Doctor: Republicans Risk Children’s Lives in Shutdown Gamble | Opinion
The Impact of SNAP Benefits on Families
As a pediatrician, I see the effects of food insecurity on children every day. It’s heartbreaking to watch families worry about whether they’ll have enough food to last until the end of the month. This concern is only going to get worse if the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are delayed or suspended. I know that there are billions of dollars in contingency funds available to support SNAP during a government shutdown, but instead of using these resources to help families, some Republicans are choosing to play political games with the lives of American children.
I became a pediatrician because I wanted to keep kids healthy. I can’t imagine having a child come into my clinic with an illness and knowing that medication is available to treat it, but deciding not to give it because I want to make a point. The American Academy of Pediatrics clearly states that “SNAP is medicine for food insecurity.” Yet, the current federal government is withholding this vital support. Our children deserve better than this.
Redistricting and Fair Elections
Our Republican legislature has once again shown that they cannot win an honest election. The redistricting process has limited who can vote for whom, which goes against the wishes of most citizens who want nonpartisan or bipartisan districting. Their actions remind me of the phrase “taxation without representation.”
A Call to Action for Food Banks
Federal layoffs combined with delays in funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program have created a perfect storm at the worst possible time. Kimberly Burrows, Chief Development Officer of the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, said, “How do we do more with less?” Meanwhile, the state government has cut food bank funding for the first time in 35 years. I call on everyone to donate money and food to food banks right now. Families will soon be starving. And to members of Congress: Solve this impasse now. We are watching, and we will be voting.
Healthcare as a Lifeline
As teacher-union members, we understand what it means to stand together for the essentials that keep families safe and communities strong. The MAGA Republicans in Congress are holding the federal budget hostage and pushing cuts that would remove healthcare from millions of families. We pay our taxes faithfully, but many of the wealthy avoid paying their fair share. They should not be getting more tax breaks. Working families already face rising costs, stagnant wages, and the daily stress of making ends meet. Increasing healthcare costs during these challenges is not just irresponsible; it’s cruel and immoral.
Democrats are standing firm to protect Affordable Care Act subsidies and reverse Medicaid cuts because they understand that healthcare is a lifeline, not a bargaining chip. Working people can’t afford higher premiums or lost coverage just to satisfy an extremist agenda. Unfortunately, Republicans are willing to gamble with our health, our jobs, and our economy to score political points. Unions fight for good jobs, fair wages, and benefits at the bargaining table, and Congress should do no less for the American people.
The Importance of Democratic Principles
It is an obscenity against the American democratic system for elected officials to select their voters rather than the other way around. State GOP lawmakers who recently plotted and voted for the North Carolina redistricting scheme are far from being responsible public servants; they are themselves political obscenities.
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