Toolkit: Cuts to Care,
Funding for ICE
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Disapproval of the Trump administration is growing, especially as people connect cuts to healthcare with increased funding for ICE. As the January 30 government funding deadline approaches, spending priorities are under scrutiny. While 17 House Republicans joined Democrats on January 8 to pass a measure restoring health insurance subsidies, it’s unlikely to advance in the Senate, and many expect funding to be shifted from other areas, such as the Department of Homeland Security.
After a 43-day government shutdown, ACA tax credits ended on January 1, 2026. This means more than 20 million people now face health insurance cost increases of about $1,000 a year. Trump and MAGA Republicans chose not to renew these credits, and people are pushing back, especially as money is instead being used for ICE raids, which even many Trump supporters oppose.
This toolkit offers clear messaging, talking points, and actions to expose these priorities and demand immediate action to protect affordable healthcare and community safety.
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Call out for leadership. Show Trump as a petulant Child who is only looking out for himself. Show how he is power hungry looking for places to “own” (Greenland, Venezuela), while his own people are struggling to pay their bills.
Appeal to moderates, independents and non-maga republicans by saying “Trump’s gone too far with the ICE raids, he is terrorizing our community.”
Stand firm against Trump and MAGA Republicans’ threat to strip away healthcare. They are refusing to renew the tax credits that keep marketplace coverage affordable, all so they can push tax cuts for billionaires and side with insurance companies.
Explain how Trump’s measures are not helping anyone. Contrast inflation and rising costs with the huge ICE budget. Appeal to people struggling financially.
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You are not alone. 58% of Americans disapprove of the way Trump is handling inflation and cost of living. [Navigator, 01/20]
Trump and congressional Republicans shut down the government to end the ACA premium tax credits that 22 million Americans rely on for affordable coverage.
As a result, people are seeing premium costs rise by 114%, and roughly 4.8 million ACA enrollees are expected to drop health insurance altogether. [PBS News, 01/01]
While our health insurance sky rockets, ICE gets more funding. “The legislation essentially doubled annual Homeland Security funding, adding $170 billion to be used over four years. Of that, ICE, which typically receives about $10 billion a year, was provided $30 billion for operations and $45 billion for detention facilities.” [PBS News, 01/20]
ICE is bigger and gets more funding than most police departments in America. They have “hiring bonuses of $50,000. Swelling ranks of ICE officers to 22,000.” [PBS News, 01/20]
House and Senate leaders are trying to fund ICE before the deadline. They released a bipartisan compromise to fund the vast majority of the federal government. “The final compromise would keep ICE funded at $10 billion for the fiscal year that ends in September, while reducing the agency’s budget for enforcement and removal efforts.” However, this does not prevent DHS from “detaining and deporting U.S. citizens.” [POLITICO, 01/20]
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SOUND THE ALARM:
Share the truth: Our Government is funding terror rather than our community’s well-being.
Let people know what’s at stake: Millions could lose coverage and even more will pay hundreds or thousands more each year.
Use your voice to call out the lies, highlight the stakes, and demand action to protect healthcare and safety.
WRITE & SPEAK OUT:
Publish op-eds or letters to the editor about what affordable healthcare and safety mean for your community.
Share stories from your family, small business, or neighborhood about how rising costs are affecting you.
Call your representatives. Tell them to oppose any appropriation bill for the Department of Homeland Security that maintains any funding for ICE.
Stress the bottom line: Protecting ACA tax credits keeps coverage within reach, while increasing ICE’s budget threatens all of us.
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