Dear Friends,
Yesterday marked four weeks since government funding expired. Here are where things stand:
November 1st
In three days, on November 1, Obamacare Open Enrollment begins in South Carolina and most other states. Republicans in Congress are refusing to work with Democrats to prevent Obamacare monthly premiums from increasing. As a result, 587,000 South Carolinians will face skyrocketing health care costs when signing up for 2026 plans. If you are enrolled in a HealthCare.gov plan, you can preview your cost increases here.
Also in three days, November SNAP benefits will go unpaid. The federal government has a contingency fund that is legally obligated to be used to distribute SNAP benefits during a shutdown, but the Trump administration is choosing not to follow the law and deploy it.
Funding for WIC is also at risk.
South Carolina families may have to turn to local food banks for food assistance.
What’s (not) happening in Washington
Meanwhile, during the shutdown, Trump has refused to meet with Democrats in Congress to negotiate a government funding bill.
Trump has focused on building his gold ballroom — financed by major corporations seeking favors from him, and which will also cost taxpayer money to maintain.
Speaker Mike Johnson has kept the House of Representatives closed for nearly a month, with the chamber in session only 12 of the last 97 days. By refusing to convene Congress, it’s clear the Speaker isn’t even attempting to work toward a bipartisan solution.
Senate Democrats have voted seven times to reopen the government, prevent Obamacare premiums from rising, and reverse the Medicaid cuts in Trump’s “big beautiful bill.”. Every Republican voted no each time.
Republicans keep talking about “health care for illegal aliens,” which is completely made up. Undocumented immigrants cannot receive federally subsidized health care and are legally required to be treated by hospitals in life threatening emergencies.
Senate Democrats also introduced two resolutions to pay all federal workers — including military members, law enforcement officers, and Social Security employees. Republicans blocked both measures.
Republicans’ proposed bill would have paid only those federal employees still working during the shutdown — which would have left furloughed workers, who aren’t working due to no fault of their own, without a paycheck while they still have families to care for and bills to pay.
What’s Next
Republican leaders claim they’ll discuss Obamacare premiums once the government reopens. But with Open Enrollment days away, the time to act is right now.
And forgive me if I’m skeptical of that promise, as Republicans showed no interest in addressing the looming Obamacare crisis the first nine months of this Congress, and were instead laser focused on passing their “big beautiful bill,” which disproportionately benefits the wealthy and strips health coverage from 10 million people.
This government shutdown is getting old. It needs to end.
President Trump needs to return to Washington, meet with Democrats, and negotiate a bipartisan funding bill that reopens the government — so federal workers can get paid and SNAP benefits are distributed — and prevents millions of Americans from facing exploding health care premiums and potentially losing coverage.
Sincerely,
Jim