Shutdown Grinds New Cures to a Halt, Putting Americans’ Health at Risk

Washington, D.C. — Today, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) issued the following statement from Hannah Anderson, Director of Healthy America and Senior Director of Policy, regarding the ongoing government shutdown:

“Every day the government remains shut down, American patients are paying the price—not just in delayed services or lost wages, but in their health and well-being. Without a new appropriations bill, the FDA cannot review applications for truly innovative drugs—treatments that could cure crippling genetic disorders or rare diseases in children. The radical left has insisted on blocking these reviews and even wants to reinstate penalties on orphan drugs, which are specially developed medications for conditions so rare that companies often can’t recoup the costs of research and development. Families waiting for life-changing therapies, seniors counting on devices to maintain their independence, and patients in need of critical care are being punished—all because Congress is playing political games.

Meanwhile, the same leftists pushing this shutdown are using it as leverage to provide taxpayer-funded healthcare to illegal aliens—a ‘free’ benefit that U.S. citizens are not guaranteed. This is a stark reminder of their misplaced priorities: rewarding those who broke our immigration laws rather than protecting the health and safety of the American people.

Americans’ health should not be a political bargaining chip. Liberals in Congress must reopen the government and put people before politics.”