CAPAC Releases ‘Spill the Tea’ Episode on Republican Shutdown

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) released a special episode of “Spill the Tea with Chair Meng” that discusses how Republicans shut down the government because they refuse to address the health care crisis they created.

The sixth episode of Spill the Tea features CAPAC Whip Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-06). During Congressman Bera’s twenty-year medical career, he worked to improve the availability, quality, and affordability of health care. Before being elected, Congressman Bera put his medical expertise to work for his community, serving as Sacramento County’s Chief Medical Officer. In that role, he fought to reduce the cost of health care, create jobs, and deliver care to Sacramento County residents.

In this episode, CAPAC Chair Grace Meng and Congressman Bera discuss Republican attacks on health care, including efforts to gut Medicaid and eliminate Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits that help Americans afford health insurance. These cuts could impact the 4.5 million Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) who receive health care through Medicaid, and the over 1.5 million AANHPIs who receive health care through the ACA. States are projected to see their uninsured populations increase, and insurers are already notifying customers of steep health care premium hikes.

If Republicans do not extend the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credits, more than 20 million Americans will see their health care premiums skyrocket – pricing many out of coverage entirely. Current estimates show Americans will see their out-of-pocket premiums increase by 114% on average. A typical family of four making $125,000 would see their health care costs increase by $7,700 on average. A 60-year-old couple making $80,000 would see their health care costs increase by a whopping $17,500 on average.

It is no surprise that 70% of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders oppose President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ tax breaks for billionaires when they come at the expense of Medicaid and the ACA.

The Members of Congress also discussed how Republicans would rather shut down the government than work with Democrats to address the health care crisis. They reiterated their commitment to working in a bipartisan manner to protect health care and reopen government, and how their offices are open to serve impacted constituents.
 

Watch the full video HERE.

Tune in to future episodes by following CAPAC on Instagram, Facebook, X, Bluesky, and Threads. 

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About the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC):

Founded in 1994, the bicameral Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus is composed of 82 members of Congress who advocate on behalf of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. The Caucus is led by Congresswoman Grace Meng, who was elected CAPAC Chair in 2024.