Louisiana youth advocate for healthcare as government shutdown drags on

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – While many youth across the region were home enjoying their fall break, a handful of young people joined a protest meant to grab the attention of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson at his congressional office on Wednesday,

House Speaker Johnson is in Washington, D.C., as the government shutdown continues into its second week, but that did not stop a local group of activists from protesting Congress’s inability to reach an agreement to end the shutdown. Speaker Johnson and his party contend that the Democrats are at fault for the shutdown.

Oppositely, Democrats argue that the GOP’s desire for additional cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act is a reason they won’t support the proposed continuing resolution.

Step Up Louisiana joined Popular Democracy in Action and other partner organizations to demand that “Congressional leaders stop playing political games with our lives and protect the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid,” according to a news release announcing the planned protest.

Step Up co-director Maria Harmon and her team were joined by members of The People’s Promise Youth Division as part of the local mobilization, which took place outside the Speaker’s office in Bossier City. Before any form of public demonstration started, law enforcement arrived and informed the group that they were not allowed to stage their protest because the office is on private property, where the “right to assemble” protected by the First Amendment does not apply.

Nyla Joseph, 13, a member of The People’s Promise Youth Division, was among the students who skipped snacking and watching television to engage in social discourse. She said she was ready to share her feelings and fears for the future, “I gotta live here too. I gotta live and breathe like everybody else, and when I get older, I gotta get a job, get healthcare, and do all these other things, and with inflation going up, it’s gonna be hard to pay for healthcare and live life.”

At 13, Nyla is too young to vote, but she isn’t too young to think about her future. She is willing to follow the advice of the late John Lewis: “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.”

The fact that young people are pondering what life will be like and whether the American Dream is a reality for them is reflected in the last two national elections, which recorded higher-than-normal youth turnout.

In 2024, nearly half of the nation’s youth, specifically those in the 18-29 age range, voted in the election at a rate of 47 percent. This is only slightly lower than the 50 percent turnout in 2020, which was a historical high for this age group, according to data from Tufts University CIRCLE.

Nyla said her peers should pay attention to what is happening in the world they are set to inherit one day, to avoid a learning deficit related to civic issues when they become adults.

“You’re getting older, you’re not going backward. You’re not gonna get younger, you’re gonna get older. So you gotta learn stuff now so you don’t have to learn it later. If you learn about healthcare, inflation, and get all that stuff ready now you’re not gonna have to do it later. You’re not gonna have setbacks. Be two steps ahead of the game.”

During a press conference on Thursday, standing with other members of the House GOP Leadership, Speaker Johnson said, “Democrats seem to be doing everything except the one thing that Americans desperately need and deserve. And that’s passing our clean CR to get the government operating again. That’s all we’re asking. Stop the political stunts. Stop the madness. Stop saying that you’re enjoying inflicting pain on the American people for goodness sakes. And pass the clean CR and end the shutdown today.”