“More than 35,000 of my constituents are at risk of losing their coverage altogether. None of this is acceptable and 100% preventable.”

“Republicans could work with Democrats to lower these costs, but instead they chose to shut down the government and continue their campaign of wholesale, widespread hurt and harm.”

Video (YouTube)

WASHINGTON – During a House Steering and Policy Committee hearing, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) slammed Republicans for raising healthcare costs for families across the country and shutting down the government instead of addressing the healthcare crisis they created.

Rep. Pressley and her fellow Steering and Policy Committee members held an emergency hearing to hear directly from healthcare workers, family caretakers, and small business owners about how the Republicans’ shutdown and soaring healthcare premiums are threatening lives and livelihoods across the country.

A full transcript of the Congresswoman’s remarks is available below, and the full video is available here.

Transcript: Pressley Slams Republicans for Raising Healthcare Costs for Families, Shutting Down Government
U.S. Capitol
October 15, 2025

I’m an only child, but I married into a big family. And when we first were married, my husband was constantly going to this event, to that event, to a christening, a graduation.

And I said – you know, we both worked in government – and I said, I can’t, I can’t keep up with this. You know, there’s always a place to be. And my husband said to me, “You always inconvenience yourself for family.”

 And I just want to thank you for being here today because you’ve gone out of your way, because you give a damn—not only about your own families, but about your neighbors, about our communities, about our human family. And our destinies truly are tied.

So I thank you so much for your expertise, for your candor, and for your vulnerability.

My questions have been asked and answered, but I do just want to talk a little bit about the district that I represent, the Massachusetts 7th.

This is a vibrant, diverse, dynamic district, deeply unequal.

In a three-mile radius—you might find this hard to believe—from Cambridge to Roxbury, the Blackest part of my district, life expectancy drops by 30 years. 

So we have disparate outcomes across all avenues, but especially when it comes to health. 

And in fact, my district has already lost two hospitals—Carney Hospital and St. Elizabeth’s—and one in three of my constituents receive their care from a community health center, which is patient-centered, culturally competent, all of the things.

And of course, they’re all vulnerable in this moment.

I want to share an excerpt from a letter of one of my constituents, Sasha, who lives with Type 1 diabetes in Boston.

‘The idea of Medicaid being cut or made harder to access terrifies me. I don’t know how I would survive. I’m only 18, and I want to live with purpose, help others, and give back, but I can’t do that if I’m not here, and I can’t stay here without the care that keeps me alive.’

Madam Chair, I ask unanimous consent to enter this letter into the record.

Medicaid is a lifeline for Sasha and millions of others throughout the country. 

It’s not a nice to have. It’s a must have. 

And instead of protecting access to care, Republicans have chosen cruelty. 

They passed the Big Betrayal Bill and created a health care crisis that endangers the lives of every person who calls this country home.

Donald Trump, RFK Jr., Republicans in Congress are dismantling our health care system by firing workers at public health agencies, defunding research for cures, denying women essential reproductive care, and attacking science. 

And now, families are just weeks away from skyrocketing hikes for health insurance.

In my district, a family of four making $64,000 a year will pay $2,500 more in premiums each year. So for a 60- year-old couple earning $82,000, they’ll have to pay an extra $14,000.

More than 35,000 of my constituents are at risk of losing their coverage altogether. None of this is acceptable and 100% preventable. 

Republicans could work with Democrats to lower these costs, but instead they chose to shut down the government and continue their campaign of wholesale, widespread hurt and harm.

I do not know if it’s incompetence, I do not know if it is greed. I do not know if it is outright contempt for the American public.

But let me be clear: we are fighting for you. 

To every person fearful of losing life-saving health care, know that we see you and we will not stop fighting for you.

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