For Immediate Release: November 10, 2025
Contact: Heather Cabral, hcabral@faithinaction.org, 202-550-6880

Washington –  Faith leaders from across the country are denouncing the deal reached late Sunday to end the government shutdown and praying for a last-minute miracle to protect the healthcare of millions of Americans. In statements after the first procedural vote, leaders with Faith in Action, the nation’s largest faith-based grassroots organizing network, urged senators to repent and change course: 

The Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould, Political Director, Faith in Action:

“This vote may move the government closer to reopening its doors, but it is a deliberate moral failure. Once again, the health and dignity of God’s children have been placed on the altar of political convenience. While we welcome the end of this shutdown, the protections for exploited federal workers and funding for SNAP, we are deeply disappointed that the more than 24 million Americans who rely on the Affordable Care Act tax credits are being asked to wait and to hope while their premiums may skyrocket. Healthcare should be a human right, but senators have used it as a bargaining chip.”  

Bishop Dwayne Royster, Executive Director, Faith in Action:

“As the end of the government shutdown nears, it does not signal a better outcome for the American people. The government has held our nation’s workers, families, and critical services hostage for political gain. The work of our leaders continues to be both shameful and deeply harmful to all Americans, especially those reliant on healthcare subsidies. Our elected leaders must remember that governance is a sacred trust, not a game of power. The American people deserve leadership rooted in justice, compassion, especially for the least of these. We urge senators to repent of their action to turn their backs on the American people and refuse to vote on a deal that does not include protections for health care access.”