AFL-CIO Demands Trump End the Shutdown, Fix the Health Care Crisis, Put Working People First
The nation’s largest labor federation reminds the president “[o]ur livelihoods should not be used as pawns or bargaining chips.”
Full text of letter to President Trump (PDF)
(Washington, D.C.)—AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler called on President Trump today to stop “squeezing working people until they abandon demands to address a mounting health care crisis.” and immediately fund the government, fix the health care crisis, and put America’s working people first.
In a new letter, she demands Trump meet with congressional leaders and find a funding solution to end the government shutdown, warning that every day this drags on threatens millions of jobs and price hikes working families can’t afford. “The people who work for a living—the people I represent—are the backbone of this country,” Shuler writes. “Our livelihoods should not be used as pawns or bargaining chips, whether it is threatening one set of workers after another, canceling construction projects, or jacking up electricity prices on top of higher health insurance premiums.”
Representing the nation’s largest labor federation of 63 labor unions and nearly 15 million working people, Shuler lays out the cascading effects of the government shutdown and skyrocketing health care costs that will crush workers if President Trump doesn’t act.
After months of DOGE-driven chaos, around 750,000 federal workers have been locked out of their jobs and 1.4 million more are forced to work without pay. As Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought threatens illegal firings and cancels funding for critical energy and infrastructure projects, Shuler raises the alarm on the risk this shutdown poses to the economy across industries, from the transportation and construction workforces to local and state governments.
In the letter, Shuler cautions that if the Affordable Care Act tax credits aren’t extended, some 22 million Americans will be forced to pay 114% more for their health care premiums, ultimately driving up health care costs for everyone—including the 179 million people with employer-based coverage—and leading to the loss of more than 100,000 health care jobs. “Anyone who cares about working people should want to explore ways to avoid these price hikes, this loss of health care and these job losses,” Shuler writes, reminding Trump, “it’s a crisis you can undo.”
The letter concludes, “[w]e implore you to meet with the leaders of the House and Senate to find a solution that funds the government, fixes the health care crisis, and puts working people first.”
Read the full letter here.
Contact: Onotse Omoyeni, 202-637-5018