Update #2 on the Government Shutdown
The partial shutdown of the federal government continues into its 15th day with Congress still gridlocked over the Appropriation bills and a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR).
As explained in our "Hold Fast on the Trump Shutdown" newsletter article and Call to Action (CTA) from two weeks ago, the MAGA regime has been steadily shutting down the federal government ever since they took office so that they can slash health care and other domestic safety net programs to fund tax cuts for billionaires.
Here are some points to keep in mind when talking to your family and friends:
Democrats are demanding restoration of a trillion dollars cut from peoples’ health care. The MAGA regime is determined to use that money to fund their billionaire tax cut.
The Republican proposal contains unacceptable poison pills including national bans on gender-affirming care, even more restrictions on abortion access, and national "proof of citizenship" voter ID mandates that target Democratic-leaning constituencies.
We support the Democratic members of Congress (MoC) who are holding fast on restoring health care for millions of Americans. We urge them to be equally strong against the MAGA regime's unconstitutional and illegal seizure of king-like power over the public purse.
By refusing to re-convene the House, Republican leaders are preventing House members from doing the jobs they are being paid to do – such as addressing the budget and shutdown crisis. Their reason is to prevent recently-elected Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) from taking her seat since she is going to be the final vote forcing the House to release the Epstein files. They are stalling while they try to bribe or coerce one of the four Republican members who signed the petition to withdraw their signature.
The MAGA Regime is using the shutdown as a pretext for accelerating their ongoing attack on – and dismantling of – federal agencies that serve "We the People" rather than enriching the obscenely wealthy, or enlarging the already bloated military and police apparatus. The number of federal workers summarily (and illegally) fired so far during the shutdown is now approaching 5000. And the OMB is falsely claiming that furloughed federal employees have no right to backpay once the shutdown ends.
Our job is clear. We need to do everything we can to make the MAGA shutdown a public political problem that they have to address. We need to continue contacting our representatives, continue speaking up and making noise in the public arena, and build the No Kings march on this coming Saturday October 18.