Durbin Slams Republican Plans To Cut Medicaid In Order To Pay For Tax Cuts For Billionaires
Durbin pleads with his Republican colleagues to have the courage of John McCain, stand up to President Trump, and vote to save health insurance for millions of Americans
WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) slammed President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans for their plan to slash Medicaid and Medicare funding to give tax breaks to billionaires through their budget resolution. House Republicans have proposed $880 billion in cuts to the Medicaid program in order to pay for President Trump’s tax cutsfor billionaires, and Senate Republicans have similarly put this program in the crosshairs. Durbin began by recalling former Republican Senator John McCain’s vote to save the Affordable Care Act during the first Trump administration and how it parallels the choices facing his Republican colleagues today.
“John McCain, with that ‘no’ vote, saved the Affordable Care Act. And millions of Americans’ health insurance was protected. This was during Trump’s first administration,” said Durbin. “John McCain’s courage came through that night. He broke with his party because he knew what was at stake. He knew that for millions of Americans there was no alternative when it came to health insurance. It was the Affordable Care Act or nothing. And he had the guts to vote ‘no.’ Oh, he was pilloried and criticized by the Republican faithful, from one end of the country to the other. But those of us who believe he did the right thing will never forget that moment of courage.”
Durbin continued, “In a strange way today… we are returning to that moment in history. The Republicans, under President Trump in his second term, want to perpetuate his tax cut that he gave primarily to the wealthiest people in America and add to it at the expense of health care for America. When we talk about health care in America, one of the programs that is so critical is called Medicaid.”
Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program provide health coverage to approximately 80 million people nationwide—including nearly 40 million kids, or nearly half of all children in America, as well as 60 percent of seniors in nursing homes. In addition, Medicaid is the largest funder of addiction and mental health treatment.
In Illinois, 3.4 million people are enrolled in Medicaid, including 1.5 million children. Medicaid, in Illinois, covers nearly half of all births, two-thirds of nursing home residents, the majority of patients with behavioral health needs, and is a lifeline for children’s and rural hospitals. Under Republican plans to slash Medicaid, 775,000 adults in Illinois who gained health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act could lose coverage almost overnight.
“In the state of Illinois, half of the children who are born in the state are paid for by the Medicaid system. What happens if you cut back on Medicaid reimbursement in those cases? It means less prenatal care, the likelihood, I’m sorry to say, that kids, some, will be born with problems that could have been avoided. And more seriously, whether or not these children will even survive birth. That’s what Medicaid is all about,” Durbin said.
Durbin continued, “Why is that their target? They [Republicans] believe the vulnerable people who receive this kind of health care assistance won’t be able to fight back. And they are desperate to raise more revenue for what purpose? To give tax cuts to the wealthiest people in America. For goodness sakes, Elon Musk does not need a tax cut. He’s a multi, multibillionaire—the wealthiest man in the world. Why in the world would we cut back on any kind of health care for Americans to give a man in that station in life a tax break?”
Durbin then underscored the critical role that Medicaid plays in sustaining small and rural hospital budgets and in providing coverage for their patients. Small and rural hospitals are the backbone of their communities, and often the largest employers, contributing nearly $5 billion in direct spending on payroll, goods, and services in Illinois. Yet more than 135 rural hospitals have closed nationwide in the past dozen years, an estimated 50 percent of rural hospitals ran operating losses last year, and more than 400 hospitals are facing closure risk.
“What are these cuts that the Republicans are proposing in Medicaid going to do to rural and downstate Illinois and other rural and downstate areas around the nation? The reality is very clear—fewer resources to hospitals in sparsely populated areas mean that many of those hospitals will not survive,” Durbin said.
Durbin continued, “Today, more than half of those hospitals are hanging by a thread, operating in the red. And to cut Medicaid reimbursements to those hospitals is literally going to close their doors and turn out their lights. How important is a little hospital in a community downstate? It is the economic engine. It is the hub of life for the economy of that area. Take away that hospital and it not only endangers the people living around it, it also means a lot of jobs are lost, too. And businesses that those people frequent often are going to be threatened as well. So why would we cut Medicaid reimbursement and close these downstate hospitals to give a tax break to the wealthiest people in America? It makes no sense.”
Durbin then shared his personal story of being an uninsured, new father with a little baby girl who was born with a serious heart defect.
“I was a law student. I didn’t have much income and I had no health insurance. So my wife and I took our little baby girl over to Children’s Hospital here in Washington, D.C. We sat in the charity ward and we waited until our name was called. And we saw a doctor who I prayed to God would be able to save my baby’s life,” Durbin said. “I never felt more helpless in my life than I did at that moment—to have this little girl come into this world and her father couldn’t provide health insurance.”
Durbin concluded, “Luckily, she survived… I have never forgotten that whenever there’s a health crisis or health issue that’s debated on this floor. All of us want good health insurance. And to cut the programs for no reason other than to give tax breaks to the wealthiest people makes no sense whatsoever. It is not sensible. It’s not thoughtful. It is not humane. That is what this debate is all about. Are we going to protect health insurance for Americans so that they have some peace of mind that they have access to good care? Or are we going to cut them off, tell them they’re on their own, whether it’s mental health counseling, addiction counseling, the birth of a child, or basic health care? That’s what’s at stake here. So I would plead with my colleagues… I’m praying to god there’s going to be one or two John McCains who are going to step forward and lift their hand enough to vote and save health insurance for Americans across the board.”
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
-30-