Catholic groups serving the poor call for action to end federal government shut down

WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- Congressional lawmakers failed to pass legislation to fund the federal government, resulting in a federal government shutdown at the end of September. Catholic groups that serve the poor urged lawmakers to end gridlock.

A government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass a budget or if that budget is not signed into law by the president. Some types of essential government services are exempt, including Social Security payments to older adults. But many other functions of government are suspended during shutdowns, such as paychecks for government workers, including members of the armed services. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are subject to furloughs, meaning they must stop working and will not be paid until the federal government reopens.

Both Republican and Democratic proposals that would have funded the government failed in the Senate in the hours before their 11:59 p.m. Sept. 30 deadline, resulting in a shutdown beginning at midnight Oct. 1.

Republicans and Democrats were at a stalemate over enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama's health care law also known as "Obamacare." The subsidies, or tax credits, are used by lower-to-middle-income households to reduce their out-of-pocket costs for enrolling in the program. It is set to expire soon, and Democrats are seeking an extension.

Health policy researcher KFF published an analysis Sept. 30 showing ACA marketplace premiums are expected to spike an average 114% in 2026 for those relying on subsidies unless they are extended. A family of four with a household income of $40,000 is expected to pay $840 more annually, while a family of four with a household income of $110,000 is expected to pay more than $3,200. Approximately 24 million Americans access healthcare through the ACA marketplace.

But President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have sought to tie the issue to immigration, alleging Democrats are seeking to fund health care for those present in the U.S. without legal status. However, immigrants without legal status are not eligible for the subsidies, although the Democrats' proposal would have given some federally-funded health care eligibility back to "lawfully present" authorized migrants.

The U.S. bishops and Catholic entities that advocate for, or work with, people who are poor and vulnerable in the U.S. have generally cautioned against government shutdowns.

The U.S. bishops have also emphasized that the Catholic Church, the largest single non-governmental provider of health care in the world, teaches that universal access to health care is a right that is rooted in the inherent dignity of every human person. In a letter to lawmakers in February, Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak of Philadelphia, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' domestic justice committee, said every human being has the right to "right to those necessities needed to live, found a family and flourish."

"It is in this reality that we recognize that the right to health care is a fundamental necessity for the preservation of life and human flourishing," he said, referencing Pope Francis' reminder that "health is not a luxury, it is for all."

Chieko Noguchi, a spokesperson for the USCCB, told OSV News in a written statement, "A government shutdown harms families and individuals who rely on federal services."

"We hope lawmakers will work earnestly to come to a bipartisan agreement that ends the government shutdown as quickly as possible," she said.

Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, said in a statement, "The reverberations from this latest episode of crippling partisanship will be felt far beyond the halls of Washington."

"Government shutdowns take a particular toll on the most vulnerable among us, from hungry children and parents living paycheck to paycheck to seniors struggling to afford medications and groceries," she said. "Vital government programs that rely on administrative processing could experience cascading delays during the shutdown, disrupting critical services such as food assistance and housing for people in need."

She said Catholic Charities agencies will continue to carry out their mission, filling in the gaps where possible, in obedience to the Gospel. But she warned, "If leaders from both parties do not put an end to this unnecessary shutdown as soon as possible, even more Americans will fall into poverty, and the recovery from this setback could take months or even years."

Sister Mary Haddad, a member of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and president and CEO of Catholic Health Association of the United States, also urged Congress to act in a statement.

"A government shutdown jeopardizes the health and stability of millions of families -- especially those living paycheck to paycheck and communities that depend on essential services. The ripple effects of inaction extend across the economy, deepening hardship for those already most vulnerable," she said.

Sister Haddad explained in her statement that "critical health programs" were at stake, among them access to essential health services via telemedicine, hospitals endangered by Medicaid cuts and burdened by disproportionate payments while caring for underserved communities, and the ACA tax credits relied upon by millions of families to afford their health care premiums.

"When partisan gridlock leads to a shutdown, those who are poor, sick, and marginalized suffer most -- precisely those we are called to protect," she said. "Failure to act -- whether by not funding the government or by allowing critical health programs to lapse -- will result in higher health care costs, the loss of coverage for millions, and damaging disruption to the delivery of care in underserved American communities."

Laurie Carafone, executive director of Network, a Catholic social justice advocacy group, called for a bipartisan funding bill to protect health care for those at risk of losing it. She said it was "irresponsible" for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to cancel the House's work instead of dealing with the crisis.

"Health care is a human right, and Members of Congress chose to shut down the federal government rather than protect affordable health care," she said in a statement Oct. 1, adding, "With Affordable Care Act enrollment beginning in less than a month, there is no time to waste."

The White House Office of Management and Budget cast blame for the shutdown on Democrats in its Sept. 30 guidance to federal agencies, directing them to begin their shutdown procedures.

"It is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict," the memo said. "Regardless, employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities. We will issue another memorandum indicating that government functions should resume once the President has signed a bill providing for appropriations."

In a joint Oct. 1 statement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both New York Democrats, pointed to Republicans as responsible.

"After months of making life harder and more expensive, Donald Trump and Republicans have now shut down the federal government because they do not want to protect the healthcare of the American people," the statement said. "Democrats remain ready to find a bipartisan path forward to reopen the government in a way that lowers costs and addresses the Republican healthcare crisis. But we need a credible partner."

"The country is in desperate need of an intervention to get out of another Trump shutdown," it added.

The previous most recent government shutdown took place during Trump's first term, which started on Dec. 22, 2018, and lasted until Jan. 25, 2019, resulting in a 35-day shutdown. At the time, it was the longest government shutdown in more than four decades.