The federal government is still shut down, and things are about to get a lot worse if Republicans in Congress don’t change course before midnight tonight.

Democrats in Congress are standing strong in opposing any federal budget that does not include an extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. Right now, as it stands, more than 20 million patients will see their health insurance premiums increase as open enrollment for the ACA marketplace begins tomorrow. And if Trump and the Republicans refuse to act by the end of the year, these costs are set to more than double.

To make matters even worse, the Trump administration has chosen to cut off Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits that keep 42 million people — 60 percent of whom are children and seniors — from starvation starting tomorrow, November 1st.

Under previous administrations, the USDA has continued to administer SNAP even during government shutdowns. Trump would rather interrupt SNAP for the first time in its 60-year history in an attempt to blame Democrats for the shutdown instead of ensuring food aid gets to the millions of people who rely on it.

There’s still time to stop this. Make a call to your representative and senators now using the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and tell them to oppose any federal budget that fails to protect our health care!

Feel free to use this script:

Hi, my name is _______. I am a constituent, and I’m a nurse/other health care worker/patient/Medicaid recipient/ally. With SNAP benefits for 42 million people at risk of being cut tomorrow, on the same day that health care marketplace premiums will skyrocket for more than 20 million patients, the United States is on the verge of a public health emergency. Republicans and the Trump administration could stop this, but instead, they’re using this government shutdown to bully Democrats into choosing between funding for health care and food. I urge you to vote for a budget package like H.R. 5450/S. 2882, that protects our public health, and oppose any budget that fails to do so. Thank you.

As National Nurses United (NNU) President Mary Turner, RN, said, “This is a five-alarm fire. No parent should ever have to choose between paying for food, health care, or housing for their family just because Republicans have decided to use our patients as pawns.”

Nurses across the country are clear that opening the government now without a health care deal will leave patients scrambling to figure out how to afford their health insurance, and they know the Trump administration could act immediately to ensure SNAP recipients receive their much-needed benefits while Congress works to pass a fair funding bill.

Nurses also know that, even once this immediate crisis is behind us, we must continue to fight for a true solution to our broken health care system that continuously puts so many people at risk – and that solution is Medicare for All.

Please call (202) 224-3121 TODAY to make your voice heard on this critically important issue. Thank you.

In solidarity,

National Nurses United