For Immediate Release: November10, 2025
WASHINGTON, DC—In response to the Senate moving forward with a spending bill that fails to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits that keep health care affordable for 24 million Americans, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice Executive Director Laurie Carafone issued the following statement:
“The American people are worried for good reason: without the extension of the ACA healthcare premium subsidies, millions of people will lose their health insurance, and it is projected 50,000 people will die every year. The Republican-led Senate is taking inhumanity to a new level by moving forward with a budget bill that fails to fix the skyrocketing healthcare premiums and fails to fully fund SNAP. We are disappointed that eight of their Democratic colleagues have joined them in this egregious plan,” Carafone said. “The agreement was precipitated by a continuation of chaos and wanton destruction President Trump and his administration have engaged in since taking office in January. His administration has been laser focused on intentional cruelty toward the American people, including stealing food from the mouths of children by withholding SNAP food assistance for the first time in our nation’s history. To make the pain even greater, they cut off heating support for those same families. Then they cut support for air traffic controllers so Americans can’t be with family during Thanksgiving. They have done all of this to avoid negotiation over health care for 24 million people. Americans overwhelmingly oppose these callous and inhumane policies.
“We are not giving up. The Senate has promised a vote to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits and 25 House Republicans are on record of support for an extension. It is our government’s moral obligation to make sure Americans can eat, work, and access health care in this, the world’s richest nation. Our elected leaders are failing in their duty to serve families, not billionaires. NETWORK and our faithful community of thousands of advocates across this great nation who have been working tirelessly to hold our elected leaders accountable will not rest until this damage is undone.”
Founded by Catholic Sisters in 1971, NETWORK is an inclusive, national, Catholic advocacy organization open to all who share our values, working for justice and equity for everyone. For 53 years, NETWORK has educated, organized, and lobbied for federal policies that serve the common good and honor the dignity of all people.
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