House Budget Bill Hurts Women, Children, Seniors, Low-income Americans, and Everyone but the Billionaires and Special Interests who Profit from It
Statement by National NOW President Christian F. Nunes
WASHINGTON–The big, ugly bill Donald Trump and U.S. House leaders passed in the dead of night must be dead on arrival in the Senate. It will slash Medicaid, hurt children, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities—and take away health care from almost 14 million people.
Now, the U.S. Senate must do its job—something the U.S. House refused to do—and write legislation that helps, not hurts us. The House bill makes the largest cuts to Medicaid and food assistance ever, while preserving and enlarging tax breaks for the wealthy, including the billionaire donors who have the president’s ear.
From today, the Senate must hear from the rest of us. The House didn’t have a single hearing to consider the changes to our health care system that their bill would bring. We demand the Senate examine and debate this issue thoroughly.
House leaders consistently claim that the work requirements for Medicaid they demand are to get the ‘able-bodied’ into the workplace. This is more paternalism and disdain for the lived experiences of their constituents.
The truth is that nearly two-thirds of those on Medicaid are already working, with most of those who aren’t working because of caregiving, illness, school or disability. But because when work requirements are imposed, Medicaid coverage drops, backers of this nightmare bill see it to spend less on health care for people who need it, and more on tax breaks for the wealthy.
The House showed us where they stand—and it’s not on our side. NOW, it’s up to the Senate.