Van Orden & Steil Must Answer For GOP’s Medicaid Cuts

MADISON, Wis. — This week, the House GOP will vote to advance a budget resolution that would impose devastating cuts of as much as $880 billion to Medicaid, all to help pay for a multi-trillion dollar tax cut for the wealthiest Americans. While some Republicans are trying to find their backbone and pushing back on the cuts to Medicaid, Congressmen Derrick Van Orden and Bryan Steil have been radio silent.

173,386 of Derrick Van Orden’s constituents and 196,938 of Bryan Steil’s constituents depend on Medicaid for their health care and would be impacted by the devastating cuts imposed by the proposed Republican budget resolution.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Joe Oslund issued the following statement:

“Republicans are using Elon Musk’s chaos as cover to push through as much as $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid to help finance a budget-busting $4 trillion tax cut for the wealthy. Wisconsinites deserve answers from Derrick Van Orden and Bryan Steil about why Republicans are trying to kick seniors out of nursing homes and cancel doctor’s appointments for new moms to give Elon Musk a tax cut.”

The budget resolution being taken up by the House GOP this week would impose hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid and SNAP food assistance while cutting taxes for the richest Americans.

CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: “In contrast, House Republicans have locked themselves into large Medicaid and SNAP cuts while proposing to extend the Trump tax cuts. By instructing the House Energy and Commerce Committee to achieve at least $880 billion in deficit reduction and the House Agriculture Committee to achieve at least $230 billion in deficit reduction, they have proposed deep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP that would take food and health care away from millions of Americans while partially financing tax cuts for the richest Americans.”

The GOP’s proposed cuts to Medicaid could force seniors out of nursing homes and devastate families who depend on the program for health care.

NEW YORK TIMES: “Medicaid Cuts May Force Retirees Out of Nursing Homes”

KFF HEALTH NEWS: “Republicans in Washington say they plan to use funding cuts and regulatory changes to dramatically shrink Medicaid, the nearly $900-billion-a-year government health insurance program that, along with the related Children’s Health Insurance Program, serves about 79 million mostly low-income or disabled Americans. … Advocates for poor people fear GOP funding cuts will leave more Americans without insurance, making it harder for them to get care.”

THE 19TH: “Republicans who control Congress are reportedly weighing cuts to Medicaid, the popular federal-state insurance program that provides health and long-term care to millions of Americans. Lawmakers have indicated the cuts would help pay for President Donald Trump’s tax policy, which is expected to include permanent tax breaks for wealthy Americans. … The program is credited with covering more than 40 percent of all births in the country. There are many variables to how much an uninsured person will actually pay for a birth, but experts estimate that a person with private insurance incurs an average of nearly $19,000 in health costs related to pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care — and that can translate to nearly $3,000 in out-of-pocket costs. In short, Medicaid has served families for decades. ‘It’s really hard to overstate the importance of Medicaid for kids and families,’ said Maddie Twomey, communications director with Protect Our Care, a health care advocacy group. ‘You could rely on it at any point in your life.’”

The Trump tax cuts overwhelmingly benefited the ultra-wealthy, with households making $450,000 or more receiving more than 45 percent of the benefits—all while increasing deficits by $4 trillion.

ASSOCIATED PRESS: “On Friday, the U.S. Treasury released a new analysis of the various ways that extending the expiring individual and estate tax provisions of Trump’s 2017 tax overhaul — known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — could cost the government, and who would directly benefit the most from the legislation’s permanent extension. For instance, the Treasury’s Office of Tax Analysis estimates that the top 0.1% of earners would get a tax cut of $314,000 under a full extension of the individual and estate tax provisions, with the total cost of those tax cuts amounting to $4.2 trillion between 2026 and 2035. … The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center in July reported that households making about $450,000 or more would receive more than 45% of the benefits of extending key provisions of the 2017 act. And the Penn Wharton Budget model estimates that permanently extending the TCJA would increase deficits by $4 trillion over the next decade.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.