October 25, 2025
Dear Friends,
We’re approaching four weeks into this government shutdown, and Republicans remain unwilling to come to the table and negotiate a bipartisan budget agreement that protects affordable health care for American families. Even as working Americans face the prospect of skyrocketing premiums when health insurance enrollment periods open next month, Republicans are still dead set on their plan to eviscerate access to Medicare and Medicaid while eliminating critical Affordable Care Act subsidies that allow millions of families to purchase low-cost insurance.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump and his cronies are using the shutdown as an opportunity to further slash critical government services, dispense political favors, and line their own pockets at the expense of the American people. Throughout this Republican shutdown and beyond, my Democratic colleagues and I will continue to fight back against this outrageous cruelty and corruption.
The roots of this Republican shutdown go back to the “Big, Ugly Bill,” the catastrophic budget scheme passed with near-unanimous GOP support in July. That legislation slashed nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid while failing to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for working families — forcing at least 15 million Americans off their insurance and leaving millions more to face up to 400% increases in their premiums. Despite the immense pain these cuts will inflict on American families, Republicans would rather keep the government closed indefinitely than do right by their constituents and reverse these disastrous policies.
At the same time, Republicans are exploiting their party’s shutdown to dismantle the essential government services that form the bedrock of our public health infrastructure.
Last week, as part of a sweeping array of mass layoffs across the federal government, the Department of Health and Human Services illegally fired more than 100 employees at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) — reducing the agency’s workforce to less than half of what it was at the beginning of this year. These firings threaten years of bipartisan progress in providing resources and treatment to those on the road to recovery, which is why I led several of my colleagues in demanding that Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reinstate these public servants immediately. In their callous effort to maximize the pain of this shutdown, the Trump administration targeted the very Americans who can least afford to lose our support.
Amid this relentless campaign of unbridled cruelty, Donald Trump continues to escalate his already-rampant abuses of power. In the past week alone, Trump has:
This brazen corruption demands accountability, and my Democratic colleagues and I will use every tool at our disposal to deliver it.
During this shutdown and throughout this administration, Donald Trump and his Republican allies have acted as if they will never have to face the consequences of their actions. By stripping health care from millions of Americans, looting taxpayer funds for their own corrupt purposes, and illegally terrorizing our communities, Trump and the GOP have shown nothing but contempt for the people they represent. But this past weekend, I was heartened to witness a powerful statement from the ultimate source of accountability: the American people. After joining thousands of my fellow Capital Region residents at No Kings rallies in Albany, Clifton Park, Troy, and Saratoga Springs, and seeing millions more protesting peacefully across the country, I remain confident that we will emerge stronger than ever from this dark chapter in our nation’s history. Together, we can restore accountability to our government and reaffirm that this nation belongs to its people — not to dictators and kings.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates, announcements, and recommendations from governments and agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- With Halloween less than a week away and trick-or-treating season already upon us, many of our local municipalities and community organizations are hosting Trunk-or-Treat events to provide safer trick-or-treating experiences for Capital Region families.
- Trunk-or-Treat events allow children and their parents to put on their costumes and go trick-or-treating from the trunks of decorated vehicles.
- Even if you and your family are planning to trick-or-treat on Halloween night, these events provide an opportunity to enjoy the holiday with members of your community — and to bag some extra candy!
- Click HERE to see a full list of Trunk-or-Treat events across our Capital Region.
