As people of faith and conscience, we were outraged when Congress cut billions from Medicaid and SNAP this summer because we believe that access to healthcare and food are essential to healthy and thriving communities, which all people deserve. Our nation’s budget is a moral document, and Congress chose to give tax breaks to the wealthy few at the expense of the rest of us, including the most vulnerable in our communities.
This week, FAN advocates across the state, including clergy, lay leaders, and monastics, stressed the importance of preserving healthcare access in in-district meetings with members of Congress and their staff. These meetings were part of our special FAN & UCC Moral Budget Advocacy Week, which was made possible by training and support from the United Church of Christ, DC Office of Public Policy & Advocacy.
This advocacy week comes at a critical time when Congress is amid tense-unyielding negotiations for a funding package to keep the government open. A critical healthcare tax credit that allows millions of low-income Americans to pay for health insurance was not extended in the House’s temporary spending bill, called a continuing resolution or CR. The tax credits lower the monthly premiums of Americans by hundreds of dollars each month. Without these tax credits, over 4 million people are estimated to be dropped from their healthcare coverage due to an increase of over $100 in their monthly healthcare premiums. | 
