Democratic senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego held a town hall Monday to talk with constituents concerned about Republicans potentially cutting Medicaid to fund tax cuts.
"They want to come up with $880 billion dollars from Medicare or Medicaid or both, probably Medicaid, to help make these big tax cuts to billionaires not look so bad,” Kelly told reporters.
President Donald Trump promised he would not cut social security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits.
However, House Republicans recently passed a budget resolution adopting a blueprint to fulfill Trump’s agenda, including extending his 2017 tax cuts. Funding the bill would likely require cuts to Medicaid or Medicare, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
"Arizona and this country would be absolutely devastated if we cut Medicaid,” Gallego said.
But, while the town hall was meant to educate constituents on the impact potential cuts to Medicaid would have on Arizona families, several people in the crowd voiced their frustration with Democrats' lack of a plan to push back on Republicans who might want to cut the program.
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"We're trying to shield to ourselves before were wounded and we don't know how,” Quianna Brown, who has an adopted daughter with special needs on Medicaid, told the Senators. “Would you mind telling your colleagues in Washington that when you're burning down this house, there are people still inside, my daughter is inside.”
Brown wasn’t the only one pressing the Senators for answers. Jefri Knazan, who is on Medicaid, wants to see action from the Democratic party, instead of just talk.
"It's a problem with not fighting on the ground that we're on now and not being honest with the constituents about what’s really going on,” Knazan said, adding she would like to see Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer step down from his role.
While there have been no formal proposals from Republican leadership to cut Medicaid, members of the GOP have differing opinions when it comes to the program’s future.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN earlier this month that he believes they can find savings without having to cut benefits for people, while Senator Lindsey Graham believes Medicaid “needs to be reformed,” according to Reuters.
