After 43 days, President Trump signed legislation on Wednesday officially ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Our country’s broader moral reckoning continues.
The reopening of the government is good news, bringing much needed relief to those impacted.
Yet, we are dismayed that the legislation fails to address two crucial issues: Surging healthcare prices for millions and President Trump’s authoritarian efforts to usurp Congress’s constitutional spending power.
As FCNL’s Bridget Moix said in a statement, “The consequences of congressional inaction on these two issues are grave.”
Skyrocketing Healthcare Costs:
This legislation failed to extend subsidies that keep insurance accessible for people enrolled through the Affordable Care Act.
That means that struggling families will see their insurance prices surge. Some will see their premiums double or triple. Many will be priced out and lose healthcare. Tens of thousands of people could needlessly die.
As Bridget put it, “Congress is once again failing to meet the basic human needs and rights of their constituents.”
Lawmakers must act urgently to rectify this moral failure. Everybody should be able to receive the care they need.
The Rising Threat of Authoritarianism:
We are also alarmed that this bill does not enact guardrails to ensure the Trump administration spends the money Congress has appropriated.
Over the last fiscal year, President Trump has illegally withheld funding from crucial programs while his administration and allies in Congress canceled billions more that was approved on a bipartisan basis.
This is not just about funding for specific programs. These are authoritarian efforts to override Congress — a threat to the separation of powers and to the checks and balances our democratic system relies on.
The Work Ahead:
Ultimately, these issues are about two bedrock principles that guide our work: Protecting human dignity and fostering a just, inclusive democracy for all.
But this is not a moment for despair. The voices of ordinary people demanding better continue to grow louder. Hope is essential as we call our lawmakers to meet the urgency of this moment with action.
Elsewhere
U.S. pressure grows to protect civilians in Sudan
This week FCNL advocates in all 50 states demanded that Congress act to protect civilians facing genocide in Sudan. Following the fall of El Fasher in Darfur, Sudan, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been committing extreme violence against the people of the city, with mass killings leaving evidence that can be seen from space.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called for international action to block arms from going to the RSF. But he did not specifically criticize the UAE — a major arms supplier of the RSF and recipient of U.S. weapons. The U.S. must continue to live up to our moral and legal responsibility to end the conflict, end the genocide, and protect innocent lives.
“You Have Arrived in Hell”
A recent report from Human Rights Watch and Cristosal shares the experience of the 252 Venezuelans who were sent by the United States to El Salvador’s CECOT prison. The prison director greeted them: “You have arrived in hell.” Their experience backed that up as they faced extreme physical and sexual violence, even torture. Reporting from the New York Times provided more detail about these brutal conditions.
Congress must act to ensure that our government does not send more people to face torture in foreign prisons.
Time to End the Selective Service
FCNL’s Priya Moran explained the proposals to automate and expand the Selective Service (the draft) included in this year’s military authorization bill (the NDAA). She points out how this system already forces people to prepare to commit violence, even against their conscience, and calls for it to be abolished, not expanded.
