WASHINGTON (RNS) — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other Democrats joined faith leaders on Thursday (Oct. 30) to pray and speak against the dangers of health care cuts and allowing government assistance programs to expire during the ongoing government shutdown.
“We will not retreat, and we will use every nonviolent tool at our disposal to call this nation, this Congress, to stop all of this partisan fighting and get down to the business of the people,” said the Rev. William Barber II, a prominent social justice activist, at a press conference on Capitol Hill. “Open this government so that you can open up good news for the poor.”
Barber was echoed by Jeffries, who accused Republicans of committing “policy violence” by cutting Medicaid spending earlier this year with the passage of the “Big, Beautiful Bill” — which Barber vigorously protested, resulting in his arrest at the U.S. Capitol in April.
Jeffries then pivoted to an issue Democrats argue is at the center of the nearly monthlong government shutdown — a dispute over whether to extend health insurance subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year.
“The refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax rates, the unwillingness to find a dime to meet the health care needs of the American people, when some folks can find $40 billion to bail out a right-wing dictator in Argentina — that’s policy violence,” Jeffries said, referring to President Donald Trump’s decision to authorize up to $40 billion in a bailout package to help address Argentina’s economic crisis.
Jeffries and Barber were joined by other Democratic lawmakers, such as Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada, as well as an array of faith leaders from a range of traditions and organizations, such as the National Council of Churches, United Methodist Church, Disciples of Christ and the Union for Reform Judaism.
The Rev. William Barber II speaks during a news conference on the 30th day of a government shutdown, on Capitol Hill, Oct. 30, 2025, in Washington. (RNS photo/Jack Jenkins)
Republicans such as House Speaker Mike Johnson have accused Democrats of using the fight over health care subsidies as a foil, arguing they are instead refusing to open the government because liberal leaders are afraid of angering the “radical, far-left voices in their party,” Johnson said in a news conference.
But the religious leaders gathered on Capitol Hill — some of whom, like Barber, have long advocated for greater access to health care — insisted the subsidies issue was paramount. Among their delegation were at least three people who said they stand to be directly impacted by policy changes, including if the subsidies expire.
Lawmakers and faith leaders also highlighted concerns about the looming threat of allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, formerly known as food stamps, to lapse, as they are set do on Saturday if the government does not reopen or other measures are not taken.