Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Peters (52nd District of California)
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Washington D.C. – Today, at an Energy & Commerce Committee meeting on the Republican tax plan, Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) urged his colleagues to not go through with their extreme cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to pay for tax cuts to wealthy individuals and corporations that do not need them. The Republican plan, which will not reduce the federal debt or deficit, would kick 13.7 million people off of their health insurance according to a new analysis by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.
During his remarks, Rep. Peters also shared the story of his constituent, Jesus Acosta, who is an in-home care provider for his mother who was disabled after being hit by a car. Without Medicaid funding, Jesus would no longer be able to provide this care and pay the bills that keep their family together in their home.
Rep. Peters began his remarks by stating, “This Committee has no jurisdiction over taxes, but let’s be honest with the American people. Taxes are the real reason we’re here. Over in the Ways & Means Committee, they are marking up what will be one of the most expensive tax bills in history. When Republicans originally passed the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, they designed many of the individual and some business tax provisions to expire this year. That’s because even back then, Republicans knew making the tax cuts permanent would cost the United States trillions in revenue we desperately need to pay our expenses. Making those tax cuts permanent now is no less costly.
He continued, “The bill before us will decimate Medicaid, which provides health insurance to nearly 72 million people nationwide. In every congressional district across the country, Medicaid supports health care for children, Americans with disabilities, and working people who are already struggling to keep up. Cutting health coverage for our most vulnerable neighbors will not make America healthier, it will make us sicker.”
And he concluded, “Don’t buy their fiscal responsibility act. Republicans are proposing these painful cuts to programs that help everyday Americans not to lower our debt but just so President Trump can follow through on his campaign promise to give his donors, who he himself said were already “rich as hell,” even more money in tax cuts. When the government borrows more, inflation goes up and working people suffer at the grocery store, gas pump, and when they pay for utilities. Higher federal borrowing drives up interest rates and makes it harder for people to buy a home, start a business, or pay down credit cards. All this now in addition to depriving so many Americans of basic health care.”
CA-50 Medicaid Facts:
- 156,100 people in the district rely on Medicaid for health coverage—that’s 20 percent of all district residents.
- 34,700 children in the district are covered by Medicaid.
- 17,700 seniors in the district are covered by Medicaid.
- 64,900 adults in the district have Medicaid coverage through Medicaid expansion—that includes pregnant women who are able to access prenatal care sooner because of Medicaid expansion, parents, caretakers, veterans, people with substance use disorder and mental health treatment needs, and people with chronic conditions and disabilities.
- At least five hospitals in the district had negative operating margins in 2022. These hospitals would be especially hard-hit by cuts to Medicaid. For example:
- Scripps Mercy Hospital had a negative 25.3 percent operating margin—and nearly 22 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid.
- Sharp Coronado Hospital had a negative 3.5 percent operating margin—and over 36 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid.
- University of California San Diego Medical Center had a negative 2.4 percent operating margin—and nearly 19 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid.
- There are 54 health center delivery sites in the district that serve 529,944 patients.
- Those health centers and patients rely on Medicaid—statewide, 69 percent of health center patients rely on Medicaid for coverage.
- Health centers will not be able to stay open and provide the same care that they do today, with more uninsured and underinsured patients. They are already operating on thin margins—in 2023, nationally, nearly half of health centers had negative operating margins.
- Medicaid cuts put health centers at risk, including:
- Family Health Centers of San Diego
- Neighborhood Healthcare
- North County Health Project
- San Diego American Indian Health Centers
- St. Vincent De Paul Village
Jesus’s Story:
Jesus Acosta is a home care provider and member of United Domestic Workers, UDW/AFSCME, in San Diego. Jesus became a care provider after his mother was tragically hit by a car, leaving her disabled. She was a single mother who worked hard to provide for Jesus and his siblings. After her accident, Jesus felt it was his responsibility to care for the woman who always cared for him — and he’s proud to do it.
Jesus became his mother’s full time care provider in 2016. The responsibilities that come with her care — medication management, feeding her, bathing her, taking her to doctor’s appointments, helping her with her physical therapy and to live a fulfilling life with her family — has made it difficult for Jesus to maintain full-time employment. But he is able to take care of himself and pay the bills for his family thanks to Medicaid. The program also pays for his mother’s wheelchair and doctors’ visits. Without Medicaid funding, Jesus and his family would likely have to move out of their home and they would be separated
Rep. Peters’ Full Remarks as Prepared for Delivery:
Jesus is one of my constituents from San Diego. His mother was tragically hit by a car, leaving her disabled.
Jesus became his mother’s full time care provider in 2016. He manages her medications, feeds her, bathes her, takes her to doctor appointments, and helps with her physical therapy.
If these Medicaid cuts take effect, this work – this very had work — will not meet the so-called work requirements Republicans want to impose. Jesus and his family would likely have to move out of their home and live separated, and they will lose their health care.
Mr. Chairman, this Committee has no jurisdiction over taxes, but let’s be honest with the American people. Taxes are the real reason we’re here.
Over in the Ways & Means Committee, they are marking up what will be one of the most expensive tax bills in history.
When Republicans originally passed the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, they designed many of the individual and some business tax provisions to expire this year.
That’s because even back then, Republicans knew making the tax cuts permanent would cost the United States trillions in revenue we desperately need to pay our expenses. Making those tax cuts permanent now is no less costly.
Yet, that’s what we are being asked to do today. The Budget Committee instructed the Ways and Means Committee to cut taxes by $4.5 trillion and has asked our committee to come up with $880 billion in cuts to make up the shortfall. That’s it. That’s what this is about.
To do that, the bill before us will decimate Medicaid, which provides health insurance to nearly 72 million people nationwide.
In every congressional district across the country, Medicaid supports health care for children, Americans with disabilities, and working people who are already struggling to keep up.
Cutting health coverage for our most vulnerable neighbors will not make America healthier, it will make us sicker.
At home I hear from people concerned about national debt and deficits and they say to me, “hey Scott we have to make cuts to address the deficit.” But that is not what is happening here. Because Republicans will continue to run $2 trillion annual budget deficits and we will see the national debt grow from 36 to 38 to 40 to 42 trillion. And they will vote for a $5 trillion increase in the debt limit to make this borrowing possible, even though many of them swore a blood oath that they’d never vote to increase the debt. They will enact a budget that according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget will increase the federal debt by $37 trillion over 30 years.
Don’t buy their fiscal responsibility act. Republicans are proposing these painful cuts to programs that help everyday Americans not to lower our debt but just so President Trump can follow through on his campaign promise to give his donors, who he himself said were already “rich as hell,” even more money in tax cuts.
When the government borrows more, inflation goes up and working people suffer at the grocery store, gas pump, and when they pay for utilities. Higher federal borrowing drives up interest rates and makes it harder for people to buy a home, start a business, or pay down credit cards. All this now in addition to depriving so many Americans of basic health care.
I urge my colleagues to vote no.
Thank you, I yield back.
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