“You should never waste a crisis,’” advised former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. President Trump sees this shutdown following Democrats’ refusal to allow ACA subsidies to expire as a crisis and an “unprecedented opportunity” to eliminate “blue” jobs and programs. Here’s why Black Americans will suffer:
#1 Healthcare: If Republicans get their way, Black families nationwide may shoulder skyrocketing monthly premiums or lose coverage entirely. Depending on how long this shutdown lasts, food assistance may take a hit, with WIC and SNAP delays and early cutoffs. That means babies without formula. Children going to school hungry.
#2 Processing Delays: This shutdown could lead to this dangerous group of delays: federal student loans and FAFSA processing, tax refunds, EPA and FDA reviews, passport and visa applications, flights, veterans’ services, social security, Medicaid and Medicare payments, and disaster relief.
#3 Jobs: Black Americans, 20% of the federal workforce, have already been disproportionately impacted by Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts. With this shutdown, 750,000 workers could be sent home or required to work without pay. Even if most Black workers don’t lose their jobs, they are more likely to struggle to make up for the missing income.
Meanwhile? The Trump administration is shielding ICE and tariff negotiations from his orchestrated crisis. Black Americans aren’t just the fallout. From his attacks on birthright citizenship to plots to take over Black cities, we’re the targets.