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Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Grace Meng (NY-06), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Darren Soto (FL-09), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07) joined Protect Our Care and leading civil rights and health advocacy organizations to highlight the devastating impacts of the GOP health care crisis on communities of color.
Since taking power, President Trump and the Republican Majority have launched an unrelenting assault on the nation’s health care system and thrown our entire health care system into chaos, all to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. Now, they’re holding our government hostage to rip away tax credits from millions of people, causing premiums to more than double.
These health care cuts are hitting millions of working and middle-income Americans – including those in the African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities – especially hard. Speakers called on Trump and Republicans in Congress to end their health care crisis and stop putting tax breaks for billionaires over health care for working people.
“President Trump and Congressional Republicans are once again attacking our health care and our communities,” said Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). “They are single-handedly responsible for the largest cut to Medicaid in U.S. history – a lifeline for 4.5 million Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) – and are now raising premiums for over 1.5 million AANHPIs. This is completely unacceptable. In the wealthiest nation in the world, Americans should not have to choose between paying for medicine and putting food on their table. This is the future that I am fighting for as CAPAC Chair, and Republicans need to come back from their vacation and address the health care crisis they created.”
“This is a transfer of wealth from the needy to the greedy that’s never been paralleled in American history, and I think it’s critical for us to do everything we can to stop it,” said Rep. Glenn Ivey (MD-04). “Republicans are trying to pretend like they need additional time to deal with this, but the truth of the matter is, they’re trying to slip this by the American people. They hope that they can get away with it and that people will have to eat these costs, knowing that all of the money that they were going to try and save from this was going to go to the wealthy.”
“We’re all in this fight together,” said Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02). “We clearly know what our red line in the sand is, and that’s saving people’s lives, it’s health care. When I look at my AANHPI community, the bottom line is we’re surviving, we’re thriving, we’re living longer thanks to the Affordable Care Act. When we talk about permanently extending Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, this is about saving lives.”
“The Trump Administration is pushing this Republican health care crisis further with every passing day,” said Rep. Nikema Williams (GA-05). “Right now, working families in Georgia’s fighting fifth district are having tough kitchen table conversations. They’re looking ahead to open enrollment, wondering if Republicans are going to double or even triple their premiums. My constituents are not a line item in a budget; they’re not some savings cost so that we can give more tax benefits to billionaires. They are real people facing life or death consequences because of the actions that my Republican colleagues are refusing to take.”
“Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans have launched an unrelenting assault on the nation’s health care system,” said Rep. Nydia Velázquez (NY-07). “Now, they are doubling down by letting critical Affordable Care Act tax credits expire. This crisis will hit communities of color the hardest. More than half of Hispanics say that because of costs, they either didn’t fill a prescription, skipped a follow-up test, or avoided going to the doctor altogether when they were sick. We will not stand by while Republicans rip care away from millions of families to pay for more corporate giveaways.”
“For the millions of Americans struggling with higher costs, Democrats are fighting for you,” said Rep. Darren Soto (FL-09). “That’s what this battle is all about: stopping a huge health care hike to the American people. This is a matter of priorities. We have the money to do this, but Republicans don’t want to negotiate right now. Let’s come together. Let’s save America’s health care.”
“This government shutdown is predicated on a core value that healthcare access is a privilege and not a right,” said Shavon Arline-Bradley, President and CEO, National Council of Negro Women. “If our government officials do not come to an agreement, healthcare subsidies will expire on Dec. 31 under the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act. Subsidies and tax credit extensions are not partisan issues; these are real-life American realities that will affect Black women and their families. For the American people, tax subsidies allow them the opportunity to pay affordable premiums for families. If they go away, you will see premiums double for families that are already on fixed incomes. We are most concerned at NCNW because we understand that the population’s health is at risk. We must remind Congress that we want to sustain all patient protections. Everyone knows the saying, ‘if you have your health, you have everything.’ So, we say, do what is human and what is right. Come to the table and pass a reconciliation bill that ensures affordable healthcare for all permanently.”
“Costs are skyrocketing, hospitals are closing, and the nation’s public health infrastructure has been gutted, all thanks to Republicans,” said Protect Our Care Policy and Health Equity Senior Advisor Joi Chaney. “But when they do this, they’re not just playing political games. They are targeting people and families of all races, and we know that any time everyone is targeted, communities of color feel it first. They are the canaries in the mine and must never be forgotten.”
“For millions of families, this debate isn’t about numbers on a spreadsheet. It’s about whether they can refill their prescriptions or get needed surgery without having to choose between their health and heating their homes,” said Linda Goler Blount, MPH, President and CEO, Community Catalyst. “Congress should enact a clean, permanent extension of the enhanced premium tax credits – not a patch, but real stability families can depend on. Making these tax credits permanent is the right thing – for families, for fairness, and for our economy. Every person in America deserves the peace of mind that comes with knowing if you get sick, you can get care.”
“Over 20 million Americans, including 1.5 million Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, rely on the ACA Marketplace to keep quality health care within reach,” said Juliet K. Choi, President and CEO, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum. “Allowing these vital tax credits to expire will drive up costs by an average of $700 per plan and leave nearly 5 million people uninsured. Families have already faced the largest Medicaid cuts in history this year; Congress cannot allow even more Americans to be pushed out of care.”
“The expiration of Affordable Care Act tax credits and looming Medicaid and Medicare cuts are not just policy shifts—they are a direct threat to the health and well-being of Black Americans,” said Marc H. Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League. “These changes risk reversing hard-won progress and will deepen the disparities that already plague our health care system. We cannot allow our communities to be sacrificed in budget negotiations. Health care is a right, not a privilege, and we must fight to protect it for those who need it most.”
“The Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits have made it possible for millions of Americans to have health insurance – the number of people covered has doubled since the tax credits increased for individuals, now at more than 24 million people,” said Deborah Weinstein, Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs. “People of color have made significant gains. If Congressional leaders and President Trump refuse to extend the expanded Premium Tax Credit, we will see an entirely needless and dangerous step backward. People of color, still more likely to lack health insurance despite their recent gains, will be a prominent part of the more than 4 million expected to lose their health insurance if Congress fails to act now.”
“These massive premium increases are not inevitable; these spikes in health care costs are a policy choice by Congress and the Trump Administration,” said Anthony Wright, Executive \Director of Families USA. “After an election on affordability issues, Congressional leaders are choosing to play politics and outright lie about who is impacted by these tax credits to afford health insurance. Not a single undocumented immigrant would get coverage in any proposal being discussed, but millions of Americans of all races, ages, incomes, and job types would see premiums double, or fall off coverage altogether. Congress needs to get back to work so the American people can get back to work and get the health care they need, at a price they can actually afford.”
“For the Latino community, the stakes could not be higher,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO, UnidosUS. “These tax credits aren’t just numbers on a page, they are the reason a parent can take their child to the doctor, a worker can refill their prescription, or a grandmother can go to the doctor without skipping meals. It is Congress’ responsibility to make sure that any funding package protects access to and the affordability of health care, places clear guardrails on abusive and unconstitutional immigration actions, and preserves the rights of all Americans.”
“When I was little, I became sick with a rare chronic illness that affects my digestive system,” said Victoria Lopez, a Floridian teenage health care advocate. “Medicaid covered what we could never have afforded on our own. Without it, I would have fallen through the cracks like so many others do. Medicaid gave me the chance to keep fighting. It covered the care that helped me walk again, return to school, and dream about my future. It gave me my life back and continues to do so. When we protect Medicaid, we protect futures. We protect children, families, and communities who deserve a fair chance at life. Losing that access isn’t just scary — it’s devastating. No one should have to choose between their health and their survival.”
“The current administration’s policies will lead to more suffering for our Black and Latino communities,” said Annelys Roque Gardner, an Infectious Disease Doctor in Atlanta, GA. “Care will be delayed, and people will die. This doesn’t have to happen.”
“When I turned 26, I aged out of my father’s health care plan, and I had to come to terms with the question of whether I should get insurance,” said Justin Carter, a 27-year-old from the Columbus, Ohio area. “As I thought about the question of whether I should get insurance, I thought about injuries; you’re always one injury away from crippling medical debt. I ended up coming to the conclusion that without it, one injury could cause a lot of medical debt, so I decided to get it. But with some of the changes coming, I am not even sure whether or not I’ll be able to be insured come next year.”
“Cutting ACA tax credits and Medicaid will devastate Black communities and working families across the country,” said Derrick Johnson, President and CEO, NAACP. “When healthcare becomes unaffordable, people suffer, they get sick, and they die. A government that cannot protect its people’s basic well-being has failed its most fundamental test. This is policy violence against Black people and the 24 million Americans who rely on the ACA marketplace for healthcare. But make no mistake. This cruelty is the point. By failing to fund the expiring ACA tax credits, the GOP is playing politics with the health of our people. We call on lawmakers to do their job. Act in the interests of their people. And pass a funding bill that protects affordable care.”