Washington, D.C. — Last week, 16 House Republicans, led by Congressman David Valadao (CA-22), wrote a blistering letter to Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune criticizing the additional Medicaid cuts in the Senate version of the Republican Tax Scam that is now up for consideration in the House. In the letter, these Republicans in Congress express their “commitment to ensuring that reductions in federal spending do not come at the expense of our most vulnerable constituents.”
These House Republicans already voted for their own historic cuts to Medicaid. But with the House set to vote on the Senate’s bill that could leave 17 million Americans without health care, House Republicans need to answer this question: Did you mean it when you said you opposed the deeper cuts in the Senate bill that you have admitted could crush American families, or will you continue to side with the millionaires and billionaires seeking another tax break?
“House Republicans have a chance to protect their constituents from a bill they admit ‘threatens access to coverage’ and ‘jeopardizes the stability of our hospitals and providers,’” said Unrig Our Economy Campaign Director Leor Tal. “Every one of these House Republicans needs to be asked if they’ll keep their commitment and reject this attack on their constituents’ health care.”
Read more from House Republicans’ letter here:
The Senate proposal also undermines the balanced approach taken to craft the Medicaid provisions in H.R. 1—particularly regarding provider taxes and state directed payments. The Senate version treats expansion and non-expansion states unfairly, fails to preserve existing state programs, and imposes stricter limits that do not give hospitals sufficient time to adjust to new budgetary constraints or to identify alternative funding sources.
We are also concerned about rushed implementation timelines, penalties for expansion states, changes to the community engagement requirements for adults with dependents, and cuts to emergency Medicaid funding. These changes would place additional burdens on hospitals already stretched thin by legal and moral obligations to provide care.
Protecting Medicaid is essential for the vulnerable constituents we were elected to represent. Therefore, we cannot support a final bill that threatens access to coverage or jeopardizes the stability of our hospitals and providers. We appreciate your ongoing leadership in advocating for our members’ priorities as you engage in negotiations with the Senate. We look forward to discussing these issues further and working together toward a solution that reflects our conference’s goals
To learn more about the campaign, visit UnrigOurEconomy.com or contact press@unrigoureconomy.com
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About Unrig Our Economy
Unrig Our Economy is a national campaign to fix the rules of our economy to make it work for working people. We know that when the middle class does well, all of us do well — which is why we’re fighting on behalf of working Americans and holding corporations, their wealthy executives, and the politicians who enable them accountable.