End The Shutdown: A Call For Leadership, Accountability, And Justice

By Candece Monteil , National Urban League
Published 10 PM EDT, Fri Oct 17, 2025
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Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

"We're making a giant U-turn here. Are we really going to be a thriving, productive society if we have a huge share of our population uninsured?" – Kathy Hempstead, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

As the government shutdown drags on, families, workers, and communities across the country are suffering. This crisis—manufactured and entirely avoidable—must end now. It is not a political tactic; it is a direct threat to the health, stability, and dignity of the American people.

Our elected leaders must reopen the government, protect access to health care, and ensure that federal funding reaches the communities that need it most. These are not competing priorities—they are moral imperatives.

This shutdown comes at a critical moment. Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act marketplaces begins November 1st. More than 20 million Americans are receiving notices of skyrocketing premiums. Congress had the opportunity to address this in the recent omnibus legislation—what I call the “Big Ugly Bill.” Instead, they passed trillions in tax cuts that disproportionately benefit corporations and the wealthy, while slashing over $1 trillion from Medicaid and the ACA.

The consequences are devastating. According to the Congressional Budget Office, more than 4 million people will lose their health insurance due to the expiration of the enhanced ACA premium tax credit. Congress must act immediately to extend this credit and reopen the government. We must also reject the false narrative that this extension would provide health care to undocumented immigrants—it will not. This misinformation is a distraction from the real crisis.

This shutdown has been made even more painful by the Trump Administration’s use of scare tactics. They’ve initiated mass firings of federal employees –which are likely illegal, and signaled a refusal to provide back pay—despite being legally required to do so under a law signed by Trump himself.

The damage is already widespread:

  • Airport ground stops and delays are disrupting travel and commerce.
  • Federal employees face uncertainty about their next paycheck.
  • Local communities are losing access to over $60 billion in federal funding.
  • Veterans are being denied critical support.

Families who rely on WIC and SNAP will likely lose access to food assistance by the end of this month.

  • Federal research and public health efforts at NIH and CDC have ground to a halt.
  • HUD’s ability to process grants and provide housing assistance is severely diminished.

 And the longer this shutdown continues, the deeper the harm will go. WIC will run out of money. SNAP is projected to be out of funding by the end of the month. HUD’s housing grants may dry up, putting millions at risk of homelessness.

Even more alarming is the Trump Administration’s illegal impoundment of over $410 billion in lawfully appropriated funds. These funds were meant for violence prevention, hate crimes response, disaster mitigation, minority-owned business development, and biomedical research among other programs. Instead, the Administration has not only impounded funds, it has used fast-track rescission processes and illegal “pocket rescissions” to eliminate billions—without transparency or accountability.

Where is this money going? The Administration has not provided an explanation. But we see the militarization of cities and must ask: is this where our public dollars are being diverted?

Any year-end appropriations bill must include strong guardrails to protect appropriated funding and ensure it is used as the law requires. The legislation proposed by House Appropriations Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro and Senate Appropriations Vice Chair Patty Murray offers a clear blueprint for these safeguards.

Furthermore, any short-term resolution to reopen the government must extend the funding Trump is attempting to rescind. And any final deal must align with the Senate appropriations bills—not the House bills, which mirror Trump’s budget and propose record cuts to domestic programs. We must fully fund housing assistance, WIC, LIHEAP, employment programs, and legal defense services.

This is a moment for moral clarity and political courage. The shutdown must end. The people must be prioritized. And the budget must reflect justice, equity, and accountability.

 

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