FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November, 2025
Contact: Chyna Fields, cfields@naacpnet.org

WASHINGTON — The NAACP condemns this evening’s Senate vote to end the government shutdown as a profound betrayal of millions of Americans left without affordable healthcare. For more than a month, families endured life without a sustainable income — not as a matter of choice, but as collateral in a political standoff. Yet, instead of restoring stability and dignity to those harmed, this agreement offers little more than a return to uncertainty, frustration, and neglect.

Even more devastating is the refusal to extend affordable healthcare through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In the midst of economic paralysis and mounting hardship, our nation’s leaders chose performance over principle. They left millions of Americans exposed — without coverage, without care, and without compassion.

Healthcare is not a privilege. It is a human right. Denying it is an act of cruelty; withholding it is an act of cowardice.

“This deal betrays the American people who will lose their healthcare coverage as a result of weak and ineffective lawmakers,” said Derrick Johnson, President & CEO, NAACP. “It is a stark reminder that empty gestures cannot heal a hungry child, cannot cover a medical bill, and cannot revive the dignity stripped from hardworking Americans who were reduced to a lesser state by political theater. The American people made their thoughts clear in Tuesday’s elections, and every lawmaker backing this deal should consider themselves on notice.”

We are left to ask a haunting question: When does the “Great” part of America begin — and for whom?

Until our leaders govern with courage, empathy, and accountability to the people — not to party or power — America will remain a nation that too often turns its back on its most vulnerable.

The NAACP will continue to fight for policies that prioritize people over politics, truth over theatrics, and justice over convenience. Visit naacp.org for more information.