U.S. Rep. Kelly Morrison Joins Colleagues in Demanding Speaker Johnson End Republican Shutdown
October 10, 2025
Millions of Americans will lose health care coverage in weeks if Republicans refuse to negotiate and reopen government
WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, U.S. Representative Kelly Morrison (MN-03) joined nearly 150 of her House Democratic Colleagues in a letter urging Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to immediately reconvene the House, join Democrats at the negotiating table, and commit to permanently extending the Affordable Care Act's Enhanced Premium Tax Credits before millions of Americans are priced out of health care coverage.
Millions of Americans’ health insurance premiums will more than double on average in just a few weeks as ACA marketplace enrollment begins on November 1 — a devastating increase that will force millions of Americans to go without health care. In Minnesota, the Republicans’ cuts to health care will kick 140,000 people off their health care, and cause health care premiums to skyrocket for 90,000 people across the state.
This week Rep. Morrison, a doctor for more than 20 years, spoke in front of the U.S. House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee to warn against the health care crisis President Trump and Congressional Republicans have created.
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House Democrats are ready to negotiate with a proposal that will reopen the government and protect health care for millions of Americans. The letter, signed by 143 House Democrats, urges Speaker Johnson to come to the negotiating table and protect Americans’ health care.
Read the full letter here and below.
Dear Speaker Johnson,
As we enter the second week of the federal government shutdown, we write to you with immediate urgency to call the House back into session, join the negotiating table with Democrats, and commit to protecting the health care of over 24 million Americans– we must end this dangerous and entirely avoidable shutdown of our government. Your decision to cancel votes this week is actively threatening the livelihood of millions as Congress wastes precious time not engaging in meaningful conversations to address the health care crisis our constituents face as a direct result of the Big Ugly Law’s cruel cuts to Medicaid and your refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act’s Enhanced Premium Tax Credits. According to the Congressional Budget Office, over 15 million Americans will lose their health care as a result of the Republican cuts of $1 trillion to Medicaid and the additional cuts to the Affordable Care Act in the Big Ugly Law.
Most immediately, permanently extending the Affordable Care Act’s Enhanced Premium Tax Credits will stave off the looming health care affordability crisis that all of our constituents are facing. Without immediate and bipartisan action by Congress, Americans who purchase health insurance through ACA marketplaces nationwide will be priced out of coverage.
It’s misleading to claim that Congress has until December 31 to act on extending the credits – as you know, open enrollment for ACA marketplaces begins on November 1, which means that insurers had to file rates by mid-August and many marketplaces have already begun notifying American families of premium increases. The remaining marketplaces that have not started these notifications will be doing so in the coming days. Time is short. Congress cannot afford to wait until December 31 or even November 1 – by then, too many Americans will be forced to make the decision to forgo health care coverage because they simply can’t afford it.
Let us remind you that for every American who makes the difficult decision to go without health coverage, the costs to our health care system – and to all of us – increase. Without preventative care, Americans turn up more frequently in emergency rooms, which are already strained. Uninsured emergency room visits cost individuals and the government more than if the patients had health insurance – and often lead to more dangerous health outcomes. Frankly, following the passage of the disastrous Big Ugly Law, our hospitals cannot afford to take on this additional burden. It is in the best interest of our health care system, patients, and the federal government to expeditiously extend the ACA tax credits.
We’ve heard story after story from our constituents – and yours too – about the detrimental impact of losing these credits and their inability to afford a 114% increase in their premiums. We have heard from small business owners who need cancer treatments, caregivers who look after family members with disabilities, and single parents struggling to make ends meet, all of whom have one thing in common – they will simply be unable to afford their health insurance without the ACA enhanced premium tax credits. A family of four making $125,000 will see their health care costs increase by $7,700 on average. A 60-year-old couple making $80,000 will see their health care costs increase by $17,500 on average. The bottom line is that Americans simply cannot afford these increases, and your inaction in this crucial moment is absolutely unacceptable. It is a dereliction of your duty to the American people to refuse to meet with us and negotiate.
Despite the fact that you’ve canceled votes two weeks in a row, Democrats have shown up here in D.C. during the shutdown, ready to work with you, negotiate in good faith, and find a bipartisan path forward to lower health care costs and keep care within reach for every family. As Speaker of the House, we implore you, on behalf of the American people, to bring the House back in session and join us at the negotiating table.
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Issues:
Health Care