of 2025, Los Angeles experienced one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history, resulting in more than $250 billion in financial losses.

The dissolving of these two committees increases the potential that our current economic vulnerabilities to climate-related shocks metastasize into catastrophic events for our financial system. To ensure that FSOC maintains its focus on climate-related risks as potentially systemic risks, we request that you answer the following questions no later than November 7, 2025:

1. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, FSOC has a statutory duty to identify risks to and respond to emerging threats to U.S. financial stability. For years, our financial regulators have recognized that climate change threatens the stability of our financial system.
1. Can you commit that FSOC will continue to take steps to better understand and address climate-related financial stability concerns?
2. In its 2022, 2023, and 2024 annual reports, FSOC has included prominent discussion of climate-related financial risk, in addition to other emerging threats to financial stability.
1. Can you commit that FSOC will continue to report on climate-related financial risk in future annual reports and other reports to Congress?
2. Can you commit that FSOC will continue to provide recommendations to our financial regulators on how to address climate-related risks in its annual reports?
3. The Climate-Related Financial Risk Committee (CFRC) helped identify the climate and financial data, including on fires and floods, that was made available to FSOC and its member agencies through the OFR’s Joint Analysis Data Environment (JADE) platform. The first use case for the JADE platform was climate-related financial risk, but it is intended to support research and analysis on a variety of financial stability topics.
1. For Fiscal Years (FY) 2025–2026, the OFR anticipated that many of its strategic objectives would be achieved through data collection capabilities like the JADE platform, which will help U.S. financial regulators, academics, and market participants to advance financial stability. Will research and data on climate-related financial risk continue to be made available to FSOC’s member agencies?
2. Can FSOC commit to furthering its collection of climate-related data and deepening its collaboration with the OFR for the JADE platform?
4. The CFRC’s Scenario Analysis Working Group facilitated information sharing and capacity building for FSOC’s member agencies to conduct climate scenario analysis, or in other words, test ‘what if’ scenarios to examine how climate-related risks may materialize amid possible future events.
1. Please explain how FSOC plans to advance its development of important tools, including scenario analysis, for the purposes of assessing climate-related financial risks and financial stability.

Lastly, we encourage you to consider the consequences of weakening our financial regulators’ oversight of climate-related financial risk and urge the Council to reconsider its decision. It only makes our regulators less equipped to deal with future financial crises.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Julia Brownley (D-CA)

Camarillo, CA – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) held a press conference to demand that Republicans end the government shutdown and protect access to affordable health care for millions of Americans. Joined by Ventura County Supervisor Vianey Lopez, Gold Coast Health Plan CEO Dr. Felix Nuñez, and community advocates, Brownley underscored how the shutdown and Republican attacks on health care are devastating families across Ventura County and the nation.

“Health care should be affordable and accessible for every American,” said Congresswoman Brownley. “But right now, millions of people across the country are at risk of losing their coverage or watching their costs soar because of Republicans’ unprecedented attacks on our health care system and their refusal to reopen the government.”

Brownley noted that while Republicans control the House, Senate, and White House, they continue to hold the government hostage instead of addressing the health-care crisis they created.

“House Republicans are on their fourth week of paid vacation while federal workers are going without pay and families are wondering how they’ll afford their next doctor’s visit,” Brownley said. “This shutdown isn’t about policy or principle – it’s about politics at its worst. The American people deserve leaders who put them first.”

“The truth is, families are struggling,” Brownley continued. “Groceries cost more, child care costs more, housing costs more – and now Republicans want their health care to cost more too. Democrats are fighting every single day to reopen the government, defend the Affordable Care Act, and ensure that every American has access to the care they need, when they need it. This fight is not about politics or partisanship – it’s about people.”

“Health care is not a partisan issue, nor is it something that people should have to prove their worthiness in order to be granted access,” said Dr. Felix Nuñez, Chief Executive Officer of Gold Coast Health Plan, which serves more than 240,000 Med-Cal members throughout Ventura County. “It is a basic human right, and no one should be put in a position where they have to choose between their health and paying for their other day-to-day needs.”

“Today we’re talking about the important role Medi-Cal plays in the health of our community, and people who can put food on the table with the help of Cal-Fresh. But we know this Administration’s actions affect everyone in our county, not just recipients of benefits,” said Ventura County Supervisor Vianey Lopez, Fifth District. “As we see in this shutdown, from federal workers to contractors to local economies – our systems are interconnected. The longer this shutdown goes, more people will have to face difficult decisions.”

“Families are worried about whether they will still have health care coverage, if their doctor will still be there, and if the care they have come to depend on will disappear,”  said Laura Espinosa, Chair of the Ventura County Medi-Cal Managed Care Commission. “We cannot let the safety net unravel.”

More than 217,000 residents in California’s 26th Congressional District rely on Medicaid, and an estimated 34,000 could lose their coverage under H.R. 1, the House Republican plan that would gut Medicaid and other critical health care programs.

Brownley closed by reaffirming her commitment to the people she serves and said, “I will never stop fighting for our veterans, our families, our seniors, and our children – until every American has the health care and economic security they deserve. Together, with our community partners, we can do more than end this shutdown. We can build a system that works for the people, not the powerful.”

Photos from the press conference can be found here.

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Issues: 119th Congress, Healthcare

Source: United States House of Representatives – Julia Brownley (D-CA)

Washington, DC – This week, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) joined her Democratic Women’s Caucus colleagues in a letter to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson demanding he bring Republicans to the negotiating table to end the government shutdown. If Congress doesn’t reach a bipartisan agreement, women and families will continue to bear the costs of the Republican health care crisis.

Since day one of this Congress, President Trump and Republicans have wreaked havoc on women and families’ health care. Republicans’ cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, destruction of reproductive health care, and failure to extend the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits make health care more expensive and less accessible for Americans, disproportionately impacting women. Despite controlling the House, Senate, and White House, Republicans have been completely absent during the shutdown. Meanwhile, Democrats have been in Washington and ready to get back to work.

In their letter, Members explained that women will experience disproportionate strain from the expiration of ACA premium tax credits:

“If Republicans refuse to negotiate, women will shoulder the burden of the devastating consequences of the expiring ACA enhanced premium tax credits and historic cuts to Medicaid. Women take on 80% of the family’s medical decision-making responsibilities, and almost 50% of women view themselves as the chief financial officer of their household. Therefore, women will predominantly be responsible for navigating the skyrocketing cost of health care for their households and safeguarding their families’ access to health care coverage.”

The Members also emphasized these cuts to care would create tangible consequences, including preventable deaths:

“As families struggle to afford their increased health care coverage, they will refrain from seeking care. Specifically, women without insurance are less likely to access critical preventive care such as mammograms, pap smears, and routine blood pressure screenings. Women will be denied access to lifesaving care simply because of cost. Consequently, the expiration of the ACA enhanced premium tax credits paired with the cuts to Medicaid and other critical health care services in the Republican budget— or Big Ugly Law—will cause 15 million Americans to lose their health coverage and 20,000 additional preventable deaths each year. Lives are in danger. Women and families should not die because they cannot afford essential health care.”

The Members concluded by demanding Republicans come to the negotiation table to reach a bipartisan agreement to preserve affordable health care and open the government:

“We, Democratic Women’s Caucus, will make it loud and clear—women’s and families’ lives are not a topic to be discussed at a later date. The time is now. 78% of American adults want Congress to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits, and 83% of Americans view Medicaid favorably. We call on Republicans to act on their constituents’ wishes. That means Republicans must come to the negotiating table so we can reach a bipartisan agreement that preserves affordable health care for women and families and end the shutdown.”

The full letter can be found here and below: 

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October 20, 2025 

The Honorable Mike Johnson
Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
H-232, The Capitol
Washington D.C. 20515

Dear Speaker Johnson:

As Members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, we write with grave concern regarding the harm that will be inflicted upon women and children if you allow the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits to expire and the Medicaid cuts to go into effect. The average cost of health care will increase over $1,000 each year for the 10 million women currently receiving health care tax credits. All women and families deserve quality, affordable health care—that is not possible in the wake of Republicans’ attacks on health care. At this critical moment, some insurers are delaying their notices explaining next year’s premium rates because they are waiting for Congress’ next move. It is clear that our country is waiting for you and other Republicans to negotiate with Democrats to protect their health care. We call on you, Speaker Johnson, to facilitate negotiations for a bipartisan spending agreement that addresses the health care crisis to prevent further detriment to the health of women and families, and end the shutdown. 

If Republicans refuse to negotiate, women will shoulder the burden of the devastating consequences of the expiring ACA enhanced premium tax credits and historic cuts to Medicaid. Women take on 80% of the family’s medical decision-making responsibilities, and almost 50% of women view themselves as the chief financial officer of their household. Therefore, women will predominantly be responsible for navigating the skyrocketing cost of health care for their households and safeguarding their families’ access to health care coverage.

As families struggle to afford their increased health care coverage, they will refrain from seeking care. Specifically, women without insurance are less likely to access critical preventive care such as mammograms, pap smears, and routine blood pressure screenings. Women will be denied access to lifesaving care simply because of cost. Consequently, the expiration of the ACA enhanced premium tax credits paired with the cuts to Medicaid and other critical health care services in the Republican budget— or Big Ugly Law—will cause 15 million Americans to lose their health coverage and 20,000 additional preventable deaths each year. Lives are in danger. Women and families should not die because they cannot afford essential health care.

The impacts of Republicans’ historic $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts and $536 billion in Medicare cuts will deeply harm women’s access to health care. One in five women, and nearly half the country’s children, are covered by Medicaid. Particularly, maternal health will be eroded by these Medicaid and Medicare cuts. Medicaid is the largest single-payer of maternity care in our country, covering around 40% of births. Without essential Medicaid reimbursements, maternity wards will continue to close, worsening our country’s maternal health care crisis. As over 500 health care providers are closing or at risk of closing as a result of the Republican budget, 25 hospitals providing maternity services have already closed or terminated those services. We refuse to watch this happen without taking action.

We, Democratic Women’s Caucus, will make it loud and clear—women’s and families’ lives are not a topic to be discussed at a later date. The time is now. 78% of American adults want Congress to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits, and 83% of Americans view Medicaid favorably. We call on Republicans to act on their constituents’ wishes. That means Republicans must come to the negotiating table so we can reach a bipartisan agreement that preserves affordable health care for women and families and end the shutdown.

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Issues: 119th Congress, Healthcare

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement:

Donald Trump and rubber stamp Republicans in Congress ripped nutritional assistance away from children and families in order to deliver massive tax breaks to their billionaire donors. Now, the extremists are refusing to reopen the government and extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.

It is a disgusting dereliction of duty that the Trump administration would knowingly rip food out of the mouths of 42 million children, seniors and veterans. In their own contingency plan that they have since deleted, Trump’s Department of Agriculture outlined their capacity to ensure SNAP benefits reach families on time. Unfortunately, they have made the decision not to do so, consistent with their decision to cut $186 billion in nutritional assistance in their One Big Ugly Bill. 

House Democrats will continue to fight to lower the high cost of living, fix our broken healthcare system and restore nutritional assistance. Republicans have gone too far and the American people have had enough. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Yesterday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on Keepin’ It Real with Rev. Al Sharpton, where he pointed out Republican hypocrisy on protecting Medicaid, preserving SNAP and standing for law and order, while Democrats remain committed to the righteous fight for the health, safety and economic well-being of the American people.

REV. AL SHARPTON: Let me go to the live line because in the middle of all of these—the shutdown and many of you around the country directly impacted and all of us indirectly. I had reached out to our Minority Leader of the House, Hakeem Jeffries, who has been a member of National Action Network for many years and we know each other well. And I reached out to him because I wanted him to spend a few minutes on the air to give us an update of where we are or where we are not in terms of the shutdown. And I’m also concerned when I heard about the arrest of a man planning his death. So I wanted to also, we’re rallying around that on Saturday at the Saturday Action Rally, having ministers pray for Hakeem Jeffries. I take—as one who was stabbed and has gone through a lot of death threats—I take all that seriously. So I have on the live line from Washington, DC, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries. How you doing, Mr. Congressman?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Good. Good afternoon, Rev. Great to be with you. Thanks for having me on.

REV. AL SHARPTON: Thanks for coming on. Where are we with this shutdown?

LEADER JEFFRIES: So this is day 23 of the Trump-Republican shutdown and unfortunately, we continue to see inaction from House and Senate Republicans. In fact, House Republicans have now been on vacation for four consecutive weeks. They’ve canceled votes four consecutive weeks and don’t appear to want to come back into town next week. We’ve repeatedly made clear as Democrats in the House and the Senate, that we’re willing to sit down with anyone, anytime, anyplace, either at the Capitol or back at the White House to reopen the government, to find a bipartisan path forward toward enacting a spending agreement that makes sense for the American people, but it has to make life better for the American people, including in addressing the healthcare crisis that Republicans have created which is devastating people all across the country including in Black and brown communities, working-class communities, rural America, urban America, small-town America and the heartland of America.

REV. AL SHARPTON: Now, November 1, we’re going to be facing SNAP becoming expired in many households. We’re going to be facing the premiums going up in terms of healthcare, affordable healthcare. I mean, are people in Washington on the other side of the aisle cognizant of the fact that this is going to impact even their own constituents?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah, they certainly know that, but they don’t seem to care. This is the same group of people who promised to love and cherish Medicaid at the beginning of the year, Donald Trump’s own words, and instead they turned around and enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. They’re closing hospitals and nursing homes and community-based health centers in their communities as well as throughout many parts of America. In that same One Big Ugly Bill, they cut $186 billion from the SNAP program. Literally, Rev, they took food out of the mouth of hungry children and seniors and veterans and women and families, and they did all of this so they could reward their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks that they made permanent. And now, as you pointed out, when we’re facing the significant likelihood that on November 1, when open enrollment begins, that tens of millions of Americans are about to experience dramatically increased healthcare premiums because Republicans refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Cruelty is the point for these extremists on the other side of the aisle, even when it comes to hurting those same people that they in fact represent.

REV. AL SHARPTON: Now, let me ask you, how are you doing in the wake of these threats? I know your family well—and in fact, I went to your father’s wake in Ohio—and I’ve been concerned about—I know you and those of us in public life expect it, but it’s a real trauma on your wife, your children, your mother. How’s everybody faring and dealing with these legitimate threats?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well thank you, Rev, for your support and for the prayers and for organizing members of the clergy on my behalf, on behalf of the family and the community. We’re all very appreciative for your leadership, of course, and, you know, it unfortunately, in this moment of great political violence in this country, it is something that we have come to expect. It’s not easy on the family and, you know, loved ones and community members, and I’m appreciative of everybody reaching out. But we’re not going to bend, we’re not going to break, we are not going to bow down, we’re not going to be intimidated by these extremists. That’s what they want us to do. They want to try to throw us off course, and we’re not going to allow it to happen. You know, one of the things that I think everybody needs to know about this particular situation is that it highlights the fact that on Donald Trump’s first day in office, he pardoned hundreds of violent felons who stormed the Capitol on January 6. That’s what he did, and then he released these people, including this individual who, you know, was prepared to try to assassinate me, he released these people into communities all across the country and many of them have already engaged in reoffenses, committed crimes in neighborhoods all throughout America. And Republicans have almost uniformly supported those pardons, and this is a party, Republicans, that wants to pretend as if they care about law and order. Of course, they’re all about lawlessness and disorder, and this was just another in a continuing set of examples. I’m thankful to state and local law enforcement, of course, for their swift efforts, but most importantly, we’re going to continue to stand up for the American people, for their health, for their public safety and for the economic well-being in terms of making sure that everybody has an opportunity to live a comfortable life.

REV. AL SHARPTON: I need to ask you this. You and I and Senator Schumer and Greg Meeks and others have not endorsed in the local mayor’s race. I understand that Mayor Adams is endorsing Andrew Cuomo today. There’s been—we’ve had, all of us individually, conversations with Mamdani and others. Do you expect to make any endorsement? Early voting starts Saturday.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah, early voting starts Saturday. I do hope to talk to our Democratic nominee at some point either late today or tomorrow in advance of early voting. I do think that his decision—I didn’t see the debate yesterday. I do look forward to watching some clips. I do think that his decision to announce that he would reappoint Commissioner Jessica Tisch is a positive step in the right direction in terms of sending a message that while he’s going to, of course, focus on affordability—and that is the number one concern of the people in the community that I represent and some things really need to be done particularly in Black and brown communities, which have suffered under the crushing weight of gentrification and displacement in neighborhoods like Bedford-Stuyvesant and Harlem for far too long, and that’s going to be important and that at the top of his agenda. But also that public safety, of course, will continue to be important in communities throughout the city of New York, and I think it’s reassuring to a lot of folks that he wants to continue the current leadership at One Police Plaza with respect to the NYPD.

REV. AL SHARPTON: All right, hold one second. Jenny, you’re on—Attorney Jennifer Jones Austin that co-hosts the last hour every Thursdays with us. You have a question for the Minority Leader?

JENNIFER JONES AUSTIN: Good afternoon, Minority Leader Jeffries. Always good to hear your voice and to know that you’re down there fighting for us. Very simple question. In this moment, what can, what should we, those of us who are sitting around saying, how do we engage? How do we support your leadership? How do we support the fighting back? What should we be doing in this moment?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah, well, Jennifer, thank you. It’s so good to hear your voice and appreciate your leadership in Brooklyn, of course, our beloved Brooklyn, as well as the City of New York and beyond. You know, I think one of the things that we want to emphasize over the next few days, next few weeks, is that as people begin to get information, notices that their healthcare premiums are gonna skyrocket, we want to elevate those stories, because we’re fighting for all of you. And this is a very real crisis. And we’re urging everyone—call your member of Congress and share with them what your current healthcare costs are and what they are expected to be because of the refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. And by the way, that’s gonna affect everybody, both people who are on the ACA and people who get their insurance from their employers. Everybody is about to face significant increases in their insurance costs, and we want people to share those stories with their Members of Congress. Myself, of course, back at home in Brooklyn, reach out to me. I’m at the Shirley Chisholm State Office Building. Everybody, I think, who represents me—who I represent, knows how to reach us, but we want to be able to elevate these stories in the midst of this Trump-Republican shutdown so we can further illustrate why we are fighting to address this Republican healthcare crisis. And then if you live in New Jersey, if you live in Virginia, you’ve got—or Pennsylvania, you’ve got some important races that are on the ballot on November 4. Make sure you exercise your right to vote. Donald Trump wants to suppress your ability to participate in the democratic process, but you have the ability to go out and make clear to the country that this is a national nightmare and we want to turn things in a different direction. And of course, lastly, if you’ll live in California you have Prop 50 on the ballot. I was out at black churches on Sunday of this most recent weekend campaigning Yes on Prop 50 so we can stop Trump from stealing the election and make sure there are fair congressional maps.

REV. AL SHARPTON: Alright, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives Hakeem Jeffries, as I said at Saturday’s rally here and Detroit, we’ll be praying for the family. I think we’re trying to get you on PoliticsNation one night this weekend to get the update. We’ll be in touch. Thank you for coming on. 

Full interview can be listened to here.

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