For Immediate Release: November 10, 2025
Contact: media@hispanicfederation.org
Hispanic Federation Calls on Senate Republicans to Keep Their Promise
Hispanic Federation demands that Congressional leadership honor their proposal to conduct real bipartisan negotiations on resolving the health premium affordability crisis.
Washington D.C. – Yesterday evening, the U.S. Senate voted 60-40 to start the process of reopening the federal government after the longest shutdown in U.S. history. A group of eight Democratic senators joined Republicans to support legislation that provides funding for some programs, but does not resolve other key issues, including health care affordability. That legislation is slated to head to the House of Representatives. Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of Hispanic Federation, offered the following perspective:
“There is no denying that the extended shutdown has been painful. Lifesaving work has been paused, travel delayed and – most importantly – tens of millions of Americans, including upwards of 11 million Latinos, have faced nutritional uncertainty and hardship as the Administration chose to challenge judicial orders to pay SNAP benefits rather than releasing the required funds.
Last night’s deal will resolve many of these immediate issues, allow the federal government to reopen through January 30, fully fund SNAP for the rest of the year, and ensure that federal workers would receive pay and protection from politically motivated firings. But the main question remains, what is going to happen with access to lifesaving health care for millions of Americans?
For forty days and forty nights, Senate Democrats decried systematic attacks on the affordability of American health care, but the shutdown is now ending without a clear resolution to that crucial issue. Instead, this deal continues to leave us without resolution, as Americans are already making painful financial choices about their health care for next year.
Unfortunately, the deal offers no guarantees on health care affordability, even as more than 20 million Americans enrolled in Affordable Care Act marketplace plans face average increases in out-of-pocket premium payments of more than 75 percent. The Affordable Care Act has been essential in providing meaningful access to health care for American working families – particularly Latinos – at prices they can afford. Despite this looming health care disaster, the proposed end to the shutdown offers no more hope than a non-binding promise by Senate Republicans to hold a vote on a bill.
Hispanic Federation has been adamant for months that Congress and the Administration have an obligation to build a path off the health care cliff. We are, of course, gladdened by the end to this shutdown, but let’s be clear, it’s only a two-month bandaid as we face the next fiscal cliff in two months. This deal cannot be the end of negotiations, though; they must be the start. Hispanic Federation demands that Congressional leadership honor their proposal to conduct real bipartisan negotiations on resolving the health premium affordability crisis.
Members of Congress have an obligation to ensure that their constituents can afford the quality health care they need and deserve. We implore Congress to fight for their constituents’ health care both now and in all forthcoming negotiations for government funding without using the most vulnerable as political pawns.”
