Recent “No Kings” Protests Are Building Community Strength

Saturday, October 18, cities across the U.S. saw massive crowds hit the streets to lead anti-Trump administration protests. This acted as the second round of nation-wide action organized by “No Kings” and quickly became one of the biggest demonstrations against the Trump administration to date. The previous turnout of around 5 million for their June demonstration was topped this month with attendance of over 7 million spreading across more than 2,700 events planned in every single state in the U.S.

What Does This Government Shutdown Mean?

After Democrat and Republican Senators were unable to agree on health policy, the federal government was driven to a shutdown on Oct. 1. The issue at hand relates to the cost of premiums for healthcare plans individuals purchase through the Affordable Care Act. The enhanced tax credits for these premiums are set to expire at the end of the year and have been a major factor at play in keeping ACA plans affordable for the millions of people who rely on them.

Democrats voted against Republican’s proposed short-term funding bill for a few different reasons, one of the main ones being because it did not include an extension for these enhanced tax credits. This issue will impact the more than 24 million Americans who don’t get health insurance through jobs and public programs like Medicare or Medicaid, but instead buy it through the ACA.