Today, the America First Policy Institute released a statement from Hannah Anderson, Director of Healthy America and Senior Director of Policy, concerning the ongoing government shutdown. Anderson expressed concern over the impact on American patients due to halted government operations.
"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," Anderson said. She emphasized that without a new appropriations bill, the FDA is unable to review applications for innovative drugs. These treatments could potentially cure genetic disorders or rare diseases affecting children.
Anderson criticized certain political actions during this period. "The radical left has insisted on blocking these reviews and even wants to reinstate penalties on orphan drugs," she said. Orphan drugs are developed for rare conditions where companies often struggle to recover research and development costs.
Families awaiting therapies, seniors needing devices for independence, and patients requiring critical care are affected by these delays. Anderson accused Congress of engaging in political games at the expense of public health.
She also addressed issues related to immigration policies: "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." Anderson highlighted what she sees as misplaced priorities in Congress.
Anderson concluded with a call for action: "Americans’ health should not be a political bargaining chip. Liberals in Congress must reopen the government and put people before politics."
Information from this article can be found here.
