On October 1, 2025, the federal government shut down—a shutdown that would become the longest in United States history. It was the Republican-controlled Senate that could not, for 41 days, agree on a funding agreement. Even before that, it was the Republican-controlled House that refused to negotiate with Democrats for months to draft a funding bill that could pass both chambers. House Republicans opted instead to pass a partisan bill and then adjourned for nearly eight weeks to pressure Democrats in the Senate to pass their funding bill. The result was a historic shutdown that left millions of children and families hungry, left hundreds of thousands of federal employees without pay (or illegally fired), forced the closure of Head Start programs, and caused disruptions to everyday services women and families rely on.
What Democrats demanded was as clear as it was urgent: undo the disastrous cuts to Medicaid and extend enhanced premium tax credits (ePTCs) for Affordable Care Act plans that millions rely on to afford their health care coverage. Republicans, on the other hand, sent their own message to Democrats: we would rather shut down the government than work with you to ensure Americans have health care.
As it stands today, enhanced ACA subsidies will expire at the end of 2025, raising premiums for an estimated 22 million people and resulting in four million people losing insurance altogether.
It was unacceptable for moderate Democrats to cave to Republican pressure without any policy wins, not when they were winning the argument with the public and not after massive electoral wins earlier this month. Republicans own this health care crisis, and so far, have refused to do anything to solve it. But why would they? Millions of people losing their ACA coverage furthers their long-sought goal of undermining and destabilizing the ACA itself.
Why the fight for affordability matters
Without the enhanced subsidies for ACA plans, millions searching for health insurance are already seeing that they can no longer afford their coverage. Premiums have more than doubled in many cases, and that’s on top of already unsustainable increases in living expenses.
The shutdown showcased the urgency of affordability, especially for basic needs like health insurance coverage, and proved it’s a winning issue. The November elections across the country showed voters are paying attention. While Republicans tried to stir up culture wars against transgender and immigrant communities, scapegoating them for the country’s affordability crisis, voters saw right through the xenophobic, transphobic rhetoric. They by and large voted against candidates who tried to attack trans rights and immigrant rights, and elected folks into office who had real plans to address the affordability crisis and supported rights for everyone. That will likely be the case in 2026 and 2028, too.
Republican policy wins champion billionaires and corporations, but Democrats’ wins are victories for women and families. Their policies expand child care options, housing affordability, and health care access. Priorities don’t have to be a zero-sum game, and Democrats succeed when they support transgender and immigrant communities while fighting for affordability.
Where do we go from here?
People are suffering and pessimistic…but they’re also paying attention. As massive turnout at “No Kings” and “Hands Off” protests this summer and fall showed, people are engaging in record numbers. Despite Republican hopes, voters will remember who took away their health insurance and stood by while life became increasingly unaffordable. Instead of tuning out, now is the time to lean in and hold Congress accountable—particularly the Senators who promised their continued support for affordable health care coverage. So keep attending protests. Call your representatives to tell them you’re watching their votes. And next November, show up at the ballot box.