Democrats Urge Republicans Against Using Medicaid To Bankroll Tax Cuts For The Rich At The Expense Of Working Families, Seniors And Americans With Disabilities

Washington, D.C. –  Senate Democrats are warning their GOP colleagues against bankrolling tax cuts for the rich by gutting Medicaid and slashing health care for children, seniors, and people with disabilities. 

Nearly 80 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) nationally. Medicaid alone covers more than 40 percent of births in the United States.  Medicaid offers essential health coverage to people who otherwise couldn't afford health care, including seniors on fixed incomes, pregnant women, families with young children, and Americans with disabilities.  And in addition to covering services Americans rely on to remain healthy, go to school, and thrive at work, Medicaid also provides essential coverage for mental health and treatment for fentanyl addiction that is ravaging red and blue states alike.  If Medicaid is compromised millions of American working families would lose nursing home care for older loved ones. 

Noting the importance of Medicaid to all fifty states and the fact that it is one of the most cost-effective health insurance programs in the country with massive implications for every state’s budget, all 47 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus today sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), writing: “We urge you to reject proposals that use Medicaid as a piggy bank for partisan priorities and continue to defend the importance of this vital program.”

Despite a weak claim to “love and cherish” Medicaid, President Trump’s Administration has already put a blanket freeze on federal funds flowing to states, jeopardizing access to Medicaid funds. The White House and Congressional Republicans have also engaged in closed-door discussions on slashing vital health programs, circulating a plan that includes draconian Medicaid cuts of up to $2.3 trillion that would take away people’s health benefits; make it harder for them to retain their health care providers; and prevent seniors from getting nursing home care.

The 47 U.S. Senators wrote: “Republicans are proposing cuts to the Medicaid program from hundreds of billions to multiple trillions of dollars.   Cuts to Medicaid through drastically changing the program’s financing structure or imposing additional barriers to coverage are dangerous to the millions of people who rely on the program. These proposals will also force states to make difficult decisions that will result in millions getting kicked off their coverage and providers struggling to keep their practices open. States simply cannot absorb these massive funding cuts without hurting children, seniors, people with disabilities, tribal populations, patients with chronic illnesses, and many other Americans who rely on Medicaid.”

If Congressional Republicans carry out their proposals to slash Medicaid it would hit working people hard and shift a greater financial burden on to states, local taxpayers, and already-strained local hospitals and clinics.  In more rural areas, it would likely lead to the closure of health facilities, leaving vulnerable communities with fewer options for care and decimating the health care workforce.

Senate Democrats are vowing to do everything they can to protect Medicaid while warning that Republicans’ plan to ram these dangerous cuts through a budget reconciliation process that cannot be filibustered.

“While we disagree on these costly and misguided policies, we are hopeful that there is bipartisan understanding of Medicaid’s importance for millions across the country, that the Medicaid program should be enhanced rather than cut, and that Republican policies should not be paid for at the expense of working-class Americans losing their health care,” the 47 U.S. Senators wrote, highlighting the fact that Medicaid has a proven track record of being cost-effective and creating opportunities for families and businesses and making communities and the nation healthier and stronger.

The letter is signed by U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Angus King (I-ME), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Peter Welch (D-VT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tina Smith (D-MN), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Chris Coons (D-DE), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Mark Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA).

Full text of the letter follows:

Dear Majority Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson:

As we begin a new Congress, we seek to pursue policies that improve the lives of Americans across this country. However, we are deeply concerned about recent reporting on Republican plans to use the budget reconciliation process to advance President Trump’s reckless agenda. While we disagree on these costly and misguided policies, we are hopeful that there is bipartisan understanding of Medicaid’s importance for millions across the country, that the Medicaid program should be enhanced rather than cut, and that Republican policies should not be paid for at the expense of working-class Americans losing their health care.

Medicaid is a lifeline for communities across the country. Nearly 80 million Americans get their health insurance through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provide services Americans rely on to remain healthy, go to school, and thrive at work. Medicaid pays for nearly half of all births in the U.S., provides health insurance coverage to nearly half of all of America’s children, provides care to 3 in 5 nursing home residents, and provides peace of mind to 17 million women of reproductive age. Medicaid is also a lifeline for rural communities, with children and non-elderly adults in rural areas more likely to be covered by Medicaid compared to those in urban areas.

Republicans are proposing cuts to the Medicaid program from hundreds of billions to multiple trillions of dollars. Cuts to Medicaid through drastically changing the program’s financing structure or imposing additional barriers to coverage are dangerous to the millions of people who rely on the program. These proposals will also force states to make difficult decisions that will result in millions getting kicked off their coverage and providers struggling to keep their practices open. States simply cannot absorb these massive funding cuts without hurting children, seniors, people with disabilities, tribal populations, patients with chronic illnesses, and many other Americans who rely on Medicaid.

Speaking about Medicaid last week, President Trump said, “We’re not going to do anything with that, unless we can find some abuse or waste. The people won’t be affected. It will only be more effective and better.”

Given that levels of abuse and waste within Medicaid are not commensurate to cutting billions from the program, President Trump and Congressional Leadership should uphold this commitment to enhance, rather than gut, Medicaid. The American people should be assured that Medicaid will be protected. We urge you to reject proposals that use Medicaid as a piggy bank for partisan priorities and continue to defend the importance of this vital program.

Sincerely,

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