It's been 111 days since the Republican Congress decided to let the funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, community health centers, and other public health programs expire. They made this decision purposefully because they knew they would have to negotiate on immigration and on government funding, and they wanted the 9 million kids in this program as "leverage."
And they're still trying to blame the Democrats—the minority party that has almost no say in what comes to the floor in either the House or Senate—for the fact that the states are now in chaos, trying to figure out how to take care of their sick poor people and children. Oh, and lying about it, too.
Resolving the DACA crisis is urgent. Already, 16,000 have lost their work permits and their protected status—122 more lose that status every single day this crisis continues. It's a "Sophie's Choice" situation here, and not to go all Godwin here, but we know what role the Republicans are playing.
It wasn't Democrats' decision to keep the bipartisan bill that the Senate Finance Committee passed back in September off of the Senate floor. It wasn't Democrats' decision to pit one vulnerable population of young people against another. It's not Democrats' who view living, individual, vulnerable human beings as "leverage."
And it's not Democrats who will be blamed if the worst happens, if government shuts down with no resolution on any of these issues.
Jam the phone lines of House and Senate Republicans. Call (202) 224-3121, and tell them to stop holding kids hostage and to pass a clean funding bill for CHIP and community health centers.