Chung Denounces Federal Attempt to Freeze Healthcare and Childcare Funds

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, is standing up to Washington’s affordability crisis by voting to demand the reinstatement of Affordable Care Act subsidies that make healthcare more affordable, and rejecting unconstitutional efforts to freeze funding for affordable childcare.

“We’ve heard loud and clear that affordability is of the utmost concern for so many people in our community and nationwide, and recent actions by the federal government are making this worse,” said Chung. “As a mother, I cannot sit idly by as childcare support and healthcare are stripped away from the families in our community.”

Illinoisans are facing skyrocketing expenses of medical care due to Trump and Republican leaders allowing Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire on Jan. 1 of this year, and tariff- motivated price increases on a broad swath of consumer goods—from groceries to warm winter clothing. Additionally, the Trump Administration recently froze $10 billion in funding for affordable childcare, making one of the greatest expense facing working families even more daunting and jeopardizing care for 100,000 Illinois children.

Chung is fighting back by advancing House resolutions formally condemning the causes of the Trump affordability crisis, and demanding solutions:

• House Resolution 620 calls on Congress and the Trump Administration to immediately reinstate the 2022 healthcare subsidies. Because these subsidies were allowed to lapse in January, families are now facing nearly $1,000 in annual premium increases— with rural and downstate communities facing average increases as high as $2,000.
• House Resolution 621 condemns Donald Trump’s effort to freeze funds for affordable child care and calls for the immediate release of all congressionally approved child care funds.

“Enough is enough— it’s time to start holding the Trump Administration accountable for making our lives harder,” said Chung. “I’m going to continue to fight for the affordable, accessible community we all deserve to live in.”