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House Dems Decry GOP Health Cuts 07/11 06:00
Democrats used a Louisiana town hall Thursday night to preview one of their
main strategies for attempting to retake the U.S. House next year, ripping into
the health care changes in the just-passed Republican tax and spending bill.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Democrats used a Louisiana town hall Thursday night to
preview one of their main strategies for attempting to retake the U.S. House
next year, ripping into the health care changes in the just-passed Republican
tax and spending bill.
The top House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, said the event in the home state of
House Speaker Mike Johnson was the first stop on a nationwide tour to educate
voters about the bill, which he called "an all-out assault against the American
people." He also noted that Republicans had promised not to touch Medicaid, the
government health insurance program for lower-income Americans.
"And during the first chance they got, they do the exact opposite," Jeffries
told a crowd of several hundred at Xavier University in New Orleans. "Shame on
them."
The gathering of some of the top House Democrats comes at a crucial time for
the party. It is seeking a pathway back to power in Washington but is grappling
for a message that will resonate with the working class voters who have
migrated toward Republicans in recent elections.
Democratic leaders believe the bill, which President Donald Trump signed
into law on the Fourth of July, will sway voters ahead of the 2026 midterms,
when Democrats look to win control of the House and break the hold Republicans
have on the levers of power in Washington.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida said Thursday's event was "step
one" in Democrats' strategy to "make sure people are aware of what they're
losing and who took it away from them."
But another congresswoman laid bare one of their challenges. Rep. Robin
Kelly of Illinois said as she has been meeting with constituents, it's become
clear that most of them don't know what's in the bill or how it might affect
them.
The measure includes about $4.5 trillion in tax breaks by extending cuts
made during Trump's first term, mostly benefiting the wealthiest Americans, and
adding new ones that include no taxes on tips. It also slashes clean energy tax
credits and unleashes hundreds of billions of dollars for Trump's national
security agenda, including for border patrol and deportations.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates 11.8 million adults and children
are at risk of losing their health insurance under the bill, which over time
will make it harder to enroll in federal health care programs, including
Medicaid and others created by President Barack Obama'sAffordable Care Act.
Additionally, it estimated 3 million Americans will no longer qualify for food
stamps, also known as SNAP benefits.
The legislation reduces federal Medicaid spending by $1 trillion.
"All so Republicans can give trillions of dollars in tax breaks to
billionaires and the biggest corporations," said Democratic Rep. Troy Carter,
who represents much of New Orleans. "It is, in fact, reverse Robinhood --
stealing from the poor to give to the rich."
Democrats chose Louisiana as the site of their town hall to highlight the
impact of those cuts. It's the home state of Johnson and House Majority Leader
Steve Scalise.
Louisiana is among the states expected to lose one-fifth of its Medicaid
budget over the next decade as a result of the bill. An estimated 1.5 million
people in the state are enrolled in the health care program, and the policies
could increase the uninsured population by more than 200,000, according to the
Kaiser Family Foundation. In Johnson's own district, the foundation found that
some 38% of the residents are enrolled in Medicaid.
Most of the health care changes in the bill, including the new Medicaid work
requirements on certain adults, will not begin until after next year's
elections, though a number of providers are already beginning to prepare for
potential cutbacks.
Carter said 33 rural hospitals in the state are at risk of closing.
Dr. Takeisha Davis, chief executive of New Orleans East Hospital, said she
was concerned about how health care cuts will affect patients and the public
hospital's operations. It serves about 300,000 patients a year, roughly 60% of
whom are on Medicaid.
Davis was blunt in her assessment of the bill's potential impact, saying
loss of health care would "cause more preventable deaths in our area."
CJ Marbley, the hospital's chief nursing officer, told the Democrats that
the majority of maternal births in Louisiana are covered by Medicaid.
"Any reduction in this critical program has a potential loss of life for the
infant and mother," he said, while noting that Black women are four times more
likely than white women to die from complications during pregnancy.
Johnson and Scalise stood with Trump at the White House when he signed the
bill last week and insist the measure will boost the U.S. economy, strengthen
the borders and ensure that millions of Americans won't see a tax increase.
Johnson's office did not respond to requests for comment, but he has been
promoting the bill on social media and previously said that with it, "We are
going to make this country stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever
before."
Ahead of the town hall, Scalise said Democrats who opposed the bill will
have to explain to the people of Louisiana why they voted against tax breaks on
tips and overtime and extending Trump's tax cuts, as well as other provisions
he says will help the state.
"Louisianans voted overwhelmingly to put President Donald Trump back in the
White House and give Republicans majorities in the House and Senate to
implement the America First agenda, which is exactly what we did with the
passage of the 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' and the hard-working families of our
state will benefit tremendously from it," Scalise said in a statement.
Some town hall attendees wondered if Thursday's event might have been more
effective if it had been held somewhere other than the Democratic stronghold of
New Orleans, such as in Johnson's or Scalise's districts.
"We all believe in these guys -- they need to find the people who don't
believe," said New Orleans resident Patricia Owen-McGill, a 74-year-old
Democrat.
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