For Immediate Release: January 29, 2026
Contact: media@colorofchange.org
NATIONAL — As a federal funding cliff approaches and Congress remains deadlocked, Color Of Change calls on the Senate to immediately vote on extending vital Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.
Republican leaders are demanding increased funding for the Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), even as they allow life-saving ACA subsidies to expire. This is a choice to prioritize punishment and surveillance over care, and Black communities are paying the price.
As Black families are being pushed out of health coverage by soaring costs, the administration and congressional Republicans are insisting that funding for ICE, an agency with a documented record of civil rights abuses and deadly violence, must be protected at all costs. Republicans used last year’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act to boost ICE’s budget by 700% while cutting SNAP and Medicaid. Lawmakers are proving they can move swiftly to fund enforcement agencies that harm Black and immigrant communities, while refusing to act with the same urgency to keep people alive, healthy, and insured.
“Let’s be clear about what’s happening right now,” said Nadine Smith, President and CEO of Color Of Change. “This administration and its allies in Congress are choosing to fund an agency that has terrorized communities and taken lives while allowing health care subsidies to expire for millions of people. That decision will deepen racial health inequities and push Black families further into crisis. This is cruelty by design, and we refuse to accept it.”
In December 2025, Color Of Change surveyed more than 200 people nationwide about the impact of rising health care costs and the loss of ACA subsidies. More than three-quarters of respondents reported that health care costs are difficult or very difficult to afford. Marketplace enrollees described sharp premium increases, higher deductibles, and worsening coverage options, forcing families to consider downgrading plans or going uninsured altogether. Even respondents with employer-sponsored insurance reported financial strain, underscoring that having coverage does not guarantee affordability.
“Even though I have decent health care coverage from my employer, we still find it difficult to pay for all the co-pays and prescriptions,” said one Minnesota-based respondent.
Respondents also shared stories of delaying doctor visits, cutting back on groceries and essentials, and juggling bills to afford care. People with chronic illnesses, disabilities, and small business owners described being particularly vulnerable, with ACA subsidies often serving as the only path to consistent coverage.
“It is now projected to be $565 a month, double what I was paying for even less coverage and higher co-payments and deductibles,” said another respondent in California. “With the ACA, we have been able to have full coverage insurance and get regular checkups and preventive care. If our premiums go up as projected, we would have to forgo doctor visits unless it was an absolute emergency.”
In response, Color Of Change is doubling down on efforts to defend affordable health care and hold lawmakers accountable for decisions that put people’s lives at risk. If the Senate does not approve the ACA tax credit extension, Black communities will pay the highest price. Color Of Change is encouraging the public to sign the petition calling on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to immediately bring a clean ACA tax credit extension to the floor for a vote.
Color Of Change is also working to hold large insurance companies accountable while connecting members with resources to help navigate this period of instability.
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Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by millions of members, we move decision-makers in corporations and governments to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.
