Families USA and AHA Urge Congress to Reject Budget Resolution
Families USA released a statement on February 25 ahead of the impending vote on House Republicans' budget resolution that calls for $2 trillion in spending cuts. If passed, the House Energy and Commerce Committee would be locked into at least $880 billion in cuts, a clear signal of their intent to decimate Medicaid and strip health benefits from millions of Americans across the country, according to Families USA.
House Republican leadership countered the Medicaid concerns, reasoning that the GOP shouldn't believe what they say is a Democratic talking point, CBS News' Kaia Hubbard and Caitlin Yilek reported on February 25. "House Majority Whip Tom Emmer urged that the budget resolution "merely unlocks the opportunity for committees to begin drafting legislation," calling it a "blueprint to save America." And House Majority Leader Steve Scalise stressed that Medicaid isn't specifically mentioned in the budget resolution, noting that the vote is simply one to begin the reconciliation process."
American Hospital Association's (AHA) President and CEO Rick Pollack stated the House of Representatives should construct a path forward on budget reconciliation that "protects Medicaid from harmful cuts that would impact access to care for millions of Americans."
"President Trump and some Republicans have said they won't touch Medicaid, but this vote today is when we see who walks the walk. This vote is the walk-the-plank moment for moderates who say they don't want Medicaid cuts but are being asked to cut over $880 billion to the care and coverage of their constituents," Anthony Wright, executive director of Families USA, said in the statement.
"Policymakers and the public alike understand that there is no version of this budget resolution that does not include deep cuts to the vital programs, services, and benefits that the American people use every day to help them see a doctor, pay rent, or feed their families," the statement furthermore read.
"The magnitude of these health cuts is on a similar scale to Republicans' previous attempts to "repeal and replace" the ACA — but this time it is even more clear that it is repeal without any replacement, leaving many Americans uninsured, living sicker and dying younger and one emergency from financial ruin."
"A vote for this budget is a betrayal of the very voters in working class, rural, and other areas that sent Republican leaders to Washington to lower costs, and instead, those same leaders will oversee the shredding of our nation's social safety net, driving up costs for millions of Americans just to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations," Families USA cautioned.
The budget blueprint passed an important test vote earlier Tuesday, but it remained unclear whether enough members would support a final vote, NPR's Claudia Grisales reported. "If the House cannot pass its budget plan, the Senate bill may end up as Plan B."
