11/14/2025
The Southern AIDS Coalition (SAC) today issued a statement following the Senate’s decision to end the longest government shutdown in history, a deal that reopens the government but fails to protect Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies.
“Reopening the government was necessary, but doing so without safeguarding the ACA premium subsidies comes at a steep cost,” SAC said. “By delaying negotiations on these subsidies, Congress has deepened the harm already experienced during the shutdown.”
During the 40-day shutdown, Southern families endured delayed or partial food assistance, disrupted health services, and growing unemployment in states with large federal workforces. In Mississippi, hospital closures and underfunded clinics pushed essential care further out of reach, while the federal data blackout left states and providers blind to real-time needs.
The South bore the brunt of this crisis, a region already facing higher uninsured rates, fragile rural hospitals, and limited safety-net capacity. The decision to separate reopening from the ACA subsidy vote only compounds the region’s vulnerability. Without swift action, subsidies will expire at the end of 2025, driving up premiums by 26–30%, reducing coverage, and threatening 340,000 jobs nationwide.
SAC calls for a whole-of-government response paired with robust state and local investment. Congress must act quickly to extend ACA premium subsidies and adopt measures that prevent future shutdowns. SAC also urges Southern state leaders to build contingency plans that protect nutrition, health care, and employment programs when federal funding stalls.
Read SAC’s full statement here: https://southernaidscoalition.org/southern-aids-coalition-statement-on-govt-shutdown/
