Congressional Black Caucus Statement on Republican Government Shutdown

Today, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement:

"Today, our country is facing a crisis entirely of the Republican Party's making and, unfortunately, Black communities will be forced to bear the brunt of their political games. Make no mistake: President Trump and the Republican majority in Congress own this shutdown. Instead of coming to the negotiating table to find a bipartisan solution to prevent Americans from losing life-saving healthcare, they left town. Instead of negotiating in good faith with Democratic leadership, President Trump cowardly posted racist deepfakes on the internet. This behavior shows the American people exactly who the Republicans are and where their priorities lie.

"The GOP spending proposal includes the most aggressive attack on healthcare in modern history, slashing Medicaid and Medicare at unprecedented levels. These cuts are not abstract - they are life-or-death decisions for millions of Americans, especially the 1 in 5 Medicaid enrollees who are Black. Across the country, we are already seeing hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics that serve our communities closing their doors. The Republicans' refusal to extend ACA premium tax credits is driving up costs and pushing coverage out of reach for many in our communities. And if that weren't bad enough, they are gutting medical research on diseases that disproportionately impact Black Americans like heart disease and diabetes.

"The Congressional Black Caucus made clear that we will not support a partisan, extremist spending bill that slashes healthcare, guts federal jobs, and raises costs for hardworking Americans. We are calling on our Republican colleagues to return to Washington and negotiate in good faith on a bipartisan path forward to protect healthcare and reopen the government."