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PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
October 1, 2025
Contact: press@alianzaamericas.org / (773) 638-4278
Chicago, Illinois – Alianza Americas denounces the dangerous and irresponsible government shutdown driven by the unwillingness of the two political parties to discuss and negotiate funding priorities. Democrats are trying to undo cuts to Medicaid and public media outlets, approved by the Big Beautiful Bill, and they are demanding an extension of health plan subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, which expire at the end of the year. This manufactured crisis is not a political game—it has real and devastating consequences for real people who will get sick, lose access to care, and in many cases, die.
This shutdown is the result of the actions of both parties. Democratic support allowed the Big Beautiful Bill to pass. Cuts to Medicaid and public media funding should never have been supported. Furthermore, Republican lawmakers are spreading dangerous disinformation, claiming that the discussion is around healthcare subsidies for undocumented immigrants. Voters are being lied to.
Once more, immigrants are being used as pawns in a reckless political maneuver that prioritizes ideology over human lives. Dismantling healthcare protections under the guise of immigration policy is another disinformation effort to push an anti-immigrant narrative. Meanwhile, millions of Americans—including children, seniors, people with disabilities, and working families—face catastrophic harm.
A government shutdown does not happen in a vacuum. It creates cascading damage across communities:
Frozen applications and services for SNAP, WIC, housing assistance, and other critical programs—locking out families who need help now, not weeks or months from now.
Paused WIC programs, denying pregnant women, new mothers, and young children access to nutrition support at the most critical time in their development.
Slowed or halted SNAP processing, forcing families already struggling to make ends meet into impossible choices between food and other necessities.
Shuttered government offices and reduced staff, making it impossible for people to access the services they're entitled to, apply for benefits, or resolve urgent issues.
Compromised essential services, including schools and hospitals, create long-term damage that persists well beyond the shutdown itself.
Pandemic-era healthcare subsidies are set to expire at the end of December, threatening to significantly increase premiums for marketplace and private insurance plans. Without congressional action to renew—or better yet, make permanent—these subsidies, millions of Americans will face skyrocketing healthcare costs at a time when they can least afford it. Families already struggling with rising costs for housing, food, and energy will be forced to choose between paying hundreds or even thousands more per year for health insurance or going without coverage entirely.
People across this country want these subsidies extended and made permanent. Instead, Congress is playing political games that will result in families losing coverage or being crushed by premium increases. Voters demand and deserve the truth. Disinformation and efforts to hide the consequences of legislation already approved hurt our democracy.
The truth is clear: immigrants make significant contributions to this country's economy, culture, and communities. Efforts to demonize immigrant communities while simultaneously stripping healthcare from all vulnerable populations reveal the true priorities of those pushing this shutdown—and those priorities do not include the well-being of the American people.
Alianza Americas calls on Congress to:
A functioning government is not a luxury—it is essential to protecting public health, safety, and dignity.
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Alianza Americas is a transnational network of migrant-led organizations in the United States. We advocate for social justice, equity and human rights in the Americas.
