Trina's Kitchen: November 2025

Annie thought we might need to work a video recipe into the mix. And she loves Chef Buck. So here's Cuban Liver Recipe:

1 lb BEEF LIVER
1 RED BELL PEPPER sliced
1 or just ½ GREEN BELL PEPPER sliced (how much do you like green bell pepper?)
1 ONION thinly sliced
3-4 cloves GARLIC sliced
2 Tbsp FLOUR
½ cup WATER
½ cup VINEGAR (I like using rice wine vinegar)
Try these seasonings, but experiment with flavors you like:
1 Tbsp CUMIN POWDER
1 Tbsp SMOKED PAPRIKA
1 Tbsp GARLIC POWDER
1 tsp CHILI POWDER
SALT and PEPPER to taste
OIL for sauteing

How to Cook Liver

Heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat. Check current prices for a non-stick skillet on Amazon.
Once hot, add liver to the skillet and cook 1 minute on each side, seasoning each side with salt and pepper before turning, then remove liver from skillet and set aside to rest.
Add onions and peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add sliced garlic and cook another minute.
Add flour and seasoning and mix well and let cook 2 minutes.
Raise temperature to medium high and add the vinegar and let cook for another minute. You can add a little white wine as well, but that’s optional.
Slice the liver and return to the skillet, tossing well with the ingredients.
Add water and bring to a bubble, then cover skillet with a lid, reduce the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Serve over white rice.

I love this recipe.

News? NYT has a piece entitled "Vance Says He Hopes His Wife Embraces Christianity, Setting Off Backlash." Ah thanks for finding that story, NYT and others. It's not like those of us who are Catholic haven't been writing about this for months and months. It's a shame that you don't realize that his attitude here means he's not Catholic. But then NYT doesn't know a damn thing about being Catholic.

I do. And I've long covered this 'suddenly news' story. I last covered it on October 3rd:

He's not a Catholic.

I've pointed that out before. If he is a Catholic, his children are bastards. They are not recognized in the eyes of the Church. His wife did not convert. She has her own religion -- good for her -- and she is raising their children in that religion. So for him to have done what he did? No Catholic father would have done that.

Again, I have no beef with Usha Vance. I think she's smart to follow the faith she was raised in. It feels right to her and that's what matters. But if I were another faith -- let's say Methodist -- and my husband was Methodist? Then he decides to convert to Catholicism? And I'm not doing the same nor are our kids? We would have many loud and angry talks. Because I'm not going to be able to stay married to someone who is building a spirtual wall between us. I have no beef with Usah Vance and I honestly am very sympathetic to her. My son Mike blogs and he's written the same thing. We both feel that she was done dirty by her husband.

And now he wants to try to tell the Pope what's what? No. You're not a Catholic, Miss Sassy.

I first covered the topic September 4th . . . of last year! Yes, for over a year I've covered this while the mainstream media has ignored it and portayed JD as a Catholic when he's not. From my September 4, 2024 post:

He's not a Catholic. I get that he says he is one. And I know many Catholics who would argue that you're a cradle Catholic or you're not a Catholic. (Meaning you were christened as an infant.) That's not my point. My point is that he converted to a religion he does not understand. Does not understand? He is arguing that childless women are destroying our society and that they should not be allowed to vote or this or that. Most nuns? They are childless. You do have a few who leave the order to have a secular life and come back later and while they were gone they became a mother. And you have those who join an order late in life. But the norm is a nun who does not give birth to a child. So if he were truly Catholic, he would understand that.

In addition, his statements make clear that the Pope is not the head of his church. That's fine. However, the Pope is the head of the Catholic Church and, as a Catholic, I don't understand why you convert to Catholicism and refuse to follow the Pope? Seems to me, it's not the religion for you.

You could call him a lapsed Catholic, I suppose. But I'd still argue that's something he didn't earn. I would prefer it if Miss Sassy would stop trying to pretend he's part of my Church when he so clearly is not.

AP does call out his weird ideas and the fringe movement he belongs to; however, to be clear, Miss Sassy is not a Catholic. He was not born into the religion and he's never truly accepted it as evidenced by his refusal to see the Pope as the head of the Church. He can go back to southern Baptism or whatever he was raised in before he became an atheist but, no, he's not Catholic.

Need more proof? He's living in sin and he has bastard children. In fact, that's going to be the title of this post. A marriage between two Catholics is only recognized if it takes place in the Church. Usha's not Catholic. She's Hindu. So they didn't get married in the Catholic Church. In 2014, they had an interfaith marriage and Vance wasn't even Catholic then. He starts pretending he's Catholic in 2019. And the first two children were born before that. So by Church teachings, JD's failure to marry Usha in a Catholic Church and her failure to convert means they're living in sin and, again, Church teachings, their children aren't Catholic and they are the bastard children of their parents. Did he get a dispensation from the Church? No, he did not.

AP needs to either stop writing about religion or hire writers who actually know about religion.

Would I go up to Vance's children and tell them that their bastards?

No, I would not. Even though, in the eyes of the Church, they are.

But Vance condemns. He condemns gay people, he condemns trans people, he condemns unmarried parents.

And he lies and says he's a Catholic. But if truly were, he'd know his children were bastards in the eyes of the Church.

So maybe the next time he lectures others, he might take a moment to ask himself what he's condemned his own children too.

I would further argue that I don't understand how he was allowed to convert after his marriage. He was a married man and a father. Any priest would have made it clear to him that a conversion would require his wife and children convert or they would be separated in the after life. I honestly don't believe he converted -- or went through the proper conversion. I think he just calls himself a Catholic and thinks he can get away with it. I'd love to see his name on a baptismal registry. In fact, produce that or stop calling him a Catholic.

And let me be clear to IDIOTS IN THE PRESS, you're still not getting the story right. He hopes Usha converts and the kids are going to Church now? The kids need to be Christened to be Catholic. Their attending a Catholic Church means nothing. It means zilch. I get it, JD is trash and he only really knows a little bit about a few protestant religions. But in terms of Catholicism? There's no "at least your non-Catholic child is attending Mass." It doesn't matter. It means nothing. They can't take Communion, they're not Catholic. And JD announced this week that his oldest, 8, just took his first Communion. That leaves the other boy for sure but I don't believe the oldest is Catholic. You have to be Christened -- the way you have to be Baptized to be Baptist.

They finally almost find the story and they still don't know what they're writing about.

This is C.I.'s "The Snapshot" for Friday:

Friday, October 31, 2025. Crazed psycho Chump wants to bring back the nuclear arms race, does RAW STORY pay Alexander Willis for the pro-Donald Chump propaganda he keeps turning out, cowardly Francesca Fiorentini is out to pimp for Platner and it's not going well for her on BLUESKY, and much more.

There is no historical precedentTo put the words in the mouth of the president?There's no such thing as a winnable warIt's a lie we don't believe anymoreMister Reagan says, "We will protect you"I don't subscribe to this point of viewBelieve me when I say to youI hope the Russians love their children too

"Russians," written by Sting and Sergei Prokofiev, first appears on Stings THE DREAM OF THE BLUE TURTLE

The man is nuts. Of course, we are speaking of Donald Chump. What's he done this time? Davis Winkie and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy (USA TODAY) report:

President Donald Trump announced on Oct. 29 that the United States will "immediately" resume nuclear weapons tests, a move he said is needed to ensure the country keeps up with its rival nuclear powers.

In a Truth Social post, Trump touted progress made on nuclear weapons modernization during his first term. But he warned that China's nuclear weapons buildup will place Beijing's arsenal on equal footing with the United States and Russia "within 5 years."

He needs nuclear testing? Well he needs cognitive testing but, no, he doesn't need -- nor does the world -- nuclear testing. The demented and depraved Donald is attempting to restart the arms race. That's how sick his mind is. David E. Sanger and William J. Broad (NEW YORK TIMES) remind:

Mr. Trump’s own senior official in charge of nuclear testing — Brandon Williams, a former one-term member of Congress from upstate New York — was asked point-blank during his confirmation hearing in April whether the United States needed to go back to explosive testing.

“I would not advise testing, and I think we should rely on the scientific information,” Mr. Williams said, referring to such things as data gathered from supercomputer modeling. But he quickly noted the decision would be made “above my pay grade.”

Andre Damon (WSWS) points out, "In the decades before testing was banned, over 2,000 nuclear detonations were conducted, more than half of which were carried out by the United States. These tests sickened communities both inside the American West and throughout the South Pacific and rendered entire areas uninhabitable." Jon Gambrell (INDEPENDENT) reports:

Trump’s comments came in a post on his Truth Social website just before meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping. In it, Trump noted other countries testing weapons and wrote: “I have instructed the Department of [Defense] to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately.”

The president’s post raised immediate questions. America’s nuclear arsenal is maintained by the Energy Department and the National Nuclear Security Administration, a semi-autonomous agency within it — not the Defense Department. The Energy Department has overseen testing of nuclear weapons since its creation in 1977. Two other agencies before it — not the Defense Department — conducted tests.

Trump also claimed the U.S. “has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country.” Russia is believed to have 5,580 nuclear warheads, according to the Washington-based Arms Control Association, while the U.S. has 5,225. The two countries account for nearly 90% of the world’s atomic warheads.

US last carried out a nuclear test in 1992

The whack job really needs medical supervision -- immediate medical supervision. William J. Broad (NEW YORK TIMES) explains:

The last underground explosive blast at the Nevada Test Site occurred on Sept. 23, 1992. Its power was reportedly quite small — a third of the Hiroshima bomb’s — and no public information seems to exist on the test’s purpose.

That same year, at the Cold War’s end, the United States voluntarily gave up the explosive testing of nuclear arms and eventually talked other atomic powers into doing likewise.

Then, in 1993, President Bill Clinton announced plans for a treaty in which all nations would forgo all nuclear blasts. This meant banning tests even underground, the last permissible zone.

Although the 1996 test-ban treaty never officially went into force, it created a global norm. The long, hard process of hammering out a global consensus on the merits of a ban, embraced by all the thermonuclear states at the time, led to a more stable era. Gone were the shock waves that had regularly radiated from underground test sites and ricocheted around the globe.

Since then, the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France have tested no weapons.

As some have focused on the huge damage he's doing to our country, Chump's turned his destructive eye to the whole world.

See Ben this morning for more on Chump's stupidity that risks the entire world.

Speaking of the world, Chump never had a peace plan. He put in a pause or a cease-fire in Gaza. It's not holding. A number of you are e-mailing about a ridiculous and offensive piece RAW STORY published yesterday. I didn't see it until the e-mails. When I read through some of those e-mails, I thought, "It's going to be Alexander Willis again." And it is. Again? From Saturday's "RAW STORY, please stop spreading Donald Chump's lies:"

What's up with RAW STORY? Are new writers just stupid or are they deliberately lying? Marcia's already called out one nut job who appeared to arguing for Chump and now we have Alexander Willis who writes a really bad article about Chump's social media posts late Friday night and early Saturday morning.

Lousy? I think it needs to be pointed out that while he's posting to social media our government remains in shutdown -- the shutdown he caused. I think it needs to be pointed out that late night posting isn't time working nor is it benefitting his health. I think it especially needs to be pointed when he's lying.

And he's always lying.

Why did Alexander Willis repost Chump's lies and not call them out? Willis treats the lies as fact. What the hell is going on at RAW STORY?

There is no proof that, after January 6th, phone calls of members of Congress were listened in on. I guess they could have used the NSA for archival recordings potentially. There's no other way for you to after the fact tap a phone call. After January 6th, as the government investigated the treasonous insurrection, they got the toll slips. Toll slips only tell you who a number called and the duration of the call. In the immediate hours after Marilyn Monroe's death, the Secret Service seized the toll slips from the phone company. It told them who called the number and who called from the number. It did not tell them the contents of any phone call.

Charles Grassley may not be lying. He's so old, he may truly not understand. He's 92 years old and really needs to retire.

But whether he's lying or just confused, Grassley does not know what he's talking about.

Chump does know the difference between a tap on a phone call and toll slips -- he's known the difference long before he was president and it had to do with some of his father's illegal actives which is a whole other story. But he does know the difference.

If Alexander Willis is unable to explain coherently that false charges repeated in the RAW STORY articles are false charges, then that's a writer who needs to find another outlet.

This is an Alexander Willis problem. And it needs to be looked at. It's not a RAW STORY program. They have many solid writers. And RAW STORY does not normally report or 'report' the way Aelxander Willis did on the toll slips. Click here for the garbage Willis wrote re: Gaza.

"Officials in the Trump administration are panicking as the president’s Gaza peace deal runs the risk "

"President Donald Trump brokered a historic peace deal "

"As part of Trump’s peace plan, his administration"

It was not a peace plan. I'm tired of the f**king stupidity and the f**king lying. Does the use of the F-word make clear how sick I am of this? A peace plan -- pay attention those who are deeply stupid -- requires all parties getting together for negotiations. This was a cease fire or what the press called a cease-fire under Joe Biden. It was a pause. We didn't accept the lie that Joe had done a cease-fire (we noted it was a pause) and we certainly won't elevate Chump's pause into a "peace plan." What the hell is up with Alexander Willis who keeps working Republican talking points into his articles for RAW STORY?

We don't note COMMON DREAMS anymore. Too many whores who helped depress turnout in the 2024 election. We don't have time for whores. Brett Wilkins focused on many issues at that site including Gaza which he always did a good job on. So I went looking and here's his article on the same topic Willis 'wrote' 'about' -- click here -- and he calls it a cease-fire throughout. He never calls it a peace deal. He never licks Chump's anus the way Alexander Willis does ("a historic peace deal").

I don't trust Alexander Willis and he's either a propagandist (for Chump) or a really bad writer (two at RAW STORY say he's a really bad writer). Regardless, we can't afford him. When we're in a battle to save this country, we can't afford someone at a left site ignoring reality and bending the truth to make Donald Chump look better.

Reality can't make him look any worst. He is the absolute worst and Americans know that or are slowing figuring it out. Jacob Gardenswartz (SCRIPPS NEWS) reports:

Health insurance premiums for plans bought on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces, often known as Obamacare, are set to increase by an average of 26% in 2026, according to a new analysis released Tuesday evening by the health research group KFF.

But that number could grow significantly if lawmakers fail to reach a deal to extend the COVID-19 era expanded tax credits that help offset ACA premium costs. And when pressed on that fact, Trump administration officials have tried to obfuscate, at times going so far as to falsely question the veracity of data highlighting the increased costs.

On Wednesday, the so-called “window shopping” period began for Americans in 30 states that rely on the federal exchange, healthcare.gov. Those consumers can now input their information and see what the costs for their 2026 plans will look like before enrollment officially begins on Nov. 1.

According to the KFF analysis, Americans who get their insurance through the federal exchange will actually see their premiums increase an average of 30%. The 20 states that run their own ACA exchanges will see increases of 17% on average.

But without the extension of the expanded tax credits, the amount Americans pay each month will increase by 114% on average, KFF finds. Indeed, 92% of Americans received some sort of tax credit to offset ACA costs in 2025. While not all the credits will be going away, millions could be hit with what KFF described as the “double whammy” of rising premium costs and declining government help.

Will Alexander Willis dress that up to make Chump the savior of healthcare? Will he whore himself out further to come up with a piece insisting Chump' moves on healthcare are "historic"? There is reality and then there are the words that flow out of Chump's sewage spout. Kinsey Crowley and Kathryn Palmer (USA TODAY) report:

Trump has told reporters while jetting between Malaysia, Japan and South Korea that his poll numbers were high as he toyed with the idea of pursuing a third term. Though on Oct. 29, he admitted that the Constitution limits him to two terms.

But polls consistently tell a different story: His approval rating is historically low and steady, despite a tumultuous first nine months. Here is what Americans think of Trump's job performance, the "No Kings" protests and the government shutdown.

In an Economist/YouGov poll of 1,623 U.S. adult citizens conducted Oct. 24-27, Trump's approval rating slipped to 39%. It also found 58% disapprove, giving a net approval of -19 points, the lowest of his second term, according to the pollster. However, it is only two points worse than the previous week's poll. The poll's margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.

Chump's just a cheap liar. It's repetitive, not a new observation at all; however, it remains true and the truth needs to be repeated. Joe Light (BARRONS NEWS) reports:

President Donald Trump on Thursday touted his trade deal as a major win for U.S. soybean farmers. But even if China upholds the agreement as described by the administration, U.S. farmers at most are likely merely to see a return to the status quo before the 2025 trade war began rather than a meaningful breakthrough.

As part of the trade deal, China committed to buying 12 million metric tons of soybeans this year, as well as to purchasing a minimum of 25 million metric tons of the crop annually for the next three years, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Fox Business’s Mornings with Maria on Thursday. Bessent said he expected Trump in the future would convince Chinese President Xi Jinping to increase their commitment.

“Our Farmers will be very happy! In fact, as I said once before during my first Administration, Farmers should immediately go out and buy more land and larger tractors,” Trump said in a Truth Social post, also pointing to other agricultural products China said it would buy.

However, the 25 million tons to which China committed are roughly comparable to what the country purchased in 2024, before the trade war started, noted Beacon Policy Advisors analyst Owen Tedford.

The thing about the ranchers? This is their livelihood. Chump's a liar but he's a really dumb liar. At this point, he can't afford to lose any support. But lies like this? They drive your support away.

His lie this week that gas prices will soon be at $2 a gallon? That ticks people off if they're paying attention. But his lies regarding what cattle ranchers are dealing with and will be dealing with (and his suggestion that they just buy more land)? They go to his seeing them as a mark, they go to his attempting to con them. And when you're losing money over his con, it becomes a lot more serious.

They're not going to forget this and they aren't going to forgive -- nor should they.

Let's do another topic.

If you missed it, a certain group doesn't want most of us to enter Democratic Party headquarters through the front door.

No, we're expected to use the back door. Those of us who are women (of any race), men of color, LGBTQ+, Jewish, Muslim, etc. Basically, if you're not a White straight cis gender male with a belief in Jesus Christ, you're not allowed in the front door. Grasp that as you read Michelle Goldberg's ridiculous columns ('he's not dead because people tell me he's not!'). We don't link to trash so go search THE NEW YORK TIMES for it. It's her effort to join Tricksters Turning Tricks for Graham Platner.

The dues are rather steep for the club, you have to sell your soul.

And even with that high price, turns out your whoring may not work for you.

Take poor Francesca Fiorentini. Backing up a rape denier -- he denies rape -- just imploded her 'feminist' credentials for anyone stupid enough to still think she was a feminist -- loud and ugly women may fit the old media stereotype of feminism but, point of fact, we're not all loud and ugly. Now it's shame, shame everyone on BLUESKY knows her name. She was back to pimping the sexist, racist, homophobic, rich boy who worked for Blackwater Graham Platner. She tried to pimp Branko's lie-riddled article. 81 people clicked on the "heart" for her post.

81.

Capt. Dustos, Vampire Hunter got the first reply: "The person who lied is Graham Platner, about his NAZI TATTOO."

Francie got 81 hearts and Capt Dustos? 959.

Believe that's similar to being ratioed. Poor Franci.

SuperChill noted, "Evidence points to Platner knowing it was a Nazi tattoo but gaslighting the public about it. Why OP thinks they have a special ability to discern Platner's true nature and motivations is a mystery. Unfollowing OP." Guess how many liked SuperChill's comment? 285.

Dan Tuke also called out the nonsense "As someone with a tattoo, married to someone with several, and friends with many more people with ink, I don't know a single person who accidentally got a Nazi tattoo" which got 173 hearts and "But, if somehow I did end up with one -- s**t maybe a bachelors party in Vegas goes REALLY sideways -- the FIRST think I would be doing is sprinting to the nearest tattoo parlor/laser removal place I could find to fix it" with 118 hearts.

So deeply unpopular even on the BLUESKY thread she started.

You may remember 'brave' Francie getting snaps and props from The Circle Jerk back in March because she left THE YOUNG TURKS. This was how long after TYT had declared war on transgender people? In other words, Francie, you didn't do anything brave as you continued to be a part of an outlet promoting transphobia and promoting White Nationalism -- let's be clear that's what Nose Job Ana's become -- was the nose job, in fact, necessary for her to be accepted by other White Nationalists?

Francie was a joke then as well. She is one of the reasons we don't highlight ZETO that often. Mehdi I have no problem highlighting. But I had to block Zeteo on YOUTUBE due to the horrid people they hired. I don't really think it's your business that a woman had a mastectomy. No, I don't. And if she had one and was public about how she lost her mother to breast cancer, I especially think you back the hell off. But one strike for ZETEO for hiring that liar wo attacked the woman who had a mastectomy and then another for Francie and then one for their Socialist who poses as a Democrat and was allowed to lie in two segments in a row.

Love and respect for Mehdi -- who we still note -- but, no, not going to pimp ZETEO. And what is it about these charisma free podcasters that led them to ever think they could be a stand up comedian? Francie, you're not funny. Again, you're loud. But even that doesn't make you Sam Kinison. Who may have actually been physically cuter than Francie.

Kevin M. Kruse has a great thread on Platner and his groupies. Ragnarok Lobster notes, "This is why Bernie Sanders loves Graham Platner: like Bernie, Platner is a bitter White man who blames everyone else for his personal shortcomings." Francie also wants you to know Platner passes "the smell test." So did Cenk. Until he fired her. Let that sink in. For all her 'brave' pretense, she'd probably still be with TYT if Cenk hadn't fired her in March.

I want to again note Tressie McMillan Cottom (NEW YORK TIMES):

I cannot swear to know the minds of men like Murphy and Sanders. But, were I a betting person, I’d wager someone else’s riches that they know racism and xenophobia are inextricably linked to America’s inchoate understanding of class politics. They know that “working class” has become a powerful political totem of its own — a discursive sleight of hand used to separate out white voters’ concerns as more legitimate, more materially grounded, more important than other voters’ concerns.

These senators are demonstrating a willful blindness that has become endemic in the Democratic Party. Their rhetoric — and the conventional wisdom that flows from it — suggests that we cannot talk about economic solutions without abandoning our commitment to the Black, Latino, gay, transgender and female poor that are the lifeblood of the Democratic Party’s base. The conceit at the heart of that belief is that poor white people are too racist, and too uniquely ignorant of their racism, to vote in their best interests. Therefore, Democrats have to accept a little racism to win the working class.

It is an old argument. History will tell you that negotiating with racism or fascism or authoritarianism never ends well.

Be sure to check out THE NEW YORK TIMES editorial "Are We Losing Our Democracy?" And let's note two important videos on Chump's Epstein scandal.

A lot of e-mails expressing outrage over the new direction of CBS under its owner. Don't. There are enough things to fret about. A group of us worked -- and are working on -- making sure Chump's Branson on the Potomac is a failure. We're also preparing for PARAMOUNT+. The new owner thinks he can shape the country. He can't. But We The People can shape -- harm -- his pocket book. And that's a long term lesson he'll be taught if he can't learn reality quickly. There's no audience for what he wants to do. He's pissed off the artistic community going after Colbert and trying to boss Taylor Sheridan around. For years, Rupert Murdoch thought he was going to have impact but to survive FOX had to program shows that were not conservative and didn't reflect conservative values. David Ellis (who looks like THE MIDDLE's Brad played by Brock Ciarlelli) has never really had to prove himself in the entertainment business. He's in over his head and he's going to learn that lesson quickly and adjust or he's going to lose his money.

Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:

NEW FROM NEW YORK TIMES: Obamacare Prices Become Public, Highlighting Big Increases

NEW FROM KFF: ACA Insurers Are Raising Premiums by an Estimated 26%, but Most Enrollees Could See Sharper Increases in What They Pay

SEATTLE TIMES: WA residents shopping for health insurance hit with sticker shock

***WATCH PRESS CONFERENCE HERE, DOWNLOAD HERE***

Washington, D.C. – Today, on the 30^th day of the Republican government shutdown and ahead of Open Enrollment beginning nationwide this Saturday, November 1^st, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)—Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee—held a virtual press conference with Washington State Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer and constituent Bridget Provalenko of Bellingham, whose family relies on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits to afford health insurance.

At the press conference, Senator Murray discussed how inaction by Republican Members of Congress will force Washingtonians to pay significantly more for health care next year. Last week, Washington state’s ACA marketplace, Washington Healthplanfinder, opened its “window shopping” period, allowing Washingtonians to look at health coverage plans for next year—and most are seeing dramatic increases in their premiums thanks to Republican inaction. Customers can start signing up for a plan and officially shopping for coverage through Washington Healthplanfinder once Open Enrollment begins on November 1^st. On average, premiums for ACA plans in Washington state are spiking by 21 percent. Nationwide, 22 million Americans who buy health care through the ACA exchanges will see their health care costs skyrocket next year without the tax credits, premiums are more than doubling on average, and these higher costs will push 4.8 million people off their health coverage over the next decade. A Washington-state specific fact sheet on the ACA tax credits is HERE.

“Republicans don’t even have the tiniest inkling of an actual health care plan! They never have. But Democrats have a pretty simple plan to address the immediate crisis: save these tax credits, and stop premiums from doubling, tripling, quadrupling, or worse. Now, Republicans may have shut down the government over this, but they will not shut down the debate. People in Washington state and across the country are not going to be silent when they log on and see their monthly premium is going to go through the roof. They are already speaking out,” said Senator Murray. “There are over 220,000 people in Washington state alone who rely on the premium tax credits to afford health insurance. And that is literally just one percent of the 22 million people in the country who rely on them. In our state, families who lose their support are going to see their premiums more than double on average. I am hearing from families who have done the math and gotten their notices. They check online, and learn that their health insurance plans will cost hundreds—in some cases thousands—more each month… I am going to keep shouting it from the rooftops: later is too late. People are window shopping for health plans now. Open enrollment is this Saturday. That is when these price hikes really become a reality, and families who feel priced out of their coverage may just give up.”

Senator Murray played a critical role in passing the enhanced premium tax credits in the American Rescue Plan in 2021 and extending them in the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, and she has been fighting for months to make sure these important health care tax credits don’t expire, including cosponsoring multiple pieces of legislation—the Health Care Affordability Act and theProtecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act—that would make them permanent.

“Hard working people have relied on these tax credits to buy health insurance for themselves and their families. Some of these people have serious health conditions. For them, the idea of going without coverage can literally mean the difference between life and death, unless Congress takes immediate action to extend them the enhanced premium tax credits will expire at the end of the year,” saidWashington State Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer. “More than 216,000 Washingtonians in the individual market qualified for enhanced premium tax credits. That’s about two thirds of our enrollees. These subsidies are what help people afford and keep coverage. If Republicans let the enhanced premium tax credits expire, the exchange estimates that up to 80,000 Washingtonians will drop their health insurance. I’m afraid this will cause us to backslide on our state’s historically low 4.8 percent uninsured rate. That means higher costs and strains on our health care system. As people put off preventative care, these effects will be felt by people across the state, but will hurt some of our rural communities.”

“Being self-employed, we have to go out and find our own insurance, which we have done over the past few years. Fortunately, last year, we qualified for the credits on the ACA, and it’s made a huge difference. It was able to keep our premium the same as it was the prior year, which was amazing for us,” said Bridget Provalenko of Bellingham, whose family uses the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Exchange to afford health insurance. “Health insurance isn’t a Democrat or Republican issue, it’s an American issue… I just want people to understand that health insurance is very important to people. We need it. We need to make it affordable.”

Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered on today’s press call, are below:

“Thank you all for joining this call today, because right now, families in Washington state and across the country are window shopping for health insurance coverage for next year. And they are coming face-to-face with the reality that their monthly premiums are set to skyrocket, all because of Republicans’ inaction.

“Democrats have been clear, all year long: we want to stop these price hikes and we want to save the ACA tax credits that millions of families rely on.

“But Republicans have been silent. Or worse, they’ve shrugged their shoulders. They’ve essentially said, ‘Don’t look at me, I never wanted to lower health care costs in the first place.’

“So they have literally now shut the government down instead of talking with Democrats about health care. Which is probably because Republicans don’t even have the tiniest inkling of an actual health care plan! They never have!

“But Democrats have a pretty simple plan to address the immediate crisis: save the tax credits, and stop premiums from doubling, tripling, quadrupling, or worse.

“Now, Republicans may have shut down the government over this, but they will not shut down the debate. People in Washington state and across the country are not going to be silent when they log on and see their monthly premium is going to go through the roof. They are already speaking out.

“There are over 220,000 people in Washington state alone who rely on the premium tax credits so they can afford their health insurance. And that is literally just one percent of the 22 million people in the country who rely on them.

“In our state, families who lose their support are going to see their premiums more than double on average. I’m hearing from families who have done the math and gotten their notices. They check online and learn that their health insurance plans will cost hundreds—in some cases thousands—more each month.

“I have heard from families trying to figure out if they can go without daily necessities—maybe have fewer, smaller meals. I have heard from small business owners wondering if they will just have to close up shop and look for a job with employer-sponsored coverage.

“I’ve heard from people who simply can’t afford it no matter what and are just preparing to just go without health insurance entirely next year. They’re skipping checkups, they’re rationing prescriptions, and they’re rolling the dice on their health.

“This is heartbreaking. It is happening nationwide and it is completely unacceptable to me. The Republican response has been silence. The Republican solution is ‘later.’

“I am going to keep shouting it from the rooftops: later is too late. People are window shopping for health plans now. Open enrollment is this Saturday. That’s when these price hikes really become a reality, and families who feel priced out of their coverage may just give up.

“Every single day Republicans waste, this problem is going to get worse and harder to solve. Every day.

“So we are not going to stop sounding the alarm. We are not going to stop lifting up the stories of real families who are facing the real price hikes Republicans want to pretend don’t exist. And we are not going to stop demanding they join us at the table, and work on actually solving this and reopening the government as soon as possible.

“If Republicans want to bury their heads in the sand or plug their ears, that’s their choice. But guess what? We are going to bring a shovel. We will bring a megaphone. And we will do everything we can to make sure the American people are heard.

“So thank you all for being here, and I’m glad to be joined by two people who can speak about this issue firsthand: Patty Kuderer, our Insurance Commissioner in Washington state; and Bridget from Bellingham. Bridget, thank you for being here to share your story.”

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